Likes UP: Social Sharing = Big #LikesUP With Number Count Going UP, UP, UP!

To share or not to share, that is the question… With one click you can share a tweet, story, image, article and more on social media. Sharing technology makes it all so easy.

Likes Up show up in most forms of social media: YouTube, Facebook, Google Plus, Pinterest and a host of others. You can see the numbers of people who have liked or shared the object in question.  Likes Up are fully displayed for all to see.

Why to we share?  This has been written about before on LikesUP.com and in many psychology articles.  The share symbol is part of the header on the LikesUP.com blog. 

First,  what does the word SHARE mean?

SHARE DEFINITION

share/SHe(ə)r/

Noun:

A part of a larger amount that is divided among a number of people, or to which a number of people contribute.

Verb:

Have a portion of (something) with another or others: “he shared the pie with her”.

Synonyms:

noun.  portion – part – quota – slice – allotment – lot

verb.  divide – participate – distribute – apportion – partake  via Dictionary.com

Definition of ‘share’  from Random House Webster’s College Dictionary

1. (n.) share
a part of a whole, esp. a portion allotted or assigned to a member of a group.
2. share
one of the equal fractional parts into which the capital stock of a corporation is divided.
3. (v.t.) share
to divide and distribute in shares; apportion.
4. share
to use, participate in, receive, etc., jointly:
The two chemists shared the Nobel prize.
5. (v.i.) share
to have a share or part; take part (often fol. by in).
6. share
to receive equally.
Etymology:  (1325–75; OE scearu fork of the body, groin, c. OS, OHG scara (G Schar) troop)

For social sharing it is a combination of people contributing by “recommending” and participating in by “forwarding.”  We’ve all seen requests to SHARE THE LOVE and pass on a link or image to friends or membership lists.

Second,  Why do people share?

Deena Varshavskaya, Founder and CEO of Wanelo.com writes:

Sharing is a basic unit of socializing. Humans are social animals and socializing is at the foundation of who we are.  When people approve, appreciate or relate to something we do or say, we feel good. This can be explained in evolutionary terms. Social validation means reduced risk and uncertainty. Life is all about managing risk and one way to reduce risk is to do things the same way as other people do it (i.e. a lot of people are statistically less likely to be wrong than a single person).

Sharing various aspects of ourselves gives us a chance to get validation (validation = reduced uncertainty) in our life choices.

Jim Tobin writes:

1. Social media marketing doesn’t work unless people share; and
2. People share content for specific reasons, most of which have to do with how it makes them feel about themselves.

His article goes onto say:  Shares Trump Broadcast (Big #LikesUP!)

Jim Tobin is right when he writes: “People share either because (1) you’ve blown them away with the product/service experience (congratulations, by the way) or (2) because it makes them feel good in some form or fashion.”

Pinterest is popular because images are easy to like and share.  When it comes to marketing, social sharing has to do with the experience received, which is a form of testimonial, or creating a feel good or funny image/video (marketing of product/service is secondary) specifically with the purpose of having it go viral with shares, retweets, and likes. 

Sharing is a hot topic and there are quite a few questions about sharing.

Social networks make sharing visible and possible, in a frictionless, scalable and cheap manner.  It is also measurable.  With each like and sharing incrementing the math that adds up and up.

#LikeUP for Sharing!

P.S. Feel free to use the share icons at the top of this article to share with your friends and colleagues.