The silent majority

In the one week since I published the Logo-palooza post, this site has been visited over 20,000 times. The source for most of the traffic has been StumbleUpon where the post has been recommended by several users of that site.

The point I wanted to make about this is that you would never guess the popularity of that post by looking at it. As of this morning it has received a total of 12 comments. It has been seen and read over 20,000 times but only 12 people commented.

But the more I think about it, I don't think this is all that unusual. Think about all the articles we read online - all the news stories and blog posts. Most of the time we don't have a good reason to leave a comment. Unless we disagree with the author or feel compelled to add something, we often simply move on and read the next thing.

Long before the Web there was user-participation in talk radio. And with that medium too, a small percentage of the audience called in to offer their opinion. Most people just listened.

As more organizations look for ways to use the Web to "better connect with and engage their customers," the trick will be finding creative ways to comfort, stimulate, and motivate them to action. But companies need to realize that, despite their best efforts and intentions, many of their customers may prefer to stay silent.