Small Change Makes Big Change

Facebook didn’t get ‘so big’ by trying to be ‘so big’ all at once.

If they had, we may all still be using MySpace.

They didn’t try to tackle the world. “MySpace Tom” had the world. Instead, they tackled NYU. That’s where they were based. That’s what they knew. They focused on serving those they could serve most effectively, first.

Once they won NYU, they went for other colleges. Then those college students did most of the work for Facebook, spreading the word for them for free, thanks to the network effect.

Whether or not you like the size, reach and power of Facebook isn’t the point. They’re big enough to influence politics, relationships, and the direction of our culture.

We can all make our work spread, if we choose to dedicate our work to a small enough body of people that care. If they care, they’ll help you with the rest.

Focus on scale if you want a headache. Or, focus on treating your people better if you want your work to spread.