The Magazine Meme – Thoughts On Being Sociable

Social Media Need Sociable People

Li Evans tagged me in a meme on what magazines I read. Like many others I really don’t get involved in memes, but here I am again. It got me thinking on memes and why they don’t die almost as soon as they’re born.

In some ways, a meme is a small-scale simulation of the bigger social media such as Digg or Reddit or Myspace or Facebook. If the group involved or who might become involved looks interesting, then you decide to invest the time to become part of it. A meme has to have a slightly greater USP since it clearly is of limited life. However someone you know asked you to be part of it so there’s a slightly greater incentive to join. However we all know we’re far too busy for this so that person shouldn’t be too upset if they don’t hear any response when they drop the stone down the wishing well.

In this case, it was Andy Beal who started the Meme with his question: What Magazines Do You Read? Li was tagged by Andy and now I carry the baton. If I do tag five people, this will be a pure example of sociability since by now I read very few print magazines that are not online. Instead I fly at hyperlink speed through the RSS news feeds looking for headlines that point to something that intrigues me. The only physical ones I read are for pure enjoyment where I can’t find a satisfactory online substitute. I guess I’m part of the way the world is evolving. So here in no particular order are the few I read:

  1. National Geographic
  2. Canadian Geographic
  3. PME – a French magazine for Quebec entrepreneurs
  4. Search Marketing standard

Reading for pleasure usually involves books but those aren’t included in this meme.

So will I/won’t I help this meme to continue. It’s touch and go but social pressures are sometimes insidious and difficult to resist. So I pass on the batons to:

  1. William Slawski
  2. Donna Fontenot
  3. Ev Nucci
  4. Jim Hedger
  5. Darren Moloney

Don’t worry, there’s no pressure. I won’t mind either way.