Accidentally on Purpose Blog

For a sidelong glance at social media, I suggest you read “Net, Blogs and Rock N Roll” by David Jennings. The book looks at how consumers find, share, and — yes — buy music in the post-2.0 world (a subject that was covered far more pessimistically by Andrew Keen in “The Cult of the Amateur“).

Jennings, a psychologist and business consultant, divides the music world into a familiar hierarchy of consumers based on levels of participation: “savants, enthusiasts, casuals, and indifferents.” Nothing surprising here, but it’s worth noting one of his more pointed observations about the nature of communities.

“… communities do not require majority participation in order to be successful and to generate content and relationships that their members find valuable.”

Social media consultants should take heed — “communities do not require majority participation.” And it is wrong to harass the hidden 90% — the vast majority of people who would prefer to remain invisible. This has always been true of communities and some marketers over the past few years have learned this lesson the hard way.

Technorati Tags: David Jennings, Net Blogs and Rock N Roll, Andrew Keen, Cult of the Amateur

Tags: Andrew Keen, Cult of the Amateur, David Jennings, Net Blogs and Rock N Roll

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