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Here Comes (Clay Shirky's) Everybody

Soloists understand the potential of digital media communication tools -- email, blogs, wikis, and the Web. But discussions about these tools often get bogged down in technological details, instead of considering the broader implications. A new book by Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody, offers a mix of examples, insights, and lessons that will be of interest to soloists trying to better understand the monumental changes arising from the expanding use of social media.

This is not a "How can I build a blog to bring more business to my Web site" book. Rather, it's a book that leads you to ask: How are social media tools changing the dynamics of customer interaction in ways never seen before, and how can I adapt my business to create more value for everyone involved? The latter is a much richer question, and ultimately more powerful for your future as a soloist.

As one of the most insightful technologists around, Clay is an engaging tour guide on this techno-social exploration. It's also one of the reasons I'm delighted he's agreed to be a guest on a Working Solo Teleforum this Friday, May 16th (see below). Here's a sampling of Clay's ideas:

1. "When we change the way we communicate, we change society."
The tools we use shape us as much as we shape them. Today, digital tools allow us to connect in ways fundamentally different from earlier eras. Telegraph, telephone, and television were either 1:1 or one-to-many communications. The Internet allows connections to be made many-to-many, empowering new forms (and forums) of exchange.

2. "Group action gives human society its particular character, and anything that changes the way groups get things done will affect society as a whole."
Formalized institutions are no longer required for action or results. Clay writes of political protesters, stranded airline passengers, flash mobs, Flikr, and other groups who self-organized to create change. As the barriers to group action have collapsed, Clay observes, "the number and kinds of things groups can get done without financial motivation or managerial oversight are growing."

3. Since digital social tools lower the cost of coordinating group action, new entrepreneurial opportunities arise that were previously not viable with traditional management organization.
If you recall Econ 101, you know about Ronald Coase and his famous 1937 essay on The Nature of the Firm and the value of hierarchical organizations. Coase argued that such structure decreases transaction costs. In contrast, the new social tools -- with their dramatically lower transaction costs -- create an entire realm of opportunities that were previously too expensive for traditional firms to offer. The result: remarkably creative, successful, and profitable ventures by very small (often solo) entrepreneurs.

As one reviewer noted, Clay's book features stories that "involve technology, but they're not about technology." Even if you have yet to explore these social media tools, I encourage you to check out Clay's book, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, and to join us for a free Working Solo Teleforum on Friday, May 16th, at noon ET.

To sign up, send an email to: everybody@workingsolo.com. You'll receive an autoresponder with full details. (Your only out-of-pocket cost is the long-distance call to the telephone bridge line.)

-- Terri Lonier
Founder, WorkingSolo.com

This Friday at Noon ET:
Here Comes Everybody!
Working Solo Teleforum with author Clay Shirky

To sign up, send an email here