Play that funky music.

More often than not, a good DJ can make or break your party.

Great DJs don’t just play music — they dictate the pulse of the night, keep people moving and entertained, and provide fodder for interaction and conversation.

Great DJs take input from the crowd and make their product better right there, on the spot, on the fly.

Nobody goes up to the DJ and tells them that they’re not feeling the music selection in their set. Instead, DJs have to gauge their audience through more subtle clues: the amount of people leaving the dance floor, the intensity of the dancing, and the number of people singing along to their mix. Great DJs read the crowd and get better.

Why are you waiting for your users or your community to give you explicit feedback on what you’re doing wrong?

Instead of waiting for emails of complaint or blog posts blasting your service or product, pick up on the hidden hints: diminishing quality of comments, less trackback diversity, fewer Twitter mentions, increased response waiting times, changes in return visit numbers, etc.

If DJs waited until someone complained before tweaking or enhancing their set, there would be empty dance floors across the city. Great DJs evolve constantly by reading the pulse of the crowd through barely-noticeable behavioral changes.

Isn’t it time you start doing that too?