Social roots : why social innovations are creating the influence economy

172 Pages·2014·1.216 MB·English

by  Girard, John P., Gordon, Cindy, Weir, Andrew

THE BUSINESS Social Roots G Digital and Social Media Marketing
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EXPERT PRESS R and Advertising Collection
Why Social Innovations are Creating D
DIGITAL LIBRARIES O
the Influence Economy N Victoria L. Crittenden, Editor
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EBOOKS FOR W
Cindy Gordon • Andrew Weir
BUSINESS STUDENTS E
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• John Girard R
Curriculum-oriented, born- •
digital books for advanced Social Roots traces the history of a fundamental economic G
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business students, written shift that is underway. The shift is rooted in virtualization, RA Social Roots
by academic thought a key innovation factor, but when combined with influence R
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leaders who translate real- networks, the significance becomes transformative. The com-
bined power of these dimensions is creating a new economic
world business experience
paradigm based on return on collaboration metrics rooted in
into course readings and Why Social
social capital theory.
reference materials for
Inside is the story of the near magical transformation, writ-
students expecting to tackle
ten specifically so we do not forget the significance of this
management and leadership Innovations are
decade of leadership in the influence economy. Many of the sto-
challenges during their
ries in the first part of Social Roots are about organizations that
professional careers. took the opportunity to experiment and experience the power
Creating the
of social networking approaches to conducting business; and
POLICIES BUILT
social innovators striving to make the world a better place. Their
BY LIBRARIANS
contribu tions to creating the influence economy are numerous,
• Unlimited simultaneous and their story of how they achieved success creates a tapestry Influence Economy
usage of insight.
• Unrestricted downloading
Dr. Cindy Gordon is the CEO and Founder of SalesChoice Inc., a
and printing
company specializing in Big Data and Predictive Analytics for CRM
• Perpetual access for a
solutions. She is also the founder of Helix Commerce International,
one-time fee a company specializing in business innovation, collaboration com-
• No platform or merce, and social media. She is also the recent recipient of the S
maintenance fees Governor General Award of Canada for Innovation in Social Media. O
C
• Free MARC records I
Andrew Weir is the Director of Customer Experience at A
• No license to execute L Cindy Gordon
SalesChoice Inc., where he oversees product development and R
The Digital Libraries are a customer engagement practices. He has also been a strategy O
O
comprehensive, cost-effective consultant for Helix Commerce International. He recently com- T Andrew Weir
S
pleted his MA at McMaster’s Institute on Globalization and the
way to deliver practical
Human Condition, and completed his undergraduate degree at
treatments of important John P. Girard
the U niversity of Western Ontario.
business issues to every
John P. Girard, PhD holds the Peyton Anderson Endowed Chair in
student and faculty member.
Information Technology at Middle Georgia State College’s School
of Information Technology. John has written or co-authored many
books; and is founder and Chief Knowledge Strategist of Sagology
(www.sagology.com), a firm dedicated to connecting people, facili-
For further information, a
tating collaboration, learning, and knowledge sharing through
free trial, or to order, contact:  keynotes, workshops, and consulting.
[email protected] Digital and Social Media Marketing
www.businessexpertpress.com/librarians and Advertising Collection
Victoria L. Crittenden, Editor
ISBN: 978-1-60649-928-3
Social Roots

Social Roots
Why Social Innovations are
Creating the Inf luence Economy
Cindy Gordon, Andrew Weir, and John P. Girard
Social Roots: Why Social Innovations are Creating the Influence Economy
Copyright © Business Expert Press, LLC, 2014.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other
except for brief quotations, not to exceed 400 words, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
First published in 2014 by
Business Expert Press, LLC
222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017
www.businessexpertpress.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-60649-928-3 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60649-929-0 (e-book)
Business Expert Press Digital and Social Media Marketing and
Advertising Collection
Collection ISSN: 2333-8822 (print)
Collection ISSN: 2333-8830 (electronic)
Cover and interior design by Exeter Premedia Services Private Ltd.,
Chennai, India
First edition: 2014
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
Abstract
Social Roots traces the history of a fundamental economic shift that is
underway. The shift is rooted in virtualization, a key innovation factor,
but when combined with influence networks, the significance becomes
transformative. The combined power of these dimensions is creating a
new economic paradigm based on return on collaboration metrics rooted
in social capital theory.
The genesis of this rich transformation is driven by collaboration and
social media approaches that began in 2003. Over the next decade, more
social engagement tools were added to the growing arsenal of collabo-
rative platforms, many of which continue to change and evolve today.
Independently these companies created new ways to perform individual
tasks; collectively they change the way we do business.
And all of this rapid innovation has occurred in a decade. For some it
is hard to believe how much the world has changed in just 10 years. Social
Roots is the story of the near magical transformation, written specifically
so we do not forget the significance of this decade of leadership in the
influence economy. Many of the stories in the first part of Social Roots are
about organizations that took the opportunity to experiment and experi-
ence the power of social networking approaches to conducting business;
and social innovators striving to make the world a better place. Their
contributions to creating the influence economy are numerous, and their
story of how they achieved success creates a tapestry of insight.
Keywords
analysis, history, learning, prospecting, social media

Contents
Preface ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ix
Acknowledgments ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������xiii
Chapter 1 Our Social Roots .............................................................1
Chapter 2 Facebook .......................................................................13
Chapter 3 Twitter ...........................................................................27
Chapter 4 LinkedIn .......................................................................43
Chapter 5 Myspace ........................................................................53
Chapter 6 WordPress .....................................................................65
Chapter 7 Blogger ..........................................................................73
Chapter 8 YouTube ........................................................................81
Chapter 9 Social Learning ..............................................................91
Chapter 10 Social Prospecting ..........................................................97
Chapter 11 Social Analytics ............................................................109
Chapter 12 What’s Next? ...............................................................121
Notes��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������131
References �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������139
Index �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������149

Preface
The learning and knowledge that we have is, at the most, but little
compared with that of which we are ignorant�
—Plato1
I have been working in the f ields of innovation, collaboration, and social
media with international clients in diverse industries, such as communi-
cations, high tech, media and publishing, and financial services, for over
20 years. What I have learned from the diverse leadership roles, client
projects, and so on is that there are some constant realities in play.
First, innovation excellence is driven by the passion of its leaders and
their tenacity to achieve a vision that stretches everyone’s imagination.
The stories in this book are exemplary innovations that have helped shape
our increasingly connected and highly virtualized world. For years, we
have been amassing data and information at an astounding rate. Going
forward over the next 30 years, we will remain focused on collecting, but
value will be concentrated on making meaningful connections.
In the last book I wrote with my coauthors, John and JoAnn Girard,
Business Goes Virtual, we examined the forces at play in collaboration,
social media, and virtual worlds, and examined relevance in relationship
to how organizations are using these new social tools for improving their
business and personal interactions.
Now that a few years have passed, it is increasingly clearer to me that
there are more fundamental economic shifts underway and although
virtualization is a key innovation factor the new glue growth factor is
influence networks. The increasing power they have will further accel-
erate world economic governance metrics to shift from narrow return
on investment (ROI) metrics to more return on collaboration (ROC)
that has roots in social capital theory. Some global players, like IBM,
like to call this return on contribution. No matter which way you cut
it, collaboration is the most significant growth engine driving humanity
forward.