Age of Conversation 3

Book excerpt: Following the success of the first two editions, Age of Conversation 3: It's Time to Get Busy! again kick-starts the discussion about how the global marketing landscape is changing. With over 170 of the world's leading marketers, writers, thinkers and creative innovators contributing chapters, this collaborative work investigates the roles that community, conversation, experimentation, engagement, and collaboration play in shaping the 21st century's economy of ideas. As businesses, public and private organizations, and individuals realize that there's much more to social media and its impacts than meets the eye, Age of Conversation 3 shows us which platforms, tools, and approaches truly work, as well as those that simply don't. "Social media" may be the business buzzword (or, buzz-phrase) of 2010, but what's happening beyond the hype? What new practices and guidelines is social media imposing on business-as-usual? And what makes this type of media so much different than the media we're all used to? From the boardroom to the locus of customer interaction, social media is transforming the way we do business. The impact of this is being felt in every customer interaction, each business decision, and even in the way we source, retain and engage our staffs. This third book in the Age of Conversation series is crowdsourced, bringing together the world's leading practitioners to share their stories, perspectives, observations, and strategies. Their diverse insights and varying approaches are a reflection of the global, changing nature of business today.