Don't Look Back! (Reading Reflection #3)

As anyone who spends time online could tell you, the Internet is growing and changing at an astounding rate. Take as evidence the graph below, which shows a consistent rise in social networking use among all age groups. As a web trafficker yourself, think for a moment about all of the changes that have taken place across the Internet in the last few years alone - In 2005, for example, tweeting was designated only for birds; today Twitter has become one of the most heavily trafficked sites on the Net… Change is happening fast and for companies to thrive they must adapt to and embrace this media revolution.

This graph alone should convey to any company the urgency of developing a social media presence

As this revolution persists many businesses struggle to keep up with the times. Traditionally, for large companies change is slow to come about. Yet within this ever-shifting environment, now more than ever companies must act quickly by integrating and committing to new technologies. For companies that are able embrace these technological changes, opportunities for creativity, innovation and growth are abound.

Above all else, a successful company first requires meaningful and effective communication. As Li and Bernoff explain throughout Groundswell, social media technologies provide numerous platforms through which people (including customers, employees and employers) can connect and communicate. As the authors explain in Chapter 11, not only is it important for companies to communicate with their consumers, but they also must communicate with their employees as well. As evidence of this fact, Li and Bernoff reference Best Buy's successful Blue Shirt Nation campaign. Although this website has since been discontinued, during its existence it provided a significant forum on which Best Buy employees could connect with each other by sharing their thoughts, ideas and insights about the company. The authors state that, “…In creating a collaboration tool, the company had also created a communication channel" (Li, 222). By providing their employees an open forum through which to communicate, Best Buy created a collaborative environment where employees felt involved and valuable.

These Blue Shirt Nation people may look kinda stupid, but they certainly appear to be happy employees.

When Li and Bernoff speak of embracing the power of the Groundswell, Blue Shirt Nation is an ideal case in point. When used effectively, social media have the power to bring people and ideas together... Yet success as in the case of Blue Shirt Nation is only achievable when a company has veritable intentions in mind. In the case of Best Buy, company executives truly wanted genuine feedback from their employees. They strived to create a better business and working environment that would in turn provide customers with a better shopping experience. These types of goals are universal, because everyone benefits; as a result, Blue Shirt Nation proved to be a master stroke.

It is clear from this and other examples provided throughout Groundswell that success in social media results only if the people want it. In the real world, when people share common interests, goals and/or desires, they incline to connect with each other. The same is true of the groundswell, where people's commonalities often lead them to form productive and substantive relationships.

For a company looking to tap into the vast potential of the groundswell, it is essential to realize that success comes only when everybody is on board. To access the potential benefits of groundswell technologies, the authors assert that companies must, “Promote a listening culture from the top down, ease and encourage participation with incentives, and find and empower the rebels in your organization" (Li, 227).

In chapter 12, Li and Bernoff contend that the groundswell will continue growing and evolving; “…The groundswell is about to get embedded within every activity, not just on computers, but on mobile devices and in the real world. This is the ubiquitous groundswell" (Li, 235). In the short time since Groundswell was published, changes like these have already taken form. So whether you like it or not, the Internet is now an integral part of our social, cultural and economic fabric. Just as individuals must learn to adapt, business, in all of its manifestations, must incorporate the tools afforded by new technologies in order to establish contemporary channels of communication. Companies that are failing to look forward and incorporate within this revolution must learn to adapt, lest they be left behind for good as the groundswell relentlessly advances.