Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

Have you seen Jurassic Park? If so, you might remember Dr. Malcolm's (Jeff Goldblum) diatribe about the dangers of doing something just because you can: "I'll tell you the problem with the scientific power that you're using here: it didn't require any discipline to attain it. You read what others had done and you took the next step. You didn't earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don't take any responsibility for it. You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could and before you even knew what you had you patented it and packaged it and slapped it on a plastic lunchbox, and now you're selling it, you want to sell it!" How does this quote relate in any way to Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff's book Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies? Maybe it's just me, but I see a direct correlation. Groundswell is about social computing (I, a non-analyst, prefer the term social media) and how it's shaping not only the personal lives of many individuals around the globe, but also the way companies do business. It's not that social media is anything new; I've been an active participant on numerous online forums for over 10 years now. I've made money, formed close friendships, gotten jobs and learned countless things--all through different social media applications. Lately businesses have begun to tap into the groundswell--"a social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other rather than from traditional institutions like corporations"--to enhance customer relations, build brand loyalty and, of course, make money. These days hardly a day goes by where some company or another isn't discussing their web 2.0 strategy and taking the plunge--in most cases, "because everyone else is doing it." Or the opposite--doing nothing for fear of opening up a giant can of worms that, once released, will run rampant and ruin the company's reputation or slash profits. The thing is, as the book aptly points out--doing it just because others are doing it or because it's possible isn't reason enough to incorporate web 2.0 applications into a business strategy. Just as bringing carnivorous dinosaurs back into existence just because it was possible without thinking about the consequences wasn't the brightest of ideas, jumping on the social media bandwagon just because everyone's doing it isn't reason enough to do it. Obviously the consequences of starting a blog, establishing a presence on Facebook or randomly beginning Tweeting are nowhere near those of setting loose a bunch of killer dinosaurs; however, the underlying concept is the same: maybe you should think about it before you do it. The beauty of Groundswell is that it lays out in explicit detail the RIGHT way to develop a social media strategy. Forget just randomly tossing around a few ideas in a conference room then rushing back to the computer to start blogging or start a Facebook page; Groundswell provides hard

Having been in the online industry for almost 20 years, (that's not a typo, it's twenty), I've come across a lot of self-proclaimed pundits. This is one of the few books out there that's fairly well packed with insight and common sense backed by real research. To be sure, there's some anecdotes filling up some pages, but unlike a lot of recent pundit press, there's way more ideas/facts/analysis then filler. I'm not saying I wholly agree with everything. The technographics profile has a ton of value, yet at the same time, it's not the only lens things should be seen through. (Not that the authors suggest that mind you; just that this profile is very much applied to most things they look at.) One thing I really like about the book is how they handle the Enterprise view of the world. In a lot of web conferences and meetings I attend, the digerati spend a lot of time talking to ourselves. Early adopters often forget there's a whole large crowd out there that have issues they've not considered. Li and Bernoff, on the other hand, work both in the Web point x world as well as the real world of traditional business. To understand what's happening today in online computer mediated communications, the best way to "get it" is to actually participate. Use the social tools, the chat tools, the forum tools, and so on. And to get the high level view there's the seminal Cluetrain Manifesto, Wikinomics, Naked Conversations, anything by John Hagel and more. But if you can only get one book right now to get a sense of social media as it relates to consumers, enterprise, and so on, this is it. Scott

What Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff characterize as "the groundswell" is "a social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other instead of from companies. If you're in a company, this is a challenge...[This trend] has created s permanent, long-lasting shift in the way the world works. This book exists to help companies deal with the trend, [begin italics] regardless of how the individual technology pieces change [end italics]."More specifically, Li and Bernoff respond to questions such as these: What unique threats does the groundswell pose? How to turn it to competitive advantage, "like a jujitsu master"? What are its component technologies? What is The Social Technologies Profile and what does it offer? What is the four-step POST process for creating strategies? What are the five primary objectives for a groundswell strategy? How to create customers who are evangelists for you? How to establish and support relationships between and among your customers? How can the same trends that empower customers also empower employees? Throughout their narrative, drawing upon a wealth of data accumulated by Forrester Research as well as their own studies, Li and Bernoff include a number of real-world examples - in the form of mini-case studies -- that demonstrate key points. They offer lessons to be learned from Mini USA, the American arm of BMW's Mini Cooper brand (how to listen through brand monitoring, Pages 89-93), Ernst & Young (how to communicate in social networks, Pages 104-106), Hewlett-Packard (how to communicate with customers through blogging, Pages 108-112), eBags (how to energize with customer ratings and reviews, Pages134-140), Constant Contact (how to energize by creating a community, Pages 140-145), the Lego Group (how to energize an existing community, Pages 145-147), and BearingPoint (how to use a wiki to reassure clients, Pages 165-168). Granted, not all of these lessons are directly relevant to a reader's own organization. However, they help to create a context for each key point as well as a frame of reference for what Li and Bernoff describe as a "permanent, long-lasting shift in the way the world works." They conclude this brilliant book by offering some advice, not on what to do but on how to be: ever-mindful that the groundswell is about person-to-person activity, a good listener, patient, opportunistic, flexible, collaborative, and humble. Guided and informed by the information and counsel provided by Li and Bernoff, readers will be able to formulate and then execute strategies to achieve a competitive advantage. "You'll be able to build on your successes, both with customers and within your own company. And then, as the groundswell rises and becomes ubiquitous, you will be ready." Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Rob Cross and Andrew Parker's The Hidden Power of Networks: Understanding How Work Really Gets Done in Organizations. Also Gary Hamel's Th

The authors define a Groundswell as "a social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions". This book demonstrates through quantifiable research that the market is indeed changing (as if we didn't know that) and they show you exactly how you can leverage those changes in your favor. Using very easy to understand and enjoyable to read language the authors walk you through multiple case studies that not only identify key concepts, but demonstrate exactly how you can use them in your business. I think one of the most intersting things about this book is that it doesn't focus on the fringe, it focuses on the meaty middle. What I mean by that is that they don't try and demonstrate how much they know about things you've never heard about, they focus on showing you how to use the tools that work today. I think that this book is a must read for any marketer who is scratching their head and wondering where their ad dollars should go or wondering how to get a handle on online social media. I had multiple ah-ha moments while reading this book. Dave Lakhani Subliminal Persuasion: Influence & Marketing Secrets They Don't Want You To Know Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want

Groundswell is the best book on social media I've ever read, and it may be the best book ever written on the subject. Here's why: 1. It's current. Books on social media by nature almost can't be current. Everything is blogged or twittered one day, forgotten the next. Yet this book has some staying power, and you can give it to your boss or your client feeling reassured that even if they don't get around to reading it for six months, it'll still be valuable when they do. 2. Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff write the book like authors, not analysts, even though there's plenty of number-crunching with meaty take-aways. The human stories that illustrate each point provide protagonists you can identify with. 3. If you're new to social media, you'll appreciate a lot of the how-to material. If you're a pro, you'll appreciate how to do it even better and some of the more advanced material in the book. 4. The technographics, discussed frequently on the Groundswell blog and in the analysts' presentations, are useful. I've already used these for planning client campaigns to at least check if I'm on the right track or inspire some new thinking. If you read the book, the technographics tool on the Groundswell site becomes even more intuitive, although the site has enough info to get value out of it. It's amazing how much Forrester's giving away. 5. You get breakdowns of return on investment metrics of an executive's corporate blog, ratings and reviews, and a community support forum, figures which are hard to find elsewhere and can provide good benchmarks for related scenarios you may encounter. 6. The book offers thoughtful answers to some of the more important questions. How can you tell if a new technology has staying power? Why do people participate with social media? How do you energize your customers? When should you use blogs, social networks, and other media technologies? The one thing the book doesn't do enough of is describe why some campaigns go awry. They mention a Special K community on weight management that had a promising start but soon fizzled. Why? I'm reminded of the chapter heading from Richard Farson's Management of the Absurd: "We learn not from our failures but from our successes - and the failures of others." Farson goes on, "While we may think we are motivated by hearing about the successes of others, believe it or not, little is more encouraging or energizing than learning about or witnessing another's failure, especially if it is an expert who is failing." I wish there were a few more failures to learn from along with the hits. Outside of that though, this book's an outright success, one I'll be recommending to colleagues, clients, and anyone else who will listen.