Book highlights - The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual by Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, David Weinberger Ivan Chew. 2004. RamblingLibrarian.blogspot.com

About the book… How the Internet is turning business upside down. Thanks to conversations taking place on Web sites, e-mail, chat rooms etc., employees and customers have found voices that undermine the traditional command-and-control hierarchy that organizes most corporate marketing groups. In their view, the lowly customer service rep wields far more power and influence in today's marketplace than the “well oiled front office PR machine”.

How the Internet is turning business upside down.

Thanks to conversations taking place on Web sites, e-mail, chat rooms etc., employees and customers have found voices that undermine the traditional command-and-control hierarchy that organizes most corporate marketing groups.

In their view, the lowly customer service rep wields far more power and influence in today's marketplace than the “well oiled front office PR machine”.

Real world examples Yahoo! Ministry of Complaints. Microsoft's Channel 9 Microsoft’s employees’ blogs

Yahoo! Ministry of Complaints.

Microsoft's Channel 9

Microsoft’s employees’ blogs

Concerns Chapter 4 (p. 107) – But what about the risk? Suppose a “lowly clerk” speaks for the company in public and says something wrong? Something actionable? Something confidential, or sensitive? The authors’ response: It’s going to happen. It’s already happening. What makes us think it hasn’t happened?

Chapter 4 (p. 107) – But what about the risk?

Suppose a “lowly clerk” speaks for the company in public and says something wrong? Something actionable? Something confidential, or sensitive?

The authors’ response: It’s going to happen. It’s already happening. What makes us think it hasn’t happened?

Why & How to do it See Chapter 5 (p. 123): Business is a conversation because the defining work of a business is a conversation—literally. And “knowledge workers” are simply those whose job consists of having interesting conversations. To have a conversation, you have to be comfortable being human—acknowledging you don’t have all the answers

See Chapter 5 (p. 123): Business is a conversation because the defining work of a business is a conversation—literally. And “knowledge workers” are simply those whose job consists of having interesting conversations.

To have a conversation, you have to be comfortable being human—acknowledging you don’t have all the answers

Changing our own mindsets The official structure becomes less relevant. The most valuable employee is the one who, in response to a question, doesn’t give a concrete answer in a booming voice but says, You should talk to Larry… Oh, and there’s a mailing list on this topic I ran into a couple of weeks ago…” (p.129)

The official structure becomes less relevant.

The most valuable employee is the one who, in response to a question, doesn’t give a concrete answer in a booming voice but says, You should talk to Larry… Oh, and there’s a mailing list on this topic I ran into a couple of weeks ago…” (p.129)

What is stopping us? The urge to manage is deep in our culture. It ultimately is defeated by the fact of human fallibility (p. 152) To paraphrase a line from p. 153: Th e organization doesn’t have to be always right. It means being more human, and therefore less threatening.

The urge to manage is deep in our culture. It ultimately is defeated by the fact of human fallibility (p. 152)

To paraphrase a line from p. 153:

Th e organization doesn’t have to be always right. It means being more human, and therefore less threatening.

Dare we try it? “ Conversations” as a means of differentiating service – Yahoo Answers Vs “Traditional concept of Library Reference” “ Give the Fish” Vs “Teach you to Fish” (Why not both?) “ Conversations” as a means of connecting with customers Your friendly neighbourhood Librarian” Vs THE LIBRARIAN from <name of your library>

“ Conversations” as a means of differentiating service –

Yahoo Answers Vs “Traditional concept of Library Reference”

“ Give the Fish” Vs “Teach you to Fish”

(Why not both?)

“ Conversations” as a means of connecting with customers

Your friendly neighbourhood Librarian” Vs

THE LIBRARIAN from <name of your library>

Join the conversation! Continue the discussion at http://rawnotes.blogspot.com/2004/08/cluetrain-manifesto-end-of-business-as.html OR http://tinyurl.com/2sjh99 Ivan Chew. 2004. RamblingLibrarian.blogspot.com

Continue the discussion at http://rawnotes.blogspot.com/2004/08/cluetrain-manifesto-end-of-business-as.html

OR

http://tinyurl.com/2sjh99