His point was that ideas evolve like genes do, and their success is based on their ability to spread, not on the benefit they provide to their hosts.

OODA is an initialism in which the letters stand for the four stages in the combat decision-making process: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. In every situation, an individual first observes his surroundings and gathers information, then orients this data with his previous experiences. He then decides the best path of action, and finally, he acts.

What they’re interested in is the author’s unique point of view, the perspective that only that specific person could have. Talk as yourself, not about yourself.

The warnings are far more contagious than the actual viruses. Just like virus warnings, any information that can protect readers from harm, like a great deals website preventing people from paying too much for a product, will get shared as a form of self-defense.

At each step, you can change the numbers in your favor: Increase the number of people exposed to your content. Get more email-list subscribers or Twitter followers. Create attention-grabbing content. Do lots of testing on your subject lines to increase open rates. Include powerful calls to action.

you should not be afraid to identify yourself authoritatively. Tell people why they should listen to you. In that same study, I found that Twitter users with the confidence to use words like “official,” “founder,” “author,” and “expert” to describe themselves also had more followers than the average. Don’t feel limited to using the term “guru.”

1 The kinds of information the group is eager for 5. 2 What information the group already has and what it lacks 6. 3 The fears, hopes, and hostilities the group already has 7. 4 Customary and traditional ways in which the group deals with those fears, hopes, and hostilities

Some of the most contagious brands serve as boxes of crayons, not rubber stamps. Brands that provide their users with a vocabulary and tools that allow them to play with and remix their own ideas succeed because these brands step back and let evolution do what it does best. Examples include campaigns like “South Park Yourself,” which lets users cus

Don’t get hung up on long-form content, and don’t polish yet. Instead, focus on building as many variations of your ideas as possible.