Collaboration between people, technological progress and the economy slowdown are changing the way customers do their business: individuals increasingly take cues from one another rather than from institutional sources. Companies should abandon top-down management and communication tactics and weave communities into their products and services.
Rise of Social Computing
In 2006 Forrester Research “Social Computing” report highlighted how individuals started new ways of collaboration using Internet, cheap devices, and modular content. As a result, people became more and more informed and their voice was suddenly louder.
The report also explained the impact of these activities on enterprises core business.
While Internet-mediated communication has been in place for years with blogs, forums and other tools, the trend was rapidly accelerating due to three main reasons:
- People: whatever their background and geographic location, people have a natural tendency to cooperate;
- Technology: availability of Social Networks and publishing systems and the increasing use of Internet as platform (the Software as a Service model) reduced the barriers for active consumers, together with availability of low-cost easy-to-use hardware;
- Economic scenario: the surge of a world-wide economic crisis had a strong impact on consumer habits.
All the above changed, maybe forever, the way consumers interact with companies. Everybody can create a web-site and use it to build consensus for their idea or goal. In some markets intermediation roles are disappearing, replaced by highly-effective self-organizing networks.
Some companies struggled against these initiatives. Some others realized they could leverage active customers collaboration.
Social Computing: a strategic approach
This white-paper outlines CommonSense approach to Social Computing (Italian only): “Approccio Strategico al Social Computing“.
