He’s a successful venture capitalist living in NYC and I value and respect his insights on the developing trends in the Internet/technology industry.

You may recall that I hosted an event in DC for fans of his in the area (about which Fred subsequently blogged).

But, there’s an interesting subtext to this story.

To organize the event, I used a site called Eventbrite.

Fred is an investor in a competitor service called Meetup.

Now, I should have known this, but I didn’t think about it. I had received a number of Eventbrite invitations recently and it had received some good WOM, so I gave it a try.

Fred asked why I had chosen Eventbrite over Meetup.

I preferred the ease of use and interface.

That was the end of it…or so I thought.

A few days ago, I was contacted by Karina, who works at Meetup, who wrote:

I understand you and Fred Wilson exchanged emails a little while back about why you chose eventbrite instead of meetup to organize Community Gatherings.

I understand that you chose Eventbrite because you prefer the UI and think it's less clunky. I have 3 follow-up questions that I would love to get your quick take on.

Would you be free for a 10 minute call on Tuesday or Wedneday AM?

If a quick email exchange would be more convenient for you, please let me know.

Now, quick quiz:

Name 2 of the 8 survival strategies for marketing success in the Attention Economy?

1. Advocacy. Showing you care.
2. Listening

These are both key components in developing your WOM/Social Media strategy (click for my whitepaper).

Karina and Jesse spent 15 minutes asking questions and listening to my responses. They didn’t argue with me. They understood. Jesse even went so far as to find a post I had written about my nightmare experience w/Evite and add a comment to it! That’s showing you care.

Know what?

Based on those gestures alone, next time I will set up my event with Meetup. They’ve earned my “attention.”

Fred, Karina, and Jesse have made listening a fundamental marketing practice…which is why they are destined for success.

 

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