Newsworthy or Share worthy?
(Note to my in-laws:  Please stop forwarding those e-mails that were forwarded to you after they were forwarded to someone else. Thanks for the info, but I already know how to improve my gas mileage and protect myself from identity theft.)

Do you instantly delete those e-mails – the ones with five Fwd: Fwds at the beginning? Or do you open them anyway, knowing you're about to read some urban legend or watch some goofy video?

Although much of the material shared over the internet may be “useless,” these e-mails illustrate an interesting trend that marketers must face:  Is it share worthy?

The “it” is anything about your company, including customer experiences, product information, events, your website, and so on.

People like to share what they see on the web. Journalists used to be the gatekeepers who deemed material “newsworthy” enough for readers, viewers or listeners. Now, with Web 2.0, it’s all about the community determining what is share worthy. And that “community” includes your customers and prospects.

Word of mouth is a powerful tool to influence decision makers. Now, it’s even more important as entire websites revolve around people sharing information. Who cares if it’s newsworthy – is it share worthy?  Look at the success of YouTube and Digg.

(Case in point - Digg’s website is “…all about user powered content. Everything is submitted and voted on by the Digg community. Share, discover, bookmark, and promote stuff that's important to you!”)

So how should B2B marketers respond?

First, embrace the idea that people are sharing views, experiences (both good and bad) and information about your company.

Next, consider new ways to make your company’s information “share worthy” so that your customers want to forward your information to colleagues and partners.

Finally, get involved in the community conversation. Companies willing to be open and participate (even for bad news) will develop a reputation for honesty and good customer support.