Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies - Book Report/Review Example

Groundswell is especially discussed in Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff’s Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies published in 2011. Groundswell is happening because of the three forces. These are the people that desire to connect with each other; the online social technologies are making these connections easier and faster. In economics, money moves the industry. In groundswell, people do not care about the technology (though it is a big factor) but of the relationship shared among the netizens.

There are also different technologies in the groundswell. The blogs, podcasts and YouTube are examples where a person creates, listens and connects. The global community has already been formed through various forms of social media, and when people think that these avenues only alter the usual forms of communication, they are actually missing the entire scenario because it even has wider impacts in the field of business and economics. The people who connect with each other can either be long ‘virtual friends’ or have been connecting since then, and through the Internet, they can easily pass on business opportunities and sell products in a matter of clicks.

In terms of collaboration, people do share knowledge through product reviews hosted by free blogs. This is the reason why doing business has never been easier among independent players, and this kind of scenario can have serious implications for companies. Technographics is a way for companies to know a group of people depending on the activity they are participating. There are the creators, critics, the collectors, joiners, the spectators and the inactive. Companies are then advised to devise a plan before jumping into the groundswell.

There is the P.O.S.T.: People that will assess how consumers or customers engage, Objectives or goals of the company, Strategy and Technologies that best suit the consumers. There are also five objectives a company must have before pursuing in the field of groundswell. These are listening (research), talking (marketing), energizing (sales), supporting (support), and embracing (development). Media has changed even more dramatically since the launched of this book. Each platform of media has its own competence to deliver about different results that stunningly different yet complementary with each other.

An example is a live concert by your favorite band which is aired live on television and is also simultaneously aired on the radio. Internet, however, is different. The internet can, at the same time, transmit sound, video, still photos and text – can be done live. Long gone the days where people have to stay in houses to wait for news and other trends to be heard on the radio and be seen in television. There is now an interactive environment – that is with the inventions of technologies and other high-tech gadgets.

The media environment is always changing regardless of who is who and what came out in the public. I agree with the authors of the book. I agree with the author who writes that if a company which is trying to establish a name or a name already established will not go with the flow of the current technologies, more likely, that company will eventually fall out and will find its name in the rubble. Consumers now are looking and trusting for companies that are in trend and that can offer fast and