Web 2.0 and the Principle of Consensus

Do you remember when the web was just a series of lists and pages and it was up to you (or some people you trusted) to wade through and separate the worthwhile from the useless, the sacred from the profane? It was rough, I know...

Then Google came along with a new algorithm and transformed the architecture and organization of information. In its footsteps, user-generated content (one of the underlying notions of web 2.0) became not only possible, but mainstream. Think plastic, del.icio.us, digg, flickr, youTube, Plexo. Yahoo! Buzz Index and Google Zeitgesit now pull together search trends and patterns to let us know exactly what other people think is interesting. The New York Times online now updates every 15 minutes (!) a fascinating list of the most e-mailed, most blogged, and most searched articles on its site.

All of these sites, and there are countless others, empower consumers (of news, of services, of products) to receive real-time information on what other people think is worth your time, and in a world where time is becoming one of our most important, but limited, resources, anything that can save you time on the way to finding what you really want is going to be extremely valuable.

Amazon is another great example. Maybe you've seen this before while searching for something: "Customers who bought this item also bought...." Or this one: "What customers ultimately buy after viewing this item…" How about this this one: "132 of 142 people found the following review helpful." Has this information given you some additional confidence in your purchasing decisions? Of course it has. Amazon isn't sharing this information because it's cool, they're doing it to influence people to buy!

And that's exactly the result you can expect if you begin allowing your customers, clients, co-workers, anyone you're seeking to influence, to know what other people are thinking about your products, services and ideas. Why? Because as humans we have biases, and one of those biases is to behave according to certain norms.

Scientifically-proven, the Principle of Consensus, or Social Proof, demonstrates that when we are unsure of what to do, we look to what (similar) others are doing for guidance in making our decisions.

So, who wants lists and descriptions without context? Nobody. What we really want to know is what other people are searching for, purchasing, and reading. And if you won’t tell me, I will go somewhere else where they will. Because other people’s opinions matter, especially if they are similar others. It's no wonder that recent studies have shown that people have more trust in their peers when it comes to buying decisions than the corporations who are selling the products.

The take-away: because our time is limited we want and rely on shortcuts to make decisions. One of these shortcuts is a priori validation for our choices… we want to know what other people are doing before we make our own decisions. Web 2.0 enables that.

Now, ask yourself, how can apply the principle to my business? Here's one idea. That list of products or services on your website – why not let your potential customers know what other customers (who are just like them) think about those products or services? Not just standard testimonials (though your satisfied customers are your best source of consensus information), but a real-time feedback loop. If you can, let them vote on your offerings. If you can't let them vote, then provide some type of information that lets potential users see what other users think are the most valuable aspects of what you have to offer.

Consensus information is shortcut to accuracy. It's scientifically-proven. Use it.