Wikinomics: How mass collaboration changes everything (Tapscott & Williams, 2006)

Premised around four major ideas of a new economy – (1) Openness; (2) Peering; (3) Sharing; and, (4) Acting Globally – Wikinomics: How mass collaboration changes everything suggests that mass communication turns the traditional inward business model toward an outward focus.

The authors point to current business trends in corporations that favor an open approach to idea generation and collaboration. These concepts seem intriguing and commendable, especially in a global market. Why not share and build on the ideas of others.

“That can work in local instances,” says Bill Gary, “but for major companies, that may create redundancies across the company.”  The debate here is whether we build a global car or a local car.  Which target market do we serve?

According to the new laws of Wikinomics, those companies that collaborate and share, with open architecture, will reap the economic benefits of a new economy.

• Overall Response: This book is the anti-Solis. It works as a consulting read for CEOs but not as a vehicle for real social media strategy. Experienced social media users will find it lacking.

About Digital Media Book Club: In the growing field of strategic communication, social media rockstars, academics, and digital thinkers are investing time and energy to share their learning with others. In my Digital Strategic Communication class, students in the Master of Arts in Organizational and Strategic Communication program at Queens University of Charlotte are sifting through a variety of texts to discover the embedded wisdom. These are their thoughts and reactions.