Some get it, others don’t

Whenever speaking to a new client – or even a prospective client – one can never tell if they will “get” Web 2.0 or not. Some people just don’t understand that the world – and marketing principles – have shifted and changed. When delivering Web 2.0 seminars I always start with the infamous YouTube video “Shift Happens” – and usually that gets people into a good frame of thinking.

I also always recommend 2 books. The first is Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony D Williams, and the second is The Long Tail by Chris Anderson.

Wikinomics focuses on mass collaboration and how it’s changing how people grow and expand their business and organizations. Google, Wikipedia, and other stories are mentioned in this 2006 publication. The Long Tail explains Chris Anderson’s famous phrase which explains how people on the tail – the small businesses, the home-businesses, etc can now compete on a global scale with the advent of Web 2.0 and social media, social networking, etc that comes with the “New Web” – and Chris explains how we should be using this to our advantage.

I am starting a new project with a client tomorrow. We’ve met twice before to discuss the relationship, and this morning he came to me – with Wikinomics in hand! :) He had all his markers in the book already, and he’s so excited about implementing this sort of thinking and marketing in his new business. It’s really motivating for me to see this unfold. :) Of course, this is a guy that gets it. A vast contrast to a group of people I saw last week. Sitting around a table – only one person could grasp what I was saying. It’s tough, but as Web 2.0 “evangelists” we have to keep showing people the way, the way that we believe works. Our beliefs are proven of course! :)

I just browsed through my Wikinomics book now, and maybe I should blog about certain key points in the book. I’ll give that some thought, it might be useful…