WWGD?

What Would Google Do?
by Jeff Jarvis

This book is one of the best explanations of current society. Written in late 2008 and released in early 2009, it discusses networking and communities - anywhere, anytime, and anyone. Jeff does a great job in guiding the reader through society's changes occuring everywhere and shows us what the next few years might hold. He uses Google as an example of an organization that understands our human need to connect and encourages us to do so. We benefit and so does Google.

Part 1 covers ten "Google Rules," including:

1. New relationship. Give people control and we will use it. Turn your worst customer into your best friend. Partner with your best customers.
2. New architecture. How links and tags change the way we access and use information. Do what you do best and link to the rest. Join a network, be a platform and always think distributed.
3. New publicness. You must be searchable. Generate "Googlejuice". Let your customers market for you.
4. New society. Communities already exist, but we (and they) do not always know it. Allow communities to form in an elegant manner.
5. New economy. Small is big, nothing is scarce, and giving things away makes you rich.
6. New business reality. Middlemen are unnecessary and free is a great business model.
7. New attitude. Control and trust are opposites. Trust people. Listen to them, and they will support you.
8. New ethics. Mistakes can no longer be hidden, so make them well. Be honest and transparent. Collaborate and do not be evil.
9. New speed. Answers are now instantaneous. Life is live and mobs form in a flash.
10. New imperatives. Beware of the cash cow. Encourage innovation. Simplify and then get out of the way.

Of the above, I found numbers 7 (attitude) and 8 (ethics) especially relevant. I now understand why the US White House is pushing transparency: we do not trust our government or our politicians. The only way to turn this around is to remove control, emphasize openness, and collaborate. No, they are not perfect. But they have come a long, long way in three months.

Part 2 of the book presents several ways the ten rules could be applied in different business sectors. Jeff discusses media, advertising, retail, utilities, manufacturing, service, finance, healthcare, education, and lawyers. He suggests that the lawyers are hopeless, because the whole legal model is based on secrecy and win-loose. As I read through these examples, I though about how they could apply to my little business of one.

I checked this book out of the public library and need to return it tomorrow. I intend to purchase a copy to keep.