“People of Earth . . .
A powerful global conversation has begun.”
Those provocative words appeared on the web in 1999, written by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinberger as the opening salvo of The Cluetrain Manifesto: The end of business as usual.
I paid $23 for the book (which you can read free online) so I could highlight, underline, write in the margins and tag pages with yellow Post-it notes.
Today, I find myself living and loving the world described by the prophetic authors. All around, I see online conversations making us collectively smarter, more creative and more energized. These communities, it seems to me, are almost always greater than the sum of the parts.
As we launch the IT Community blog – the beginning of a powerful conversation, I hope – I am aware that not everyone will think this is a good idea. Some have suggested that blogging is a passing fad, like CB radio in the ‘70s. Some may fear the consequences of humans openly interacting with other humans across organizational boundaries, building trust, tearing down walls and subverting hierarchy (just a few of the dangerous ideas presented in Cluetrain).
If you are reading this first post in the IT Community blog, I hope you will join in the conversation and be part of the community. Eavesdropping is perfectly acceptable. If you are ready to share your ideas and expertise, encourage colleagues, build relationships and collectively get smarter and better . . . dive in.
What can this be?
Please share ideas about what you think the IT Community blog should be about. What topics should we address? How can we ensure constructive dialogue?
Post a comment or send me an email.
