Popular Tags
A while back I fell in love with ted.com it is by far the best site on the internet right now. Whenever I am feeling drained of creativity or motivation, a quick browse through the videos on the site seems to pull me right out of it. However, the last time I was on the site I came a across a video by Charles Leadbeater that really spoke to me. Charles makes a number of observations about what he calls “the rise of the amateur professional.” Individuals who choose to pursue a venture in their spare time at a professional level. During this discussion he raises a number of points I would like to discuss.
Charles says that when new disruptive technologies such as the internet are combined with motivated amateur professionals, “you don’t need an organization to be organized.” Essentially these people are able to utilize technology in a way that evolves faster than any organization could ever hope to. However the traditional organizations (corporations in Charles’s examples) will do anything they can to stop this innovation, because they are threatened by it.
Isn’t this all very familiar?
All of this had me thinking about the current discussions about associations and social media that are happening in trade magazines and on the blogosphere. The interesting point that Charles makes is that it does not have to be this way. There are powerful options for the traditional organizations as well. People just want to have their voice heard, not overthrow the system. Organizations that allow them to do so, and foster an environment for it, will ultimately reap the largest benefits because of the bond it creates with the user.
What has your organization been doing to address the needs of our more vocal society? I suggest that you give this amazing video a watch, it was the most enlightening 20 minutes of my day. Afterwards feel free to share your opinions in the comments below…