Recent read: Cluetrain Manifesto

I recently finished Cluetrain Manifesto. (I am a little late, I know – Cluetrain recently celebrated its ten year anniversary this past May). All the discussion on twitter from the library folk I follow piqued my interest in the book and I put it on my list to read. I was amazed by how it is still relevant to libraries, higher education (or any industry for that matter). Written in 1999, Cluetrain basically predicted the emergence of the participatory web (a.k.a. web 2.0). Cluetrain predicted how the internet would break down walls of communication and build connections to one another, create new markets, organization and access to information, and flatten hierarchies and empower people.

Of the 95 theses, several spoke to my experience as a professional, graduate student and participant in the web:

1. Markets are conversations.

In my 10+ years of working in higher education, I have seen a shift in the way advisers provide teaching and learning opportunities. Gone are the days of static advising – providing cut and paste rules and explanations and prescriptions to students. Today it’s totally about back-and-forth conversation with students: advising offices are on social networking sites such as twitter and Facebook and they’re providing services beyond the traditional advising appointment. This evolution in tools used for advising can affect a student’s connection with the university positively; these tools are alternative forms that provide teaching and learning opportunities and are enhanced through trust, conversation, sharing.

6. The internet is enabling conversations among human beings that were simply not possible in the era of mass media.

Twitter, for example, has allowed me to converse freely with other young professionals, experts in various fields and other interesting people. As a graduate student, I could honestly say that I have learned almost as much from colleagues on twitter, for example, as I have learned from several thousand dollars worth of classes in my graduate program. Other folks in the higher education and library professions have been so open with sharing their knowledge – it’s been like a virtual classroom of sorts!

7. Hyperlinks subvert hierarchy.

Information is power. Old-school hierarchies used to depend on information starting at the top – where the gatekeeper decides what information to share and how to share it. Of course, many of these hierarchies still exist today, but likely won’t survive and thrive much longer. These days people are able to get information easier via mobile phones, social networking sites, blogging, microblogging and even via simple email — information travels quickly and can be discovered and created faster than ever. I’ve seen leaders who try to squash information from spreading because they might deem it “off message” (in their eyes “damaging”). Trying to stop/contain information is damaging in itself and credibility is lost.

21. Companies need to lighten up and take themselves less seriously. They need to get a sense of humor.

In thinking about a similar situation to that mentioned above — admitting a mistake (and allowing that information to surface – i.e., fess up to it rather than hiding it), can actually build credibility because it shows that even the head hauncho and/or the organization is human. I respect someone who isn’t afraid to be imperfect much more than a leader or a company that tries to present an “image.” In my job working with students, I get more respect and gain trust when I admit I made a mistake and then work to fix it. Students are humans too, and they appreciate keepin’ it real.

72. We like this new marketplace much better. In fact we are creating it.

This makes me think of how students have embraced Facebook. Originally thought of as a the greatest creation ever by students and a complete time-waster by many educators, it has evolved to provide educational, professional and personal benefits beyond first realized. I know of offices that banned the site from computer labs as it was seen as a detractor from academic achievement. That was a battle not to be won by the old folks. Six years later, the students have persisted and faculty, administrative staff, libraries and academic advising offices have embraced the site, even joining it themselves.

Reading Cluetrain ten years after it was originally published was a wise choice – I found myself nodding my head as I read through each chapter. One thing the authors did not want the manifesto to become, however, was a rah-rah self-help sort of book. Thus, I won’t build it up too much, but I have to admit it’s a good read and one I would recommend to anyone who works with human beings. :-)

Further reading:

cluetrainplus10
Bloggers from around the world are on this wiki commenting on the 95 theses from Cluetrain. Several librarians have written reflections on this site – check out @mstephens (#49); @hblowers (#58); @laurenpressley (#13); @griffey (#17); @conniecrosby (#46).