So, I feel compelled to blog a little this weekend addressing the angst that is circulating around the social web on the death of e20/social business/etc. I’m not going to dazzle you with brilliant insights on what’s happening, why things are difficult, why change has been hard to do. I’ve chronicled a lot of these details on this blog over the years. Having really been at the epicenter of some of the largest organizations who have been working on social transformation, I’ve been able to bear witness to all the challenges in doing this important work.
The recent negativity that occasionally pops up on the landscape does not deter me in the least. It just makes me feel bad for those who are giving up or moving on to more interesting or perhaps financially rewarding pastures in the technology landscape. It shows me they weren’t in it for the long game.
More importantly, I’d like to to stop grousing about what hasn’t worked, and start thinking again about what can be. How powerful this idea of social renovation and renewal can be to fix so many things that are broken in today’s enterprise. I ran into an old friend recently and couldn’t help myself, but get preachy. I told him to think about what he wants in life. Think about the opportunity, the voice he has in the market and how he could make a real difference on systemic change if he wanted to. You really can’t change the world if you’re only a little interested. Some people are just not interested at all. And that’s okay.
But, if you’re one of those people who are in it for the long game, in it for the reasons that web 2.0/social drew you in originally, I urge you not to get discouraged. Stop listening to the haters and the bitter “social change deniers.” There are many, many, many people around the world who have a positive outlook and are inspired to deliver on the promises of how new thinking, organizational reboots, and liberating technology can truly move the axis and deliver stellar results. It’s still early in this game. Be part of the solution.
