Groundswell Book Review
Jackson/Groundswell Book Review
11/13/10
Through reading Groundswell, I learned about social media marketing and strategies to connect with an audience. Ironically, I chose the book Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff because this was the title my local Borders had in stock. Thanks to my local Borders (and fate), I have gained knowledge of the Groundswell and I believe I am capable of sharing this information with others.
Before revealing my own opinion of the book, I wished to read reviews of the book in order to learn more about the Groundswell. First, I read a review on Amazon.com by a user named Robert Morris from Dallas, Texas. Morris defines he Groundswell as socially interactive sharing of information between the employer and the customer (and vice versa). Throughout the book, Charlene and Josh cite examples of different corporate companies utilizing digital media. Even though Robert believes some of these examples lack relevance, the examples create a point of reference for each key element of the Groundswell (Morris). I enjoyed reading Robert’s review since the writing stemmed from an actual customer, not a publishing house attempting to glorify the book. Morris shared his honest opinion with the many users of Amazon.com. In my opinion, a customer review is more reliable than an editorial review since there is no bias intact.
The next review I read is from ribbonfarm.com; the blogger’s name is Venkatesh Rao. He is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Xerox Innovation Group and he blogs about philosophy, art, sociology, business, technology and innovations. Rao believes Groundswell presents a good mix of “abstraction and anecdote" (Rao). Venkatesh believes Groundswell is an instructional book, not a conceptual read. Even though Li and Bernoff claim to explain all the aspects of the Groundswell, Rao thinks they only covered “pieces”. Even so, Charlene and Josh are off to a good start- sharing operations and tactics, not strategy, with the audience (Rao). I chose this review since (once again) it’s a customer review and this particular user is invested in business, technology and innovation.
After researching the book, I felt I was able to articulate my opinion in a more effective manner. I recommend reading the Groundswell Book- especially if you are eager to learn more about the digital world and how to market to consumers. In my opinion, Groundswell gives professionals (such as technical writers) a basis for blog writing, social media, online journals and publications. I discovered the key to the Groundswell: if you allow the consumer to interact and create within the Groundswell, you will succeed. Also, start with a marketing plan, not with the technology. Despite the book’s usefulness, I thought there were too many Groundswell examples within the book. While I found some of the examples informative, other examples were unnecessary to me since I had not experienced them at a professional level. In addition, some of the examples were a bit lengthy. Even so, I believe Li and Bernoff have provided us with vital information to tackle digital media and please our audience.
Works Cited
Morris, Robert. (2007, May 3). How Groundswell Thinking can Help Achieve Success
In a “Flat” World (Review of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed
by Social Technologies). Amazon.com. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Groundswell-
Winning-Transformed-Social-Technologies/dp/1422125009.
Rao, V. (2008, June 11). Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff (Review of
Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies).
RibbonFarm.com. Retrieved from
http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2008/0611/groundswell-by-charlene-li-and-josh-bernoff/.
11/13/10
Through reading Groundswell, I learned about social media marketing and strategies to connect with an audience. Ironically, I chose the book Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff because this was the title my local Borders had in stock. Thanks to my local Borders (and fate), I have gained knowledge of the Groundswell and I believe I am capable of sharing this information with others.
Before revealing my own opinion of the book, I wished to read reviews of the book in order to learn more about the Groundswell. First, I read a review on Amazon.com by a user named Robert Morris from Dallas, Texas. Morris defines he Groundswell as socially interactive sharing of information between the employer and the customer (and vice versa). Throughout the book, Charlene and Josh cite examples of different corporate companies utilizing digital media. Even though Robert believes some of these examples lack relevance, the examples create a point of reference for each key element of the Groundswell (Morris). I enjoyed reading Robert’s review since the writing stemmed from an actual customer, not a publishing house attempting to glorify the book. Morris shared his honest opinion with the many users of Amazon.com. In my opinion, a customer review is more reliable than an editorial review since there is no bias intact.
The next review I read is from ribbonfarm.com; the blogger’s name is Venkatesh Rao. He is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Xerox Innovation Group and he blogs about philosophy, art, sociology, business, technology and innovations. Rao believes Groundswell presents a good mix of “abstraction and anecdote" (Rao). Venkatesh believes Groundswell is an instructional book, not a conceptual read. Even though Li and Bernoff claim to explain all the aspects of the Groundswell, Rao thinks they only covered “pieces”. Even so, Charlene and Josh are off to a good start- sharing operations and tactics, not strategy, with the audience (Rao). I chose this review since (once again) it’s a customer review and this particular user is invested in business, technology and innovation.
After researching the book, I felt I was able to articulate my opinion in a more effective manner. I recommend reading the Groundswell Book- especially if you are eager to learn more about the digital world and how to market to consumers. In my opinion, Groundswell gives professionals (such as technical writers) a basis for blog writing, social media, online journals and publications. I discovered the key to the Groundswell: if you allow the consumer to interact and create within the Groundswell, you will succeed. Also, start with a marketing plan, not with the technology. Despite the book’s usefulness, I thought there were too many Groundswell examples within the book. While I found some of the examples informative, other examples were unnecessary to me since I had not experienced them at a professional level. In addition, some of the examples were a bit lengthy. Even so, I believe Li and Bernoff have provided us with vital information to tackle digital media and please our audience.
Works Cited
Morris, Robert. (2007, May 3). How Groundswell Thinking can Help Achieve Success
In a “Flat” World (Review of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed
by Social Technologies). Amazon.com. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Groundswell-
Winning-Transformed-Social-Technologies/dp/1422125009.
Rao, V. (2008, June 11). Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff (Review of
Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies).
RibbonFarm.com. Retrieved from
http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2008/0611/groundswell-by-charlene-li-and-josh-bernoff/.