Check out Joshua-Michele Ross’ insightful article for Forbes magazine, Why Business Needs To Get Social.
In passing, he mentions the impressive 3.5 million fans which Coca-Cola has gathered on their Facebook page. In fact, that page was started by two fans, unofficially and independently, before Coca-Cola caught on.
Overall though, as Ross highlights, we should get accustomed to the word “social”.
If the last 100 years was about gaining efficiency and innovation through scale and tight control of resources and communications, the next 100 will be about finding more fluid, open models of collaboration and cooperation. Playing on this new field has different rules. It requires shifting our concept of business from a legalistic model to a social one.
It’s a bold claim but there’s something very appealing about this prediction.
Carl,
Cool post and great article!
In order for businesses to shift their model concept, they actually need to wake up and open their eyes to see the true organic model – the social network – within which their organisation is embedded and coexists and has for centuries … it’s not new! We’ve just forgotten perhaps! We just can’t ignore it any longer as technologies are changing the power balance …
For years, business [and business schools] have focused on management strategies, tools, procedures and process in order to document and measure performance … in the hope it will help control the outcome .. blah blah blah!! Let ms say two words … ‘economic crisis’ … oh and another … ‘Enron’ …
However, now we are seeing businesses are being forced to open their eyes to see who is actually the real valued participants in the social network within which they exist because of social media … power to the network!
Perhaps what people in business need to shift is their tunnel view of the organisation from one focused on measurement, performance, tools, and strategies, to one focused culturally on people, networks and conversations … coupled with the value of sociality …
But once again I hear in my head the question asked at most social media and marketing events … ‘so how would you recommend we measure the effectiveness of using social media?’ ….
Step back …. breathe …
🙂
Kel