Scott Allen
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Laurie Rendon wrote:
>1. What's the "point" of signing a guestbook? Other than an opportunity to make a newcomer feel welcome...
That's not a dumb question Laurie -- that's a great question!
Consider this -- what's the one and only salient distinction between a guestbook entry and a private message? It's public. I know that's obvious, but that's the only key difference. So if we were selfish about it, we would think about creating additional visibility for ourselves, and our posts would focus on "come see me and my stuff" (I loved Scott W.'s example! I don't drink coffee, or I'd have spewed mine, too!) But if we think instead about how we can create value for the other person, I can think of several ways that a public post serves better than a private message: - As you said, making a newcomer feel welcome
- Congratulations. This is, I think, the #1 usage for guestbook entries. Congratulate people publicly on their success. You do them a service by calling attention to their accomplishments.
- Along the same lines, praise/endorsements for their services.
- Thanks! If they've done you a good turn, let the whole world know!
- I think it's perfectly legit to let people know about networks and other resources in their GB's. Why? Because odds are that people who visit their page are people with some sort of common interest, and odds are that if the person whose GB it is finds value in it, many of their visitors might, too.
Now, before we put too much weight into the value of GB entries for anyone other than the GB owner... how many of you actually read other people's guestbooks? I always do if I'm trying to learn more about someone. It's a great way to find out how other people (hopefully even some who know them well) perceive them, not just how they present themselves.- Scott - 
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