Euan Semple - Organizations Dont Tweet, People Do: A Managers Guide to the Social Web

ENDORSEMENTS

This book is as insightful, unconventional, and original as its author. It will change how you see things, and it will change what you do. From the Foreword by Andrew McAfee Principal Research Scientist at MIT and author of Enterprise 2.0

Euan is one of the top thinkers in the world about how the web ACTUALLY works, as opposed to how the trendy guru types like to PRETEND it works. Read everything hes written, is my advice. Hugh MacLeod, cartoonist

Euan has not only been there and done it, he has also thought profoundly about it. Highly recommended. Dave Snowden, Chief Scientific Officer, Cognitive Edge

One of the best minds in the world just to be around. Highly recommended. Thomas Power, Founder and CEO, Ecademy

A clear explanation of how flatter structures, self-organising teams and vanishing boundaries can be good for business, from one of the sharpest thinkers on the merits of social business, knowledge management and radical transparency. Richard Sambrook, Global Vice Chairman, Edelman

From the title of the book, to chapter headings, to the actual words, Euans positive fun-loving personality and forward-thinking passion for making organizations better shine through. With humour and directness, he shares insights and ideas about whats possible in the workplace, the technologies that can enable effectiveness, and the people who will make it happen. Well done Euan! Jane Dysart, KMWorld Conference Chair, Dysart & Jones Associates

In this easy-to-read yet insightful book, Euan brings the thoughts he has been sharing on his blog together and invites readers to have a dance with him, to learn, practice and submerge ourselves in the steps to make 2.0 work. Enjoyable read! Dr Bonnie Cheuk, Director Global Head of Knowledge & Collaboration, Citi

Euans voice thoughtful, humorous, humane, cautiously optimistic is distinctive among the general babble about social media and web 2.0. It cuts through the confusion, making practical suggestions that can be acted on quickly, but also, in a down-to earth way, drawing you into a bigger and more important conversation about why all this matters. And it does. Dr Matthew Shaw, Curator, US Collections, The British Library

In a world full of phoney social media gurus its hard to find people who actually know what theyre talking about. Euan Semple is the most pioneering, visionary thinker of our times and probably the very best at explaining the web in ways we can all understand. Euan was a massive influence on our social business approach which now sees thousands of people working in a whole new way around the world. This refreshing book makes his thoughts and insights available to all. An inspiring must-read for anyone serious about doing business in todays world. Nick Crawford, Social Business Strategist, Bupa

Euan has not only mastered the fine art of setting the stage and letting work of real value emerge through social means, he is also capable of teaching others the fine art of allowing more to come about than just what was planned. This book takes his wisdom, his learnings and his brilliant way of expressing it and puts it in a form to allow organizations to proceed under their own steam. Read it, discuss it and seize the opportunity to unleash your organization. Bruce A Stewart, Director, The iSchool Institute, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto

A thoughtful, intelligent book for managers and executives. Euan explores the real meaning of democracy and shows why its a great model for modern corporations. He explicitly reveals the differences between anarchy, libertarianism and genuine democracy. He reminds us that the essence of democracy is personal responsibility. When everyone in the organisation takes responsibility for his or her actions, the organisation and the world around it becomes a far better place. Mike Barlow, co-author, The Executives Guide to Enterprise Social Media Strategy and Partnering with the CIO

Euan has a knack for bringing clarity and cohesion to the disparate elements of what we broadly term social collaboration. It is easy to get stimulated by the possibilities of interactivity but not so easy to productively introduce those elements inside the business firewalls. Euan provides that roadmap and more. He is a pioneer in blazing the path Stephen Collesano Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Global Research, ACE Group

The book covers an incredibly comprehensive range of aspects of our digital lives. Each chapter inspired me to a number of new ideas I will be spending the next few months exploring further and hopefully soon applying! Christer Holloman, Chairman, First Tuesday UK

Euan demystifies many of the notions associated with the frequently over-hyped term social media, offers the reader real-world and pragmatic guidance and shares his vision for a better future. If you want to understand the forces that have the potential to transform businesses, and the way we all work read this book. Matthew Hanwell, HR Director, Communities and Social Media, Nokia

If poetry is the art of finding words for things that are difficult to express or would otherwise be left untold, then Euan must be the poet par excellence of the social media and collaboration world. Anybody who is working in social media is ultimately an advocate and as such is in a constant struggle to find the right words to articulate the need for change, to describe what they are doing in plain terms, to demystify the technology and bring the attention back to the human element. Euan has the unique talent to provide the struggling social media evangelist with a vocabulary that is stripped of any hype or pomposity, and crystallises in memorable quotes, questions and challenges that they face in their daily work. What they felt or knew for a long time but could not possibly articulate is put in front of them with disarming simplicity. It is hard to describe what empowering effect finding the right words can have. I am thinking of classic Euan aphorisms like social media adoption happens one person at a time, and for their reasons, not yours, which has for long been a poster in my office and I have been endlessly using in trainings. Organizations Dont Tweet, People Do has already become one of my favourites. With this book, the social media advocates struggle for words comes to an end. My gratitude goes to Euan for, once again, telling the untold. Giulio Quaggiotto, Practice Leader, Knowledge and Innovation, UNDP (views are personal, not UNDP)

This edition first published 2012

2012 Euan Semple

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