Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

February 20, 2010 | By In Technology |

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5 Comments so far

  1. Robert D. Steele on February 20th, 2010

    Edit to state that URL for why Ballmer needs to read this book is in Comment section.

    This book was given to me as a gift, along with Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government’s Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives, and the fact that the guy giving me the books is one of two smartest people I know caused me to jump these two books to the top of my week-end stack.

    I normally do not buy books coming out of Gartner or Forrester or other similar shops that produce cookie cutter products. I am very glad I was given this book. I was deeply impressed from page one and continually gratified and astonished as the level of detail as the book progressed.

    This is a graduate course in New Age Marketing, and the only thing this book does not have is the need to address “true costs” and honor the triple-bottom line (profit, economic and social justice, and zero environmental footprint: memes are cradle to cradle, sustainable design, green to gold).

    The book’s bottom line: it’s about LISTENING to PEOPLE, not about the technologies. The Presidential candidate that dismisses all their advisors and creates a national blog to address the ten high-level threats to mankind, the twelve policies that must be harmonized, and how nothing we do matters unless we give Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and Wild Cards like the Congo a model for avoiding our mistakes while achieving our quality of life, should win. Then they can come to Chicago on Lincoln’s birthday and participate in the Citizens’ SUmmit being organized by Joseph McCormick, a co-founder and guiding light for Reuniting America (110 million strong and growing).

    I am very impressed by the examples, and the fact that they are not presented in a cutesy box fashion but woven into the text.

    The authors provide numbers that show how an investment in executive blogging and nurturing customers and partners can give back at least 150% if not more (I think it is closer to 5 to 1 RoI), and on the basis of the totality of the book, I take their word for it. I take this to the next level and would point out that the US Government investment of our dollars in “Strategic Communication” will continue to be a failure because no amount of “PR” is going to overcome the reality of our overbearing presence everywhere.

    Very interesting to me was the authors’ information, including tables, that shows that Republicans and Independents are not as active in the Web 2.0 environment, and this should be cause for concern among those who wish to challenge the shiftless Democrats and their smoke and mirror enthusiasm for Senator Obama, who is NOT transparent at all (see my review of Obama – The Postmodern Coup: Making of a Manchurian Candidate.

    Because of this book I have decided to shift all of my online activity to Citizens-Party.org, leaving Earth Intelligence Network as an archive. My intent is to inspire individual public intelligence minutemen (and women) who can disclose the true costs of all products and services, and help us bring to bear the full diversity of public opinion on such controversial matters as the proposed $700 billion bailout of Wall Street speculators.

    Other books I recommend:

    Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History Is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World

    A Power Governments Cannot Suppress

    Society’s Breakthrough!: Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People

    The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom

    The World Cafe: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter

    Escaping the Matrix: How We the People can change the world

    How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Updated Edition

    Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

    See also the images above under the book cover. Peace–and prosperity–in our time.
    Rating: 5 / 5

  2. Steven S. Swanson on February 20th, 2010

    It’s a good review of buzz/content/wom. A little too “text booky”, Jaffy’s book is better.
    Rating: 3 / 5

  3. Alexander E. Maas on February 20th, 2010

    I have this book for an extension class in social media marketing-, but I prefer books with specific techniques like Social Media Marketing–in hour a day. This book supposedly has the advantage that it is not technology-specific, but of course, it is to some exten.

    I have a slew (slough?lol) of books like this, some good and some not so great.

    You could do worse.

    Alex Maas

    a.maas@cox.net

    Dolphin’s Treasure Trove on Amazon
    Rating: 3 / 5

  4. Lawrence Weber on February 21st, 2010

    great book, very helpful…especially on the new tools and technologies emerging…this will change everything, larry weber, author of marketing to the social web…..
    Rating: 4 / 5

  5. Nancy Anne Shaw on February 21st, 2010

    Groundswell offers a succinct guide to the new Marketing. After reading this book, with its case studies and detailed statistics, one will be convinced (if they weren’t already) that social networking is the future of marketing, not the latest fad. One of the sections I found the most insightful was the breakdown, by roles, of the various social networkers. A valuable read for anyone involved in any aspect of marketing or follower of cultural trends.
    Rating: 3 / 5

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