REVIEW: “Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything”

Opennes. Peering. Sharing. Acting globally.

Once you’ve read Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything byDon Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams, these words will remain stuck in your brain.

The expanded version of the book, published in 2008, offers insight into what’s happening within the Web 2.0 world. Those quite unfamiliar with social media might find it useful to learn a bit more. However, those same unfamiliar people will probably be lost in the book’s technical jargon. While the authors do a good job defining terms and programs (it even goes so far as to define what Facebook is, as if anyone reading this book wouldn’t know), readers would probably be grateful for a condensed 150-to-200-page version instead of the full 315 pages.

Here’s what’s not-so-good:

1. Rather than having many supporting examples, the book basically focuses on one example per chapter. This isn’t good for two reasons: (a)It doesn’t make it look like wikinomics is actually as wide-spread as the book’s thesis claims and (b) It gets really boring, as a media-oriented person, to read 100 pages of praise for Best Buy’s Geek Squad. I get it; they’re cool. They’re innovative. Can we move on?

2. Because of fast-paced technology updates, its main thesis faces becoming outdated quickly. Based on this book alone, one would think MySpace leads the social networking field and Facebook has a ways to go to catch up. Even mroe interesting, this book doesn’t mention Twitter once. Granted, Twitter is much more new than Facbook or MySpace. But this just shows how it can be pointless to read a book on the changing technology two or three years after its written–and shouldn’t printed books be able to last for a lot longer than a couple years?

But it’s not all negative…

With that said, however, credit must be given where credit’s due. The book’s four principles, while sometimes drilled too stiffly, remain true to this day, and probably won’t change any time soon. As Gen-Yers, or the “Net Gen” as Wikinomics calls it, become part of the workforce, companies will become more open. The thought of openness scares the bajezus out of a lot of baby boomers, but it’s the future. With information being able to move around the globe in a matter of seconds, the masses will demand transparency and will demand what they want: information, fast.

Another important takeaway for me, personally? Learning a little about open courseware at schools like MIT. It intriