I love my “cultural trend” books, and my latest addition to my “must read” list is Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations by Clay Shirky. In the book, Shirky examines how the internet is changing society and business by allowing people to organize themselves and, as a result, siphon power away from institutions.
So what does this “power to the people” mean for business? It could mean the end to middle management. It also changes the status of professions such as publishing, journalism and photography. Is a blogger a journalist? Or not? Is someone who submits one photo to a stock photography site that is then purchased by a graphic designer a professional or not? Do we need publishers? Or are they simply middle managers soon to be extinct? These are only a few of the points that make you think that business as usual might soon end up as unusual business. Here are a few more:
- Shirky opens with a powerful anecdote about how one guy used the power of the internet to track down and force an individual to return a lost cell phone to its original owner. Along the way, he rallied the support of the national media, forced a change of policy at the NYPD and personalized for thousands the plight of a single lost cell phone.
- Companies such as Flickr do not coordinate users; they help them coordinate themselves. Not only does this undercut the traditional structure of businesses (less management, low overhead), but we have a whole generation of users (aka future employees) who are growing up coordinating themselves in a DIY fashion. They’ve never experienced “command and control.”
- Why is the blogosphere and Twitter-world difficult for some people to comprehend? Because we’re not used to seeing written material in the public domain that is not directly meant for us. With traditional newspapers, books, etc., we understand that they’re trying to reach us as an audience, whether we want them to or not. But what about a blog just to keep a small group of friends updated on your love life? Shirky points out that most “user-generated” content is not meant for general consumption any more than a phone call between you and your family. In essence the internet pushes the onus to filter what you want to read back to you, the individual. What’s the effect on business? We’re seeing it in print publishing–filters like newspapers and publishing houses are struggling. And we also see it on broadcast television. The networks no longer need to worry just about cable, but also about YouTube.
- Shirky has an interesting discussion/analysis of fame. Fame happens when it becomes impossible for an individual to respond personally to all the incoming communications. For example, Oprah can communicate to us through every possible medium she chooses, yet we can’t get to Oprah. So rather than wait around for Andy Warhol’s 15 minutes, I suppose I can consider myself famous when I get sooooo many comments on here that it would be impossible for me to respond. Hmmmm. Guess I have a long way to go.
- Online groups/collaborations allow you to lower the hurdle for participation. I’ve been noticing this phenomenon on Facebook, where it’s easy to join a cause and become a “fan” of a politician or product–you just need to click a button. If you only care a little, the internet allows you to participate only a little. The effect on business? I can speak to this one personally. I founded my company, www.DowntownWomensClub.com, because 10 years ago there were barriers preventing young professional women from joining exclusive women’s business organizations. These were cost, experience, geographic limitations and, ultimately, finding someone willing to nominate you. At the DWC, we’ve used technology to make the cost minimal and take geographic limitations out of the equation. We’ve also stood by our inclusive philosophy, thereby making participation easy (even from your computer at 1 a.m. from Belarus).
- Shirky also includes a discussion of social capital that echoes what I’ve read in a couple of other books. First, he talks about how people who have a lot of social capital (i.e., know their neighbors and have a healthy support system of interaction with others) are healthier and happier. This was part of the findings in Eric Weiner’s The Geography of Bliss, which I’ll review soon. Second, he mentions how suburban sprawl is leading to a breakdown of social capital. In cities, people are codependent for existence. This is lost when people own McMansions with three-car garages on one-acre lots in towns with no sidewalks and where kids are shipped out to private schools (a topic that was tackled in one of my other must-read trend books: Nine Shift). Yet, this may be a factor in why cybergroups are popular. People are social animals; they want to be with other people.
- There was an interesting bit about the formation of Meetup.com and the most popular groups founded in its first year. These groups included “Witches,” “Bloggers” and “Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Shirky’s comment on this was that people were not using the new tools to re-create existing groups such as Rotary clubs and Junior League, but they were organizing themselves around a whole new dynamic.
- Finally, he looks at what makes for success in this new realm. First, he admits that there needs to be some form of governance for any large group to work. Then he looks at three crucial elements:
- Make a promise. You must promise something appealing to your users/customers.
- Create the appropriate tools. You must make it easy for them to use.
- Strike a bargain. You need to have an implicit agreement with your users/customers to deliver what you promise in a manner that is acceptable to them.
Top Shelf Bottom Line: Here Comes Everybody contains vital information for anyone running a business today–especially if it dabbles in the Web 2.0 space. However, if you’ve never heard of Flickr, Twitter, Digg and other Web 2.0 social media, it would probably be like reading a foreign language. Nevertheless, that shouldn’t stop you from learning about how the internet is changing work as we know it. So to dip your toe into what the future of business might look like. You should at least read or understand the concepts behind these books (because in some cases, the future is now):
- The World is Flat by Tom Friedman
- The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom
- Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams
5 Responses to “Power to the People”
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March 20th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I like your writing style. Looking forward to reading more from you.
- Sue.
March 22nd, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I heard Clay Shirky on NPR a week or so ago. We immediately ran into our nearest Borders to pick up his book. Unfortunately, they didn’t have it in stock. Yesterday, I finally managed to track the book down and my local Borders and picked it up. It’s now officially in the bedside stack.
I’m doing a training on social media and online communities this month and thought it would be a good resource. Now I just need to figure out the Twitter thing (having recently dealt with some stalker issues, I’m not 100% sure I want to be that out there just now).
Any idea when the LA DWC will become active? I’ve been trying to reach out to someone that can help get things going out here since January. Hopefully it will be soon!!!
March 24th, 2008 at 7:36 am
there is an interesting dialogue between clay shirky and daniel goleman which you can listen to at morethansound dot net.
March 24th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Thanks for the comments and the more info about clay shirky. I’ll check that out. Also LA Blogger Gal – We’re working on the LA club – Hope to have info soon!
March 26th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
It’s crazy how much the internet has not only changed the world, but the opprotunity for people to start and operate their own small businesses. I actually work with Microsoft, and right now I’m really excited to spread the word about the “Vision to Venture” tour they’re having between April and May, which will consist of five live events. Susan Solovic, the best-selling author and CEO of SBTV.com, will be giving the keynote speech-“Girls Guide to Building a Million Dollar Business”-geared toward women entrepreneurs like yourself through use of the web. You can see more and register at http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/v2v/ so let me know what you think! And if you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them