I studied Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel from cover to cover. And, I loved every word.  My one regret: I didn’t start reading / studying it sooner.

An Important and Valuable Book.  Don’t make my mistake.  Six Pixels of Separation belongs in the digital marketing and leadership library of any Fortune 500 executive, small business owner, or entrepreneur who is driven to forge an organization on the principles of trust and community.

This review focuses on seven (7) pearls of wisdom from the book.  But, there are so many more. 

I hope this review inspires you to:

 1. You Are Media 

A 3-Pronged Approach: Building, Differentiating, and Auditing Your Personal Brand. Chapter 7: You Are Media (pages 124 – 142) is the most important chapter of the book. It focuses on how individuals can create, promote, and differentiate their personal brands by publishing digital content. 

Mitch provides detailed guidance on these key branding activities:

In the following video (timestamp 1:53 to 3:10; note there's a short advertisement in the beginning), Mitch describes how organizational brands or individual brands can market themselves in online channels by: 

1. Participating in online conversations
2. Providing valuable content
3. Helping other people connect and engage with others

You Are a Broadcast Network.  Page 137 states why we are all individual media companies: 

“Individuals are creating content; the individuals are the media. The media they are creating are also a form of advertising.”

Mitch describes how individuals develop their own broadcast networks by citing a blog post about Robert Scoble.  Sebastian Provencher published the post, “Robert Scoble is Media”, in The Praized Blog (from page 136):

“It made me wonder: why would Robert Scoble accept a “friends invitation” from people he does not know?  Why do you want to be connected to people you don’t know and alert them to stuff you’re doing?  And then it hit me!  Robert Scoble is media.  He’s building his own broadcast network. He understands that media is completely fragmented and, by participating in all these new social communication vehicles (blogging, Twitter, Pownce, Facebook), he’s aggregating readers and viewers, thereby increasing his penetration and his worth as media.”

2. We Are All Intrinsically Connected   

Six Degrees of Separation Applies to Traditional Media.  On page 4, Mitch explains that today's technology and digital channels enable people to know everyone because:

“We are all intrinsically connected through technology, the Internet, and our mobile devices.”

“We are all a click (or pixel) away from one another.”

“This means that building relationships and turning those relationships into an online community is more important than ever before.”

He describes the Six Pixels of Separation Concept in the following video (timestamp: 0:08 to 1:37; note there's a short advertisement in the beginning):

Geographical Boundaries No Longer Apply.  Watch the following video.   It describes the true story of how the rock band, Journey, found its new lead singer via YouTube.  The new lead singer lived in the Philippines (and didn’t speak a word of English).  The story starts around 40 seconds into the video: 

3. Digital Marketing Is About Being Slow 

In Praise of Slow.  Pages 31 – 34 contain my favorite Six Pixels quotes.  Why?  All of the lessons reinforce a long-term approach / attitude in building a credible digital presence.  The misconception about digital marketing versus traditional marketing is digital results could be achieved faster and cheaper: 

“Yes, you can make fast decisions, see fast results, and optimize and change things on the fly, but real tangible results take time.  You can’t quickly start a blog and get results right away.  It takes time to build your content, find your voice, develop a community, and earn trust and respect.”

Time Invested Drives New Media Opportunities. On page 5, he describes how the time invested in building online communities and reputations determines success in online channels (not how much money is dumped in advertising and PR):

“The new online channels will work for you as long as your are working for them by adding value, your voice, and the ability for your consumers to connect, engage, and take part.”

Eight (8) Years of Blog Posts and Hundreds of Podcasts.  Mitch started publishing the Six Pixels of Separation Blog in 2003.  At the time of the book’s 2009 publication, the Twist Image Team published 200+ podcasts.

On pages 184 to 185, Mitch comments on the time and and work invested:

“None of this was easy to accomplish.  It was (and is) hard work and very time consuming, but we have achieved great results from these efforts, and it has differentiated us and brought us out of the bloody red sea of interactive agencies and into a blue ocean (even though, on some days, it feels more lie a pond) of what the agency of the future should look like.”

