Tip Top

Look around you right now. It does not matter if you are in the library, in a cafe, on front campus or at your house; what do you see? Are people wearing the same style jeans? Do you own a pair yourself? Have you ever wondered why we were all wearing similar style skinny jeans instead of the flare leg jeans that we were all wearing five years ago. The answer is simple. Sometime about five or six years ago their was a small group who started wearing these jeans. Gradually, through word of mouth, a connector helped to send the skinny leg jeans into main stream society. The skinny leg pant trend is similar to how hush puppies came back into style. A small group of kids in New York City bought the shoes because no one else was wearing them, they were seen by a connector and the rest is history. Five years ago, skinny jeans hit the tipping point.

The tipping point, as described by Gladwell, is the point when an idea, product, social movement, or epidemic becomes popular in mainstream society. For example: Once upon a time there were four talented English musicians who met, formed a band and a few years later became "more popular than Jesus". We now call them the Beatles. The Beatles were not over night sensations, they played in many small, less than popular pubs in England before they were seen by what Gladwell would call a maven. The maven saw the band and told a connector about the band, and from there the four musicians became the most popular band of all time.

In order to tip the athletic auction we need to make people care about the athletes who benefit from the auction. Our class needs to act as connectors, mavens and salesmen. Perhaps we could get an article published in the Baldwin Bulletin or Union Recorder about the auction. We should educate the community by letting them know what and who the proceeds go to benefit. I have found in the past that if you put a face on a cause more people get involved. We should also get local businesses involved by either buying tickets or donating something to be auctioned off. We need to make the community care and we need to let the right people know about the event.

As I was reading The Tipping Point it was interesting to try and classify myself as a connector, a maven, or a salesmen. A connector is one of those people that knows everyone. This type of person has many acquaintances and "simply likes people in a genuine and powerful way and he finds the pattern of acquaintanceship and interaction in which people arrange themselves to be endlessly fascinating." (Gladwell 43) A maven is someone who enjoys collecting information and then passing it on to others. A maven wants to help people simply because they like helping people. A salesman has the skill of persuasion. They are usually very friendly, upbeat people who have the ability to make everyone feel welcome. I am a maven. I am always reading and collecting new information from people I meet. Once I have this information I decide weather the information is useful, if it is I tell my friends, family and now I tweet about it. An example is that a friend of mine saved $500 on a plane ticket to Sweden because of information I gave her about STA travel. Another one of my friends was able to get a job overseas because I told her about a student work program I had read about.

Tweeting has really helped in my never ending quest for new information. I am able to keep up with the music scene, domestic and international news, the best and cheapest ways to travel as well as the coolest places to go hiking in Georgia. Twitter is a wonderful way to stay informed and connected with both friends and associates, however, I have not hit my tipping point on this site yet. I have hit the tipping point on facebook though. I remember getting a facebook account the summer before I came to college and not really using it. Then I got to college and I started checking it everyday, then twice a day and at the peak of my obsession I checked it every time I was around a computer. This is because suddenly every one had a facebook account, it was the best and easyist way to get in touch with people. I can't wait for my next tipping point.