I read a book review in the NY Times book review section this morning. I know that my friend is going to want to read it because it’s a review of three recent books written about Chicago. So I’ve saved it to share with her. We’ve been sharing with friends and strangers since we were in diapers. Sharing toys, homework, boyfriends…well maybe not boyfriends. But you get the idea.

That’s the notion behind Sharaholic and all the other share widgets we see on websites and blog posts. But the vast majority of us are under-shared.

Of course you wouldn’t refer a friend or a stranger to a doctor you didn’t like, a restaurant that had served you poorly, or a hairdresser that dyed your hair the wrong color. But when you find a product that sends you over the moon, don’t you want the world to know?

There’s a little self-aggrandizing involved, I admit… Look what I found, aren’t I smart? Maybe if you share enough cool stuff, you’ll get a cool rep… Man, that dude knows everything. But mostly, the idea of directing people to a blog post or a book that you feel deserves some attention is wrapped in the warm intention of doing good.

Maybe there’s a little hinky feeling…. I don’t want to bombard my friends with a million emails by sharing other people’s stuff. But in reality, recommending a restaurant or a hairdresser does not obligate your friends to try them. Is sharing a post or a tweet really so different?

Because discoverability is such a huge issue to authors these days, in my opinion there is great value in sharing. You can get a cool rep, and your friends can get turned on to some great writing they might never have found.

So now that we’ve called this to your attention, let’s suppose that you’re going to make a point of sharing some blog posts and books that you believe need to be exposed. How do you get thrown into the mosh pit and passed around, assuming you write good content that people want to read? You probably shouldn’t depend on reciprocity, because personally I think that becomes a cockamamie intention; tit for tat, instead of the golden rule.

Let’s say that your BFF is sitting across the table from you eating a dessert that you declined to order. Man it looks good though. You really want a bite… maybe you’re even drooling a little. So why don’t you just ask… Would you mind sharing?

Yep. Same thing. Just ask. (Please share this post, too!)

(Graphics courtesy FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Jacqueline Gum is the author of Confessions of a Corporate Slut and has recently completed another novel, The Accuser’s Burden. Her writing reflects contemporary questions of social injustice, which she also blogs about each week in her “Where’s the Justice?” themed blog. Jacquie is a member of the WWW team, heading research for our new Winner Circle, releasing May 1!