2. The Law of the Few

The Midnight Ride Afternoon of April 18, 1775: Paul Revere, a silversmith, got word of British planning to raise hell the next day. Revere goes out informing people. Churchbells and drums. Those informed by Revere send out riders of their own. In Concord, the colonial militia soundly beat the British, kicking off the American Revolution. Wiliam Dawes also had a ride. But the local militia leaders weren’t alerted. Few people came out to fight the British....

While Connectors connect us with new people, Mavens connect us with information. Mavens notice the details, e.g. connecting Brazilian frost to coffee prices and stockpiling in anticipation, noticing when a supermarket slaps an “everyday low price!” without actually lowering the price, etc. A Connector might tell 10 friends where to stay in LA and 5 might take his advice. A Maven might tell 5 people where to stay in LA but make the case so emphatically that all 5 would take the advice....

Emotion Going Outside-In Listeners who listened to the raise-fees message while nodding their heads wanted tution to rise to $646 and claimed that they found the editorial insightful. Those who were instructed to shake their heads to test earphone quality wanted tuition to fall to around $467. When two people talk, their volume and pitch sync up, and engage in motor mimicry. If I can make you smile, I can make you happy....