Empire Avenue: Farmville meets Wall Street

by peggyd • May 9th • 31 comments
Empire Avenue: Farmville meets Wall Street

Empire Avenue: Farmville meets Wall Street

Seems like every week there’s a new social platform that people are diving into — clothes and all.  The current hot property is Empire Avenue.

EAv, as the aficionados like to call it, is a social game where you buy shares in people and “earn” dividends based on their social activities on the web (Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogging, and EAv.) The more you are “worth” on line, the more money you earn.

I’ve come across a couple of conversations on the site about whether or not businesses should take the plunge and so far the jury appears to be out.  But then, as mega EAv player, Chris Pirillo e(Pirillo) tweeted earlier today, “They didn’t see business ROI in Twitter, YouTube at first, either.”

Right now I’m leaning towards the “fun but no ROI” side of things.  Thus my “Farmville meets Wall Street” appellation.  With time at a premium, who has time for one more social site?  Wouldn’t Quora be a better use of my limited social budget?  I asked the ROI question on Quora and there are others discussing the value question there. What struck me about these answers is they are much more thoughtful than those I’ve seen on EAv, leading me to believe that people are investing entertainment time into EAv and social capital into Quora.

When I first started on Twitter 4 years ago, I spent the first year tweeting inanity and floundering.  But then I figured out I could meet new people, build relationships with others, testing out headlines and getting my message out there.  I still find those assets to be true of Twitter.  So I’m hedging my bets and testing the waters.

Right now I’m still not quite feeling EAv. I’m watching it closely with Mari Smith e(Mari) who tweeted today,

“I do love the concept of @empireave… but so far have it lumped in same category of playing games on Facebook!”

It is fun, but is there more than meets the eye?  If any of my clients should ask me if they should jump in, I’d say “wait and see.”  Can you see opportunity that I’m missing? I’d love to hear about your experience.

Get a head start with 4 winning EAv strategies:

  • Fill out your profile and add every social network you can.
    Join communities. Add add RSS feeds and ask your friends to endorse them. If you don’t have a blog, remember any site you update (ex. foursquare) has an RSS feed associated with it.
  • Purchase shares in individuals that pay a high dividend (I look for at least .50) or are new to the site and more likely to be under valued.
  • Don’t be offended if someone shares your stock.  It’s just a game.
  • Have fun!
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  • http://www.veritate-et-virtute.com BurgessCT

    I’m in agreement with you re the ROI, initially – Empire Avenue has been around for a bit, and only in the past six months has it begun to accelerate. I’ve been in there a whole whopping three days and already have made two connections that transcend the “game” and morphed right into real ROI on the intellect side. Therefore, at this early stage – two thumbs up.

    I also agree with Chris Pirillo and add, like many things, you will harvest what you sow and nurture – Chris has grabbed plenty of eyes on his content by mastering EAv – whether that will equate into real dollars, only he can tell you.

    All the best,
    Christopher
    @burgessct:disqus and (e)BurgessCT

    • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

      I wonder, @BurgessCT:disqus if the whole “meet new people” perk will dry up as soon as the masses join and the community gets too large. I have met a couple of people this week on @empireave:twitter but had to work really hard to do so. Will people want to continue to invest the time they need to keep their stock price high? Or will EAv evolve into something completely different than what it is today… much like Twitter continues to do.

      • http://www.veritate-et-virtute.com BurgessCT

        I have the same “wonder” – the proof will be in the pudding – I’m planning on investing a bit of time to see what falls out. Like most things I review (Plaxo comes to mind) if I am not deriving value, I reduce my interaction to a negligible level.
        All the best,
        Christopher

        • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

          Let’s keep each other updated on our investment returns. :)

  • http://chris.pirillo.com/ Chris Pirillo

    I chose to post my answer to your question on your own Quora thread, which… is pretty much my first answer on Quora – for as many months as I’ve had it. I don’t see value in Quora, personally. ;)

    http://b.qr.ae/ktUBo8

    • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

      I am not a huge Quora fan. I only suggest that people are spending more time talking there whereas on EAv people are playing. And don’t get me wrong, I love playing! Thanks for turning me onto EAv, Chris, I’m having a great time.

