Do You Play On Social Media Sites? Are You a Playa? Are You "Workin" It All the Time?

If you don’t play FarmVille you will never know what playing FarmVille is like. That may be fine for you, but if you are in social media, or marketing, or anything to do with the web, you’d better be pretty familiar with social gaming. Did you know that half of people’s time on facebook is spent playing a game?

So where do you go to entertain yourself when you are browsing the web? How do you participate? Or are you like the 9-out-of-10 facebook users who lurk and never participate? Is there a site where you actually contribute content, or frequently comment? Do you use LinkedIN to actually network?

Part of social media is PLAY. And if you are working-the-web all the time, you don’t have a clue what I am talking about.

I used to play Knighthood on facebook. (I currently play TradeNations on the iPhone.) For about a year, on and off, I connected with a network of other people in various phases of seriousness about Knighthood. I got in a flame war with some young jerk who captured me and put me in a dungeon for almost a week. And my character, tied directly to my facebook profile, was rescued by a hilarious woman, who was pretty serious about Knighthood. I joined her guild and started learning more tricks of the trade. She gave me lots of GOLD and even some seriously kickass knights. It may have even caused a few fights with my significant other. OUCH!

And I dabbled in a few others. I have not played FarmVille. But by playing Knighthood I started getting a glimpse into why the social gaming is so addictive. My guild had a SKYPE room where we could chat in real-time about current victories, escapades, and adventures. And where my rescuing maden (my Queen) introduced me to all her friends. And where we raged and complained about GLENN, the jerk who trapped me and who, according to rumor, played about seven different characters, or clones.

So gamification is a big marketing topic. And mobile gaming is too. Have you played a game on facebook or Google+ or your phone? Have you checked your status or farm or points during the workday?

If you answered no, I suggest you quit being so serious and monkey around a bit. It may unlock ideas that cannot be born until you "get it." How will you understand these games if you view them academically rather than as a participant? Anyone who is not a playa, is not to be trusted.

@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)

permalink: https://uber.la/2012/01/do-you-play/

You might be interested in requesting membership in this LinkedIN Group: Games for Brands

Check out the Social Media for Business page and these other posts about learning social media:

• Why Google+ Is Not Competing Against Facebook; The Google+ Platform Play
• Losing My Way on Dell.com < How the Retailer Still Confuses and Coupons Us To Death
• Crack the Motivational Code: Put a Ding In Our Universe and Your Team’s Universe
• Work Life Balance and Survival; It’s Up to You to Grab It
• Facebook’s Community Value is 5% of 5% or 0.25% < A Failure to Communicate
• SEO: You Have to Know Your Search Engine to Understand How to Optimize – Content Marketing
• Going for the One on Google Search is Just a "Phrase Match" Away (Own It!)
• How to Get Useful Business Information Out of Twitter: Hashtags for Social Media Research

It’s been a great year. Thanks for being part of it. See the 2011 Summary and Best of 2012!