In The Whuffie Factor, Tara Hunt explores the many ways social networks can be used to build or expand your business. One of the most insightful comments I read from her interviews with various success stories comes from Jake Nickell, co-founder of Threadless.com, the wildly successful community-based t-shirt company. Jake in describing the relationship his company has with its online community makes his point pretty bluntly, “The community could kill Threadless. If the community thinks we deserve to die, we probably deserve to die.”
Jake understands that his company’s success is built on listening to the needs and wants of the audience and providing a real benefit to its community. If it fails to engage the community and serve its needs, they’ll go elsewhere. Or, in Vaudeville terms, they’ll give Threadless “the hook.”
Funny girl Fanny Brice knew the value of engaging the audience from her days on the Vaudeville 
stage. Fanny, who was born on this day 118 years ago, could have written the social media mission statement when she said, “Your audience gives you everything you need. They tell you. There is no director who can direct you like an audience.”
Fanny and other vaudeville stars of the era were quite familiar with the concept of building community as they traveled the circuit. They also understood the importance of taking the feedback from their audience to improve their act and build a more successful brand. If they ignored their audience or failed to engage them, they knew their career in the footlights would be a short one.
It’s a brave thing to step onto the stage and risk the catcalls and rotten tomatoes and “the hook.” But, it’s undeniably exciting, too, because the potential is also there for applause and ovations and the rush of laughter and community that washes over you like a wave when your onstage performance is connecting with the audience.
Fannie understood that there was and is a place for the director and stage manager in her theater world, but she also knew the audience played a significant role. A well-directed performance that does not engage its audience is not a successful performance. Fannie — like Jake at Threadless and other success stories from Tara Hunt’s book– understood the role of performer, director, and audience in building a successful brand.
