So when I saw this post at Buzz Canuck, I realized this was a pretty good way of collecting all of WOM into a cohesive framework.  And while I don’t agree with all of the details, looking at WOM in terms of its effective half-life is a good organizing principle, especially when you apply it all the way to customer evangelism.

Many people think of Viral as equivalent to WOM, and try to shoehorn a viral element into every initiative.  Sean’s emphasis on events and high risk ideas is right on – its nearly impossible to light a viral fire without a very, very compelling meme.  Green Day has been selling out their semi-secret local tour in minutes with just a couple emails and a few sentences on their website, powered by fans spreading the word.  Add a few key critics invited to the shows, and the band is building buzz without a whole lot of effort.

Do you think the fans that scored tickets have been evangelizing?  You bet.  And yeah, I went and it rocked.