I know, I’m probably doing it wrong. It just seems that forgetting about my Empire Avenue account is actually helping it.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, Empire Avenue, or EAv, turns your most precious commodity–yourself–into virtual stock. People “buy” and “sell” shares of you and websites. This is supposed to enhance social media activity all around and drive interaction, especially as you can hook up your blog, Twitter feed, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, etc.

At least that’s how I think it works. I signed myself and the corporate account up awhile ago when all the fuss over EAv finally got to my attention, because I wanted to make sure I secured the names I wanted. Yes, you get to pick your stock ticker name. Cute.

Part of my job is also to research new avenues of social media exploration and find things that work for the company, and the best way to do that is to dive right into the next big thing.

Over time I’ve been disenchanted with EAv; not that it’s not fun and active, but it doesn’t seem to build a real audience per our Google Analytics, so it became something I didn’t make time for. Or rather, something I didn’t want to invest time in, because time is what’s behind it all.

I do still check in (when I remember), so perhaps it’s not absolutely nothing that I’m doing. But it’s pretty darn close.

Then a wily Twitter pal, @marketingm8 (follow him for snarky & savvy social media guruism) gave me a “Why not? I still enjoy it!” reason for logging back in to EAv when I mentioned how I hadn’t been there in awhile. As I had a little time this morning, I decided to mosey on over to my personal account…

…and within seconds I got this:

And saw this:

And this:

How does any of this happen? I’m not even there!

I’ve read a couple handy guides on how to “win” at Empire Avenue, amass wealth, make connections and the whole lot, but I didn’t really get it then and I still don’t now. I know, a quick Google search will yield all sorts of intel on the topic, but do I care enough to invest time to learn how to invest time? Those who do social media for a living know how too few hours we have. We have to pick and choose what makes the most sense for our client, even if it’s just ourselves, and there isn’t enough time for every single “Look at me!” platform and app.

In the end, I guess I’m glad I’m doing well on EAv despite myself!

If you’re on Empire Avenue, what has it done for you? Any tips to share?