Watch This Interview About In Praise of Slow (time stamp 2:30 to 5:00).  Pay special attention to what Mitch says about In Praise of Slow along with his blog’s role in lead generation and client acquisition:

 4. Influencers of Content Value: Time, Search Engines, Linking, and Sharing 

Content’s Slow, Steady Process and the Link to Search Engines.  Page 33 contains an important lesson on how content earns favorable search engine rankings: 

“The older the content, the longer it has been online and searchable through the engines, the more people who have linked to it, shared, and tagged it, the more valuable it is.  Content that ranks at the top of Google does not get there because of how new and fresh it it is.  Content rises to the top of Google based on how long it has been available and how valuable it has been to the online community.”

“It’s a slow and steady process that makes content rise to the top of the search engines.”

Speed Is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tactic.  Page 33 discusses why speed is important in online publishing.  Key points about speed include:

* Speed gets your content is indexed in search engines as fast as possible.

* The sooner your content is available through search, the sooner people will find it, and the sooner it will become valuable.

* Posting your content fast means you can gain the efficiencies of content’s slow, steady process faster.
 

 5. Attention Does Not Equal Trust 

They’re Not the Same.  Think about celebrities, politicians, athletes, etc. who garner significant attention.  Do you trust them?  Probably not.  Being the center of attention is not a sustainable long term strategy. 

Digital Marketing Is Not a One-Night Stand (page 34). It’s about TRUST. It’s about building real, genuine relationships with both your current consumers and potential consumers.

“There’s no such thing as an overnight sensation. Everything you’ve seen in business as an overnight sensation was, in effect, decades in the making.”

“The digital social spaces are built on trust and trust alone. Trust is always built slowly over time.”

Earning Trust.  Pages 167 to 169 discuss earning and sustaining trust once your online participation receives attention.  Mitch writes “to use the Web in a human way.”

* Be Helpful.  Helping others online is how you turn attention into trust.  Remember, the Web is built on reciprocity.

* Be Sincere.  Helping others without expecting anything in return is the right attitude.  Helpful and sincere people are valuable community members – just like in the real world.

 6. Traffic Does Not Equal Community 

Be Wary of The Mass Media Complex.  Driving more traffic is good.  But, the ultimate goal is not solely about achieving large numbers. 

In the following video, Mitch discusses the mass media complex (e.g., appealing to everyone or trying to attract millions). Pay attention to his explanation from time stamp 0:40 to 0:57 (especially about how Six Pixels of Separation targets the digital marketing and social media community):

Focus on Building Community.  The thought here similarly applies to the one about attention does not equal trust.  On page 166, Mitch writes:

“Keep in mind that many people who have lots of traffic really don’t have much community at all.  In fact, hunting for the traffic can be a game of diminishing returns.  To really evolve and maintain, focus on the five new community members (who will, we hope, become lifetime customers) versus the 55,000 who might float in and right out simply because of an orphan link that someone posted somewhere.  Namely, they were interested in your content for about five seconds, but now they are gone.”

“The long-term game of sustainability in the online channels is one of quality versus quantity.”

 

 7. The Golden Rule 

Say Thank You.  Pages 41 to 42 and 210 to 212, reinforce the importance of (1) monitoring mentions of your product / service AND (2) expressing thanks to the people sharing your content:

If someone mentions you, it is now your duty — at the very least — to leave a comment back on their blog (or email them directly), letting them know you are reading, paying attention, and most importantly, appreciative of their mentioning you.

As much as you physically can, respond and be thankful to everyone who takes the time to mention you.

Make this your golden rule, and make a commitment that you will never break it.

It Shows You're Human.  Practicing The Golden Rule shows others you're listening, responsive, and appreciative.  In all human interactions, isn't that the goal?  Make it the norm not the exception in your digital interactions.

And, Mitch Joel is a Man of His Word.  These acknowledgements from Mitch show how he practices The Golden Rule: