Web 2.0 Expo 10 - Unleashing the Power of Crowds in Your Business

Sometimes conference presentations are just that: conference presentations. Sometimes conference presentations take you to another level. And then again – but not very often – conference presentation can be somewhat like entering an evangelist church.

In this presentation at the Web 2.0 Expo Barry Libert, CEO of Mzinga introduced the audience to his church. The god was WE, the son was Barry Libert and the Holy Spirit was the conversations that companies need to engage in order to understand WE.

As a secular Dane visiting gods own country the experience was somewhat disconcerting, but the fact was that Barry Libert had a number of forceful statements – not necessarily very new or original, but forceful and convincing.

First of all Libert stated (and I couldn’t agree more) that web Web 2.0 is fundamentally not about technology – it is about enabling companies to be human again – it is about having conversations with their customers. It is no longer about the company, the product or the enterprise – it is about WE. It is a matter of interacting with customers where they are, and on their terms.

This is of course a philosophy which we have known since the Cluetrain Manifesto, but the difference today is that, according to Libert, leading American companies are starting to understand WE. Not least attributable to the fact that Libert himself has convinced a significant number of these companies about the value of WE.

Barry Libert then unveiled his five commandments that must be obeyed by all companies aspiring to enter the heaven of WE.

As Libert said: When you S.C.O.R.E. you win the benefits of WE:

1. Be Social (everything in business is social and about social interactions)
2. Be Co-creative (I don’t necessarily know where to go, so I will accept that you help me develop my company and my products. I accept that my customers are smarter than me)
3. Be Open (start a company blog, join a social network)
4. Be Rewarding (Prize people outside your company for contributing to your company)
5. Be Evaluated (Use surveys, comments and ratings to improve your product)

And that was it. There was no more to it!

I, of course, missed a bit of context and examples from the real world and from real companies that have SCOREd, but I was afraid to be expelled as a heretic from the church of WE so I faithfully kept quiet.