The Social Stock Market (It was only a matter of time..)

As I browse Facebook and see the hoards of friends that people accumulate - I always wondered when people would start being measured on their 'social worth' so that companies could start using the most valuable 'people stocks' as conduits to promote their brands e.g. those with 1000+ friends. Empire Avenue clearly read my mind (well partially). (http://www.empireavenue.com/)

According to Wiki 'Empire Avenue is a stock market simulation social network game that allows users to buy and sell shares of people and websites'. Web spies say its user base is growing rapidly and the game helps players monitor their social influence and possibly make business connections that boost their profits. Leading brands such as Intel, AT&T, Microsoft, Ford, Audi and Toyota are already in on the Empire Avenue trend and are quickly rising up on the leader board – a list that compares the muscle power of the account holders on social media as a whole.

So how is your 'worth' measured? Your score depends on activity, audience and interaction. Essentially, it is a function of what you do on social media, how much you do of it, who is listening and how people are engaging with you.

My thoughts on this topic: I get it for brands. And it was only a matter of time for people's social worth to be measured. But it does leave me feeling a little queasy. Now all those people who you barely say hello to will have more of an incentive to add you as a 'friend' and let you know that 'they are going to the bathroom' on twitter. I don't have 6 gazillion friends on Facebook nor do I have a twitter account which incessantly tells people what I am doing every 30 seconds. If my social stock is rubbish as a result - I am OK with that.