The 5 Levels of Competitiveness in Social Media
May 7, 2008 Social Media 29 CommentsAs you become increasingly active in social media, you will find a wide variety of competitiveness across the board. Some want to be regarded as A-list bloggers, to reach a top status on social bookmarking sites, and to have the most number of friends on Facebook. While some can maintain genuine relationships with people, others see them as part of their massive network. Competition is usually healthy, depending on the amount of competitiveness involved.
Although there are many gray areas between each level, I have observed roughly five main levels of social media competitiveness and involvement.
Lurker
Lurkers exist online; they just aren’t visible. These people don’t actually participate. They quietly watch the activity on their favorite sites. They may identify core sites and users that they admire or enjoy and follow them religiously. Even the most offensive of posts won’t incite a comment from them. Although these lurkers might sign up for an account on a social site, they are usually the users without an avatar. Their activity on these sites is minimal, and their contribution is non-existent.
Dabbler
Dabblers are active in social media just for the fun of it. They don’t care if anyone knows them and only interact with a minimal number of users. They go to Facebook to connect with real life friends and go to social news sites to vote on stories that intrigue them. They will only tag stories for personal use. These users are usually those who use social media sites, but don’t realize how much they can grow within them. Dabblers make up the bulk of social media users. They are absolutely oblivious to the various tools, applications, and help forums that are available for the sites they are active on.
Part-timer
Part-timers have a few accounts that they are active on. They subscribe to their favorite blogs and make sure to check them out when a new post has been published. They participate when they have the time to, but real life intrigues them much more. A part-timer will assist others when needed but isn’t always accessible online. Part-timers are the users who will submit their blog to Digg and wonder why they only got two votes; these users still have a limited understanding of how to best use these sites.
Hard-core user
This person is invested in social media and usually spends a few hours a day participating in the space. They are involved on many channels and are major contributors to the community. They want to share knowledge and add value. These people typically interact with anyone in the space, regardless of their level. They believe that the exchange that they have with various users is fulfilling. Although these hard-core users are extremely driven and would like to have top user status, they will avoid taking advantage of other users to get there. Due to their high involvement, these users will install and rely on user-scripts and alerters to simplify their online experience.
Pro
While not all Pros are uber competitive, most uber competitive users make it to the Pro level. They will duplicate a submission if it means it will increase their popularity rankings. They enjoy the attention they get from being on the top of the totem pole and will continue to invest time, effort and money into building it. They constantly check their statistics to ensure that they are still ranking very high. Immersed in the social media world, the pros are usually the first to know about breaking news stories and technology innovations. They are privy to technology short cuts and will utilize them to assist in maintaining their status. They have a wealth of knowledge about the various spaces and will only share it with those who have proven their worth. However, trade secrets are only shared with their tight circle of top users.
Update: The “Pro” section has been updated to clarify my intention.
Thanks to Tanner Hobin for creating the image.



Does having face-to-face interactions really have an impact on your friendships? Is someone going to be more faithful just because they have seen your face and had coffee with you?