Mano virtualieji aš. Kaip socialiniai tinklai keičia gyvenimą, darbą ir pasaulį

by Matthew Fraser

Synopsis
The rise of social networks like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo is changing the way we see ourselves, how we interact with each other, how we work and how we do business on a daily basis. Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom explores the powerful forces driving the social networking revolution, the impact of these profound changes, and the far reaching consequences of social networking.

Detailing the way social networks affects both individuals and societies as a whole, the book offers a detailed focus on the ways social networking affects the world of business and work. The generation entering the workforce today - and entering boardrooms everywhere - is fully engaged with social networking and its uses. Rather than feeling threatened and paranoid, today's business leaders need to understand this phenomenon, accept that it won't go away, and embrace its power in the world of business.

Excerpts from Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom:
“Your next CEO’s most impressive job credential might be status as an online gladiator, honing valuable leadership skills mercilessly slaying mortal enemies on World of Warcraft. Why not, the skills necessary to hack your way to the top levels of virtual games – especially a killer instinct – are excellent pre-requisites for managing complex organisations.”

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“Many senior managers mistakenly believe Enterprise 2.0 is a product, like the latest Microsoft office suite. They don’t realise that Enterprise 2.0 is not a cost centre, but a “state of mind” – a revolutionary new way of managing companies and conducting business.

Web 2.0 tools have no regard for “organisational boundaries, hierarchies, or job titles”. Try telling a senior executive that, henceforth, there will be no job titles, reporting lines, and organisational boundaries in the company – and watch the reaction closely.”

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“When someone calls a meeting, he or she is asserting authority over those who are invited to attend. Meetings are exclusive and closed. In most corporations, who gets invited to a meeting – and who does not – sends a signal about who’s ‘in the loop’. Meetings are a form of social grooming inside organisations. Meetings impose vertical authority. They establish status hierarchies. The Enterprise 2.0 model is feared in corporations because it threatens status hierarchies.”

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“Harnessing the dynamism of horizontal networks, Web 2.0 social media are bypassing institutional forms of social organisation and directly empowering people. This book has attempted to tell that story with illustrations, which, we hope, have offered intriguing and instructive insights into the powerful transformations we described. What has interested us most, indeed, is the transformative impact – or “e-ruptions” – of Web 2.0 social media on the three dynamics that gave this book its structure: identity, status and power.”

About the Authors:
Matthew Fraser, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow at INSEAD and teaches at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. A recognised media industries expert, he also has long experience as a journalist, including weekly columnist, national television host, and Editor-in-Chief of Canada’s national daily newspaper, the National Post.

Soumitra Dutta, PhD., is Roland Berger Chaired Professor of Business and Technology at INSEAD. He is faculty director of elab@INSEAD, a center of excellence in the digital economy working in collaboration with organisations such as SAP and Intel. His research has been showcased in the international media such as CNN, CNBC, and the BBC. He is a fellow of the World Economic Forum. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Social Media, Internet, Web, Technology, Sociology

476 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2008

About the author

Lives in Paris, former newspaper columnist, editor-in-chief of a national broadsheet, co-host of national television programme. Currently a university professor and butler to a bichon called Hector. Author of five books, most recently In Truth: A History of Lies from Ancient Rome to Modern America.

Reviews

[Graham Salisbury · Rating 2 out of 5]

The chances are that if you're considering reading this book you'll already be aware of (and probably affected by) what the authors refer to as the "Facebook Phenomenon"

The impact of social networking through websites such as MySpace, YouTube, Wikipedia, Facebook and (increasingly) Twitter is quickly rippling through society and is dangerous to ignore, particularly as a generation is emerging for whom such networking is the norm for personal interaction. It is this explosion in virtual relationships that the book explores. It's not just a book about social networking: also covered in significant detail is the challenge to the dominance of the CD thrown down by the arrival of file-sharing alternatives that call into question the fundamental concept of ownership in the domain of popular music.

At around 300 pages, what this book offers is a profound, learned and sociologically-driven overview of how individuals, organisations and society are beginning to be affected by the advent and development of social networking. The use of analogies such as the dominance exercised (and lost) by the Knights Templar will enlighten and amuse some readers, but irritate and confuse others, so it's a case of buyer beware!

If there is one particular weakness in the book it's the fact that the growth in social networking is so rapid that the book was practically out of date as soon as the printing ink was dry. (Twitter, for example is given a mere three mentions)

So who should buy the book? If you're interested in the overall impact that social networking is having on the 21st Century, and you're prepared to exercise your brain, you'll be educated and informed by the end of the book. If you're looking for specifics on the individual networking sites, or are perhaps thinking that the book will offer some light refreshment, then it's not the one for you!

[Ebony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a humanist in the MIT bookstore feeling sorely out of place and then I see this title: Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom and I think, “that sounds surprisingly accessible.” Since we’re in a recession I didn’t buy it then, but once I got my library copy I had second thoughts about owing this insightful book. I’m not a techie by any stretch of the imagination but comparing social networking to the Knights Templar in 1099 fascinated me. I was hooked from the first chapter. The authors are adept storytellers and they really broke down web 2.0 by walking through history. I loved the book and I think my students were mildly entertained by my re-visioning of history based on the book’s facts. I couldn’t get enough. The authors opened my eyes to the possibilities of technology and it was great to read the book soon after it came out. All of the cites were timely and interesting—from corporate takeovers to international news headlines—page after page, I wanted to know more about the internet of all things. Before reading the book, I just browsed and perused facebook. Now I think about ways to maximize my weak ties on the regular and how to use technology more efficiently in the classroom. I would recommend Sheep to anyone who likes a good history—whether you’re into the possibilities of web 2.0 or no.

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think, like many people, I've drifted along with the trend of adopting social media. I have a blog, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account. Obviously, I'm sharing my reading here too. Each step didn't seem very large, but when taken together, social media has significantly changed my life. I get professional development and support through the English Companion Ning, connect with friends and family in an instant, and broadcast my thoughts to the world. Fraser does a nice job in reviewing the major events in social media's history, how these media have changed the way we do things, and makes some predictions of what it means for the future. The style of writing is approachable, though it is clear he has done his research. There were many "Ah Ha" moments for me when reading, and several times I just had to read sections aloud to anyone who would listen.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the best book on social networking I've read in a long time, or maybe ever (I really liked Wikinomics, too). Instead of coming from a fluffy psycho-pop background, the book reflects a strong bent towards hard sociology and political science, entwining the tale of the Knights Templar with the evolution and public reaction to social media, and the author cites Alexis de Toquville more than once (as well as many other past and present political luminaries). A must read for anyone looking for a deeper intellectual analysis of the impact today's trends will have on tomorrow - often supported by the lessons of yesterday.

[Matthew Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a long; dry read, but it does point out some ways that web 2.0 and social networking might change the world or at least change the way we communicate, shop, and work. The authors are sold on social networking so any short comings are not discussed thoroughly, but they do try. The authors are obsessed with Knights of the Templar and some of the comparisons just did not work for me.

[Svetlana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing - both academically written and full of practical example. Shows how the technological changes we see are much more profound than we think. Or rather have much profound effect, including on our identity and power distribution in companies and society.

[CD · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't hold my interest.

[Larissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read if you want to understand how social will change the way we do business!

[Matjaz Bergant]

Great book about facebook and similar networks !!!

[Kirti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting light-hearted read which actually throws a lot of punches