One sentence summary:

Organizations don’t generate social media, people do.

WHAT THE BOOK SAYS

• This book is a manager’s guide to the social web. It’s not about the technology – it’s how people behave and how companies should respond.
• It has 45 pithy chapters that you can read in any sequence, and it plucks out themes that nail exactly what the social web is all about. These include:
• It’s the ultimate in democracy – anyone can have a view
• You leave a trace – that’s great for storing knowledge, and bad if you don’t consider what you’re saying
• It’s like evolution on steroids – ideas and knowledge disseminate faster
• We are writing ourselves into existence – forcing yourself to write online crystallizes thought and helps to rediscover literacy
• You can’t stop people saying what they want but you can operate a volume control on mob rule
• Conversations can only take place between equals – dictating or controlling doesn’t work online
• It’s creatively messy – don’t try to categorise things too much and let them grow naturally
• The best way to be safe is to be open – true for life in general

ELEMENTS OF THE BOOK I PARTICULARLY LIKE

• It gives helpful advice on dealing with a boss who doesn’t get it.
• The more you give, the more you get – an “ooh that’s interesting” moment is to be articulated and shared
• You need to unleash your Trojan Mice – small initiatives that cost little and can grab a foothold in or on something.
• Back to Front ROI: ask what is the ROI of this not happening?
• Radical transparency means assuming that anything generated on a computer is effectively public – being open is actually easier, cheaper, and safer, assuming your company isn’t crooked, in which case the web has served its purpose.
• If you work in a big corporation, how about using the social web to be an intrapreneur?