      • http://twitter.com/jackinessity Jackie Coughlan

        Chris is way faster than I am :) But yes, the app is helpful- I was on the road this weekend and it helped me keep up with the hubub. Nice to see you guys engaging in the comments!!

      • http://profiles.google.com/holly.jahangiri Holly Jahangiri

        I think most people enjoy being playful. (Not necessarily playing a highly competitive, all absorbing, all too serious game.) The immediate value I’ve seen in Empire Avenue has been meeting new people (some of whom may turn out to be good professional contacts and some who won’t); using it as a metric to see where I’m investing my online time more “profitably”; playfully sharing content and getting my own shared and promoted. That said, it’s not the be-all and end-all, but it’s more fun and engaging than farming pretend crops that pretend to grow and die, and raising tanksful of sickly fish.

        • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

          Yes, it’s a game, but it’s also a serious question for business to answer. I’ve been digging around more on the site and see there are businesses already buying in. Direct TV, for example, has a 200,000 Eaves bonus with purchase of new service. Whether smaller brands will be able to afford to play is a key question.

    • http://twitter.com/jackinessity Jackie Coughlan

      You know, I’m on Quora too, but have never really used it! So there you go~

  • Pingback: Quora

  • http://twitter.com/jackinessity Jackie Coughlan

    I would say “play.” I’m admittedly biased- I’ve now met the CEO twice and am going hiking with him on Sunday- but I’m not paid by them, and I believe they have something here. People are really talking about this game. Their user base is very loyal, and hyperengaged. The types of connections made are different from just Twitter or Facebook alone. I think it’s worth having a presence in the game- if you lose interest, no harm done. I wouldn’t expect an instant ROI. I think the value is in who is already playing the game, and there are some really interesting players here in this space.

    Jackie
    @jackinessity via Twitter

    • http://chris.pirillo.com/ Chris Pirillo

      It’s funny. People think *I* am getting paid by ‘em, too. Yeah, like Apple pays all the iPhone fans…

      • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

        @pirillo:disqus it’s clear you are a rabid fan. They *should* pay you some EAves at least for bringing so many into the game. It’s brought a whole new life into your Twitter feed. Love watching you.

    • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

      @twitter-180514789:disqus I haven’t figured out how to connect with anyone new yet (other than YOU!) Would love advice.

      Also, if you could tell the CEO we’d really love an Android (and iphone) app for the site. It’s pretty tricky do do my after hours trading on the small screen.

      • http://chris.pirillo.com/ Chris Pirillo

        Look to the community for that. MyEmpire for iPhone was developed upon the API, and v2.0 of the API is due out soon.

  • http://bit.ly/TonyBlackDogRide Tony Hollingsworth

    I agree as am still new to #EAv and not investing much time in it. Many online friends are besotted with it though and encouraging use – I’m hearing there’s much more to this than just a game with the ability to expand your network of business and social connections simply by setting up and connecting your existing networks. That’s where I am at presently.

    There’s a great interview Robert
    @Scobleizer:twitter

    did with the

    #EAv
    co-founder
    @dups:twitter
    It almost an hour in length but illuminates the possibilities and why it could be worth getting involved
    See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27dudRnM3RI
    Cheers,
    Tony @Hollingsworth:twitter
    On Empire Avenue as: ASKTONYIT

    • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

      I saw that interview. Very interesting — especially the Karl Marx reference. I included it in a Storify about my conversations today regarding the value of EAv that inspired this post: http://storify.com/freerangemom/empire-avenue-farmville-meets-wall-street

      You might be interested in a link at the end of it to another Storify by Victoria Haress that includes an interesting POV about potential business uses.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

  • http://thesocialjoint.com/ Lucretia M Pruitt

    I’ll make it short and sweet and to the point: http://www.hsx.com/ – Hollywood Stock Exchange. Boy was it before it’s time!! You scope movies out as they go through the phases from rumor, to prephase, to casting, shooting, editing, release!! buy, sell, buy, sell… try to make more than you lose! Awesome. And easier to see all the important stuff anyways. All the profiles linked to IMDB, all the gossip to the trade sites.

    It has been around for at least 13 years that I know of. Surely you’ve heard of it right?

    Here’s the thing… Chris Pirillo is off this time. But he won’t see it for a few weeks. You see, if this were the real stock market? You’d have someone who handled multiple accounts – as his job. Not random social media platform users. It’s Farmville in the time suck alright, but it’s just a site that thinks it will become a reputation-builder tool… and it might. But not for the right reasons.

    So far? EAv hits at the same spot that Second Life does from here: neat, but it really requires too much effort, investment in time, early discovery, and continued growth. And it takes way to many clicks and slides and buttons to get a simple thing done – like buy shares.

    It’ll have some minor success – but go back and look at big names and see how active they aren’t staying. Too much work for too little ROI for the average person.

  • http://thesocialjoint.com/ Lucretia M Pruitt

    I’ll make it short and sweet and to the point: http://www.hsx.com/ – Hollywood Stock Exchange. Boy was it before it’s time!! You scope movies out as they go through the phases from rumor, to prephase, to casting, shooting, editing, release!! buy, sell, buy, sell… try to make more than you lose! Awesome. And easier to see all the important stuff anyways. All the profiles linked to IMDB, all the gossip to the trade sites.

    It has been around for at least 13 years that I know of. Surely you’ve heard of it right?

    Here’s the thing… Chris Pirillo is off this time. But he won’t see it for a few weeks. You see, if this were the real stock market? You’d have someone who handled multiple accounts – as his job. Not random social media platform users. It’s Farmville in the time suck alright, but it’s just a site that thinks it will become a reputation-builder tool… and it might. But not for the right reasons.

    So far? EAv hits at the same spot that Second Life does from here: neat, but it really requires too much effort, investment in time, early discovery, and continued growth. And it takes way to many clicks and slides and buttons to get a simple thing done – like buy shares.

    It’ll have some minor success – but go back and look at big names and see how active they aren’t staying. Too much work for too little ROI for the average person.

  • http://thesocialjoint.com/ Lucretia M Pruitt

    I’ll make it short and sweet and to the point: http://www.hsx.com/ – Hollywood Stock Exchange. Boy was it before it’s time!! You scope movies out as they go through the phases from rumor, to prephase, to casting, shooting, editing, release!! buy, sell, buy, sell… try to make more than you lose! Awesome. And easier to see all the important stuff anyways. All the profiles linked to IMDB, all the gossip to the trade sites.

    It has been around for at least 13 years that I know of. Surely you’ve heard of it right?

    Here’s the thing… Chris Pirillo is off this time. But he won’t see it for a few weeks. You see, if this were the real stock market? You’d have someone who handled multiple accounts – as his job. Not random social media platform users. It’s Farmville in the time suck alright, but it’s just a site that thinks it will become a reputation-builder tool… and it might. But not for the right reasons.

    So far? EAv hits at the same spot that Second Life does from here: neat, but it really requires too much effort, investment in time, early discovery, and continued growth. And it takes way to many clicks and slides and buttons to get a simple thing done – like buy shares.

    It’ll have some minor success – but go back and look at big names and see how active they aren’t staying. Too much work for too little ROI for the average person.

  • http://thesocialjoint.com/ Lucretia M Pruitt

    I’ll make it short and sweet and to the point: http://www.hsx.com/ – Hollywood Stock Exchange. Boy was it before it’s time!! You scope movies out as they go through the phases from rumor, to prephase, to casting, shooting, editing, release!! buy, sell, buy, sell… try to make more than you lose! Awesome. And easier to see all the important stuff anyways. All the profiles linked to IMDB, all the gossip to the trade sites.

    It has been around for at least 13 years that I know of. Surely you’ve heard of it right?

    Here’s the thing… Chris Pirillo is off this time. But he won’t see it for a few weeks. You see, if this were the real stock market? You’d have someone who handled multiple accounts – as his job. Not random social media platform users. It’s Farmville in the time suck alright, but it’s just a site that thinks it will become a reputation-builder tool… and it might. But not for the right reasons.

    So far? EAv hits at the same spot that Second Life does from here: neat, but it really requires too much effort, investment in time, early discovery, and continued growth. And it takes way to many clicks and slides and buttons to get a simple thing done – like buy shares.

    It’ll have some minor success – but go back and look at big names and see how active they aren’t staying. Too much work for too little ROI for the average person.

    • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

      Lucretia, thank you for sharing your keen perspective honed by years of engagement on web platforms.

      Nope, never heard of hsx. And I agree that the work involved to play this game is Farmvillian. As new users flood the platform, it gets increasingly difficult to meet people there on any meaningful way, and thus diminishes the return on your time. (after all, I can’t spend those Eaves IRL can I?)

      Now if they could just design a Klout score for Webkinz, we’d see who is really got ask the influence.

      Peggy
      Sent from mobile

    • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

      Lucretia, thank you for sharing your keen perspective honed by years of engagement on web platforms.

      Nope, never heard of hsx. And I agree that the work involved to play this game is Farmvillian. As new users flood the platform, it gets increasingly difficult to meet people there on any meaningful way, and thus diminishes the return on your time. (after all, I can’t spend those Eaves IRL can I?)

      Now if they could just design a Klout score for Webkinz, we’d see who is really got ask the influence.

      Peggy
      Sent from mobile

    • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

      Lucretia, thank you for sharing your keen perspective honed by years of engagement on web platforms.

      Nope, never heard of hsx. And I agree that the work involved to play this game is Farmvillian. As new users flood the platform, it gets increasingly difficult to meet people there on any meaningful way, and thus diminishes the return on your time. (after all, I can’t spend those Eaves IRL can I?)

      Now if they could just design a Klout score for Webkinz, we’d see who is really got ask the influence.

      Peggy
      Sent from mobile

    • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

      Lucretia, thank you for sharing your keen perspective honed by years of engagement on web platforms.

      Nope, never heard of hsx. And I agree that the work involved to play this game is Farmvillian. As new users flood the platform, it gets increasingly difficult to meet people there on any meaningful way, and thus diminishes the return on your time. (after all, I can’t spend those Eaves IRL can I?)

      Now if they could just design a Klout score for Webkinz, we’d see who is really got ask the influence.

      Peggy
      Sent from mobile

  • http://profiles.google.com/holly.jahangiri Holly Jahangiri

    Oh, yeah – without Empire Avenue, I wouldn’t have found your blog. At least not today.

  • http://twitter.com/autismfamily Bonnie Sayers

    I found empireavenue thru a facebook posting (CalvinLee) and then Quora thru endorsing a feed on empireavenue.  June or July marks three years on twitter for me.  Still having a good time and learning all the time.

    • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

      Which do you like better for building relationships?  Quora or Empire Ave or someplace else?

  • http://twitter.com/autismfamily Bonnie Sayers

    I lost my comment after signing in, oh well.  I learned of EAV from a facebook wall post and just learned of Quora thru endorsing a feed on EAV.  Next month marks 3 yrs on twitter for me and I am learning faster how to maneuver EAV than I did on twitter.  Another site I was on six months after it started in July of 1999 is epinions.com -  shopping.com is their parent company and eBay bought them few yrs back, no one thought Epinions  would be around since themestream ran out of steam early on.  Anyway I still generate a monthly check from them.

    • http://www.freerangemom.com Freerangemom

      Looks like both comments came through.  Today I quadruple posted to facebook with a similar glitch!  I just got my last eHow check, congrats on your epinions income.  Did you ever try typeamom?