Groundswell: winning in a world transformed by social technologies.Groundswell ground·swell n. 1. A sudden gathering of force, as of public opinion: a groundswell of antiwar sentiment. 2. : Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. By Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. Harvard Business School Harvard Business School, officially named the Harvard Business School: George F. Baker Foundation, and also known as HBS, is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. Press, 286 pages, $29.95. While the Internet morphs constantly, the rise of so-called social technologies--personified by blogs and sites like YouTube, FaceBook and MySpace--is changing the face of interpersonal communication Interpersonal communication is the process of sending and receiving information between two or more people. Types of Interpersonal Communication This kind of communication is subdivided into dyadic communication, Public speaking, and small-group communication. . Of course, that's happening fastest among the youngest, computer-savvy generations, and in ways that companies simply can't control. Or can they? In Groundswell; authors Li and Bernoff--principal analysts at Forrester Research--argue that businesses can turn the vagaries of "personal media" to their advantage instead of viewing them as a threat. Indeed, these online communities can be massaged or even recruited as allies; just look at how individual blogs have been created for company CEOs or other leaders to spread their messages. The "groundswell" that underpins the book is the way in which consumers are getting information, support, products and bargaining power from each other through these various new media. These connections are far more interactive than ever before, and allow individuals to connect directly with each other. The downside Downside The dollar amount by which the market or a stock has the potential to fall. Notes: You might hear someone say that the downside on stock XYZ is $10. What that means is that the stock could fall by this amount if things got bad. for companies, of course, isn't just that they don't control the conversation. It's that the ground-swell has changed the balance of power, allowing people to build online communities and conduct commerce. That can threaten to marginalize mar·gin·al·ize tr.v. mar·gin·al·ized, mar·gin·al·iz·ing, mar·gin·al·iz·es To relegate or confine to a lower or outer limit or edge, as of social standing. established institutions like retailers, banks or media, which become less relevant and potentially less profitable. Yet even old-line industies, the authors say, can learn to live with the groundswell. Among a slew of examples, they cite FastLane, a blog blog, short for web log, an online, regularly updated journal or newsletter that is readily accessible to the general public by virtue of being posted on a website. started by General Motors executive Bob Lutz Bob Lutz may refer to:
Written with a tremendous amount of insight, this is a forward-thinking volume that manages to get ahead of the curve in explaining what will be one of the most powerful phenomena of the coming years. Anyone who worries about how to position his or her company to exploit these technologies should read this book, now. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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