Corporate executives are struggling with a new trend: people using online social technologies (blogs, social networking sites, YouTube, podcasts) to discuss products and companies, write their own news, and find their own deals. This groundswell is global, it s unstoppable, it affects every industry and it s utterly foreign to the powerful companies running things now. When consumers you ve never met are rating your company s products in public forums with which you have no experience or influence, your company is vulnerable. In Groundswell, Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff of Forrester, Inc. explain how to turn this threat into an opportunity. Using tools and data straight from Forrester, you ll learn how to: -Evaluate new social technologies as they emerge -Determine how different groups of consumers are participating in social technology arenas -Apply a four-step process for formulating your future strategy -Build social technologies into your business including monitoring your brand value, talking with the groundswell through marketing and PR campaigns, and energizing your best customers to recruit their peers Timely and insightful, this book is required reading for executives seeking to protect and strengthen their company s public image. "Groundswell is jammed with big ideas, useful stories, and quotable stats. This is the new industrial revolution. Are you on board?" -Seth Godin, author, Meatball Sundae "This book will rock your world, if social technology hasn't rocked it already. It's a tsunami of unstoppable force. Amazon, Procter & Gamble, Facebook, Google, and Dell are profiting from the crest of the wave. Are you? Li and Bernoff are the apostles of the tsunami. This book will be your bible." -Scott Cook, Founder and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Intuit Groundswell provides practical advice on how to stay nimble and flexible in an ever-morphing digital world. Enabling your company to respond to change quickly especially when talking to and supporting your consumers is essential for business success. -Cathie Black, President, Hearst Magazines "The first phase of the Internet was about getting everyone connected. In this next phase, which changes the way we work, live, play, and learn, we re starting to realize the value of those connections as well as the new communications and experiences those interactions lead to the human network. Groundswell effectively documents this shift and underscores the opportunities available to all from this major market transition." -John T. Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco "Heed the Groundswell! It's critical reading and helped us master the new dynamics of social media." -Christina Norman, President, MTV "Groundswell is a comprehensive look at the tidal wave of change engulfing marketers. Nobody should attempt to engage the newly empowered and emboldened consumer without first hearing what Li and Bernoff have to say on the subject." -Clark Kokich, CEO, Avenue A | Razorfish "Social technologies and the groundswell impact every business and organization worldwide. Li and Bernoff have written an insightful book that takes a refreshing research-driven approach to helping businesses transform themselves and successfully navigate this new dynamic landscape." -Steve Rubel, Senior Vice President, Edelman Digital, and columnist for Advertising Age
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Useful Info and Perspectives:
As developer/publisher of a fairly high traffic site (we saw over 800,000 unique visitors last month) with close to 25,000 registered members, I found this book helpful for explaining why it is okay that a large percentage of members are not article or diary posters to some of the most active members of the site. The book helps one understand, with real numbers, the power rule, and how the percentages of participation work. The tips on how to add social networking/web 2.0 to a business, and the... more info
Great book if you don't know what Facebook is.:
This book is great...if you're not from the Facebook generation. The first couple of chapters were almost snoozers for me. The only thing that really saved it was the real-life stories the authors included. The stories managed to hold my interest long enough for me to move on to the next chapters. What I mainly gathered from this book--and you could gather this on your own if you don't live under a rock--is that media and marketing are moving more and more toward the consumer. That is, if you plan to... more info
Up-to-date overview of technology for the social web:
This book contains the most complete description I have found of the social web. It is a great book for any manager wanting to understand web 2.0 technology before implementing any of the tools behind it. There is a good discussion of how to go about deciding the type of social interactions you would like to establish, then there are case studies describing how other companies implemented things. The book presents a methodology for determining the best online tools to use. It is POST - People,... more info
Documents the Changes in Marketing:
Many people in Advertising and Marketing have not yet csught up with what is happening. Like the never-ending theme in military history, they have their guns pointing in the obvious direction of the enemy which is sneaking up on them from behind. This book does a good job of putting into perspective the fact that there is much happening openly on the Internet of which many are too little aware. Companies are still spending too much money on surveys and focus groups, then going on to largely TV and print... more info
