#89 - Yahoo! I'm a freak!

Yahoo! wants you to help you flaunt your weaknesses. I found this invitation at the bottom of a recent email message from a Yahoo! user.

"Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect. Join Yahoo's user panel and lay it on us."

Wow! When was the last time that you were praised for being fussy or impossible to please? When was the last time that someone thanked you for being opinionated?

I think there are two lessons we can learn from Yahoo!

1. Every strength has a corresponding weakness. Fussy means that you are selective. Impossible to please means that you have high standards. Opinionated means that you are assertive or confident.
2. Apparent weaknesses become strengths in the right situation. A user panel or focus group will only work if participants provide direct and honest feedback. Yahoo! doesn't need someone to help them feel good. They need a blunt evaluation of their services. People who are fussy, opinionated and impossible to please are a perfect match for this particular task. Additionally, seemingly positive traits like being kind, gentle and easy to please are big weaknesses in this same situation. 

As we can see in this post, The Freak Factor has important applications for both individuals and organizations. This isn't simply a self-help concept. Businesses can benefit from applying these concepts to their employees and customers.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go tell Yahoo! why I prefer Google.

Comments

[Tricia]

I really have enjoyed reading The Freak Factor. By web standards, I'm a no body. But, I'm definitely a Freak. That's a start? Of what, I'm not sure. Part of the journey/my Freakness has been in place since birth.Thanks for the interesting read. I have to give Seth, the great bald, big nosed freak hehe...i joke...(I'm just pissed because my action figure hasn't come yet) credit, one of his posts led me to you.