3 - The Social Technographics Profile

       Chapter three introduces the idea of social profiling by referencing three AFOL's (adult fans of Legos). Their names are Eric Kingsley who creates through use of the web, Joe Comeau who reacts, and Linda Dallas who ends up reading the overall outcome of generated social content. The three people mentioned above represent large and symbolic roles within the groundswell strategy.

       The overall theme of chapter three is the separation of participants, and understanding its power. The social ladder is made of seven core positions. The main focus lies within the creators, conversationalists, critics, collectors, joiners, spectators, and the inactives. All the categories listed work off one another in the social ladder and remain crucial in forming a groundswell strategy. Throughout the chapter, we are presented with a number of info-graphics displaying differences in gender, age, disease, and region that measure use of SSN's, blogs, podcasts, followed by detailed comparisons of the social ladder. A majority of the graphics show an increased number in joiners, spectators, and collectors in many countries. The comparisons bring up a number of potential marketing tactics where social media such as Facebook, Twitter, or Blogs can help/push global awareness of a brand.

       As demonstrated in the NEC/Fujitsu comparison, groundswell will generate positive feedback if used in a proper way. Although NEC had a friendly website and catalog, Fujitsu was busy building a customer relationship through use of Facebook, a more direct path to their audience.

2 - Jujitsu and the Technologies of the Groundswell

       In the beginning of chapter two, the authors begin to decipher the puzzle of groundswell. If a business/corporation can learn to harness and understand the groundswell theory, it can potentially be used towards the businesses/corporation's success. 

jujitsu: the use of an opponent's strengths or one's own weaknesses to accomplish one's goals"

       Throughout the reading, they continue to build on the fact that groundswell is a double-sided sword, relating it to the art of jujisu, as posted above. In the first part of chapter two, the authors expand on the idea of technology and how its changing rapidly, leading to rapid marketing/utilizing of the groundswell theory. For example, I'm a web designer, and my skills are not relevant to a corporation unless I am skilled with modern and/or trendy web interfaces. I might have five years of PHP experience and lose the job, because of a designer with one year of PHP, who also possesses parallax experience, (a dynamic technique used in modern iPhones). My point is that web technology mirrors the concept of technology & groundswell. For instance, a business could potentially utilize the groundswell theory differently once Vine ("a mobile app owned by Twitter that enables its users to create and post short looping video clips") was released from the Apple Store. 

1 - Why the groundswell & why now?

       Chapter one begins with a look into the birth of Digg, a creation of Kevin Rose. Digg, launched in 2004, has become one of the largest and well known news mediums through the web. The goal is Chapter one, in my opinion, is to open and dissect the potential and dangers of social media strategies.

       09 -F9 -11 - 02

       The number listed above is the encryption of HD-DVD's. When the number was leaked, Digg decided to push the news to their own front page, eventually causing the encryption leak to spread across the internet. After receiving a cease & desist order from the AACS LA, Digg responded by editing out the encryption in their article. However, the founders began to notice an important and foreshadowed effect that exists on the web - almost anything posting, uploaded, or scanned will exist on the web even after deletion. For example, the encryption was posted in over 3,100 blogs later that day, which led to Digg reversing their edit. Businesses can either thrive or cave through the use of social media strategies. More and more, companies are beginning to realize that the web is a mandatory business tool.