Get listed in November's issue of "Fast Company" for FREE- Your thoughts...

Hey guys,

I just got an email about this and wanted to see what you guys think. Personally, I'm not really sure how "effective" this project is when it comes to influence because i think it can be "manufactured."

Here's the deal:

"Fast Company" magazine started what they call "The Influence Project." They are trying to find the most influential person on the internet. The contest ends on August 15th. Once they get all of their results, they are going to publish EVERYONE on that list in their November issue.

So, how can you get published in the "Fast Company" November issue. Well, you signup at their website and they give you a url like this:

Here's an example of the what it looks like

Then, you tell your friends about it and you circle of influence on your website, list, social media sites, etc. More people like you and visit the website because of you, the higher you'll rank on the list.

Here's what I think:

The GOOD:

1. You get to be published in the "Fast magazine" in their November issue. So, you get some publicity. Also, you can say in your future marketing that you were published in the "Fast Company" magazine. I think that's a great benefit and will help you get more credibility.

2. You might be more publicity for yourself and your company. Who knows, maybe someone in the media or someone of higher influence will think you got the chops and will contact you to hire you or help you get more business, exposure, etc.

In today's world, a lot of people get discovered because of stuff like this.

The BAD:

1. I don't think this is a TRUE and full-proof way to discover who the most influential person is on the internet. If you are a smart and pretty good marketer, you can get high in the rankings. However, this in turn might get you more exposure if that's what your business provides. If you are a marketer and you get high in the rankings, other might see it and hire you because you did some really good marketing there.

2. Some people view it as a popularity contest. Well, in some way, I think that is true but then again, a lot of marketing out there is a popularity contest. Besides, when you get more popular, you can get more business.

So, what do you guys think about it? Do you agree with me? Disagree? Did you join the contest?

One last think, I think that this project is a good marketing strategy to put in your swipe file. Who knows, maybe you can use something like that for your own business. Heck, "Fast magazine" has build a list of over 26,000 people in less than a month. Also, here's the main project url Influence Project. By the way, you'll have to wait couple of minutes to get that site to load.

To Your Success!