Bill's Blog

Are you all Meshed up?

My current read is “The Mesh, why the future of business is sharing” by Lisa Gansky and, unusually, I wanted to bring it to your attention even before I’ve finished reading it!

I believe it’s going to be a business model changer. There are books that make you think but more important books like the Long Tail and Free by Chris Anderson, (and I suppose any book by Malcolm Gladwell or Seth Godin), that make you act. The Mesh is such a book. I think we will see the emergence of mesh businesses over the forthcoming months and years as we trim our structures to the core – to our key value adds – while we leave the rest to someone else.

So what is a Mesh business?

Firstly, Mesh business share. Not one way sharing like outsourcing, but more quid pro quo and for the benefit of their clients. Secondly, Mesh businesses are on-line active. They are keyed up in the use of web tools to manage their transactions. Thirdly, Mesh businesses focus on the physical rather than intangible, so there generally is an “shared” asset you can touch involved , say a car, a hotel room, a piece of equipment. This is not to say that service businesses can’t be part of the Mesh community. There is a place for service also, but in support of the physical experience. Finally, Mesh businesses are promoted by word of mouth, by good referral on good experience. Again web tools, specifically social media are prevalent.

So are you, or could you become a Meshed business? Can you team up with another group of companies to deliver the elusive synergies? I’m interested to know.

For another summary of The Mesh, check out Action University’s perspective below.

Want a copy of the summary? Download it here.

 

Just take a pebble...

Libraries and bookshops are having to extend their premises to allow for the ever growing number of books outlining how you should embrace social media as the new enabler in your business.

Why? Haven’t we all been social way and haven’t we always shared our experiences? This goes way back to prehistoric man painting his hunting sagas on the cave wall and recounting of adventures round the camp fire.

We want to be social because we want to belong and we want to feel appreciated. We want to be connected. So forget about the “media” and focus on the community, the content and the consequence.

A great book which covers all of these areas and one I highly recommend is Six Pixels of Separation, by Mitch Joel.

To give you a flavour, here is Action University’s summary.

 

My main take away from the book was the need for authenticity and consistency within your various networks. If you are not yourself and consistent in your approach - in what you say and how you say it – then you are at risk from becoming a social spammer and we all know how much we hate that!

Oh, and don't forget to make ripples!

Want a copy of the summary for future reference. Here you go! (Similar summaries of equally useful books are available in earlier posts).

Hat tip to Emerson, Lake and Palmer for the blog title!