In my little neighborhood in a big city, the local talk generally follows the same few topics, which we all love.
A perennial favorite relates to house prices. How much did they get for (or pay for) the house? Did you get your new tax assessment yet and what was the value?
We ask about roof replacements, new driveways and air conditioning units. We'd love to ask about the cost of the addition to your house, but that feels personal, so we mostly try to guess.
There's a feature in my weekend newspaper called Financial Facelift that let's us all look at the financial snapshot of someone else -- while they get advice from a pro about how to save for retirement, or solve their financial problems. I'm sure it's one of the best read columns in the business section.
We all love to peek and compare.
A new service from an Australian bank lets people peek in a more organized way. People Like U let's you compare your spending habits with other Australians.
I particularly loved the easy-peasy 6 questions you use to categorize yourself in thedatabase.
Don't you totally wish you had one of these for your own region?
My take
This interest in comparing applies to pretty much any human endeavor from sports to hobbies. If you are seeking a way to engage people more in your product, service or category, consider the possibilities of letting your consumers compare themselves to others.
