The DNA of Data
Every social networking site is basically an interface to a database. From a technical standpoint they are fundamentally the same. The core value of their product, the DNA if you will, is represented by the quality of the data created by users themselves. Data can be refined, repackaged and tarketed in myriad ways to brand stakeholders the world over. Direct marketers and ad agencies have always paid a premium for quality data about potential customers. Our first rule of success at Fuego Nation, ‘Data Rules’ is based on this market reality.
There is a fundamental difference in the way we approach data collection and mining than legacy social networking products. The difference is like that of mining for gold by panning in Sierra streambeds or blowing mile-deep veins into gold-laden mountainside with millions of tons of TNT. So whereas our competitors collect billions of pieces of data and then write expensive programs in an effort to make sense of it all, we developed a strategy that couples sophisticated interface and user design to engender clean data from the outset then leverage the community and brand affiliation of our users to further refine the data to an even greater degree.
The data mining process at FNO begins only seconds after a visitor lands on the site while the end result is a database that opens up new revenue streams not available to other sites. (e.g. offline event promotions and management, direct marketing to high-income individuals, hyper-targeted advertising, luxury brand product testing with key market influencers, ‘in-game’ advertising, etc.).
Peering into our design helix and comprehending the depth with which we’re piecing together this perfect data storm is an efficient way to get to the heart of the FN opportunity. It may be interesting to note that the design elements for which we have received the most interest including exclusivity, interactive interface design and status-based leveling systems were not end goals in and of themselves but rather tactics used in the execution of our overall strategy of attaining the ‘highest quality set of data of any social networking product anywhere in the world.’ So instead of embracing the small-minded worry about whether exclusivity will restrict the size of the overall membership, one should worry more about how we use exclusivity as a simple tactic to generate better, cleaner data about our member base.
What follows below is a simple process flow that articulates, at a high level, our ‘Data Rules’ founding principal:
Goal: Maximize Market Valuation
Market Reality: Better Data Results in Higher Revenues
Strategy: Create a system that ensures the collection of high-value data from the outset then leverage membership to help scrub the data
Tactics:
1. The Brand Voice- In our marketing, the voice as communicated via copy is aspirational in nature and aggressive in tone. This is done intentionally to attract ambitious, talented people and repel those for whom this message would not be naturally appealing.
2. The Game of Life Carousel- From the outset, we use the visual metaphor of the carousel and the spinning trading card profiles to begin honing the database. By voting we begin the process of data cleansing.
3. Being Proud of Who You Are- Once a member, users display actual names not usernames. The point of the brand experience is to be proud of who you are so pretending you’re someone else doesn’t make sense and is not rewarded. This mitigates against the biggest hurdle in open networks which will always limit the value of their data, that is, a large percentage of their data is fictionalized by users.
4. Passion-based Data- We collect data only about those things that motivate action in user’s lives. When it comes to data we believe that ‘less is more’ especially when the data is related to one’s driving passions in life.
5. The Hidden Value of the VIP Level- Since you need to recruit friends in order to accumulate the points necessary to move up to a VIP level, the likelihood of members inviting friends to a place with a fake name and fake picture is reduced exponentially.
6. Status-based Leveling- Each level in FN requires more confirmation of the member’s talent, skill and relationships indicating to advertisers a pool of folks worth paying added premiums to gain access to them.
7. A Power Community - When users adopt a community in which they have helped to create, and around which they place high psychic value and ego attachment, they are typically more motivated to police against those who do not consistently represent core community values. In the end, by creating a system that ensures that Fuego Nation has the best data we are ensuring that we will create an environment most likely to result in a stronger market opportunity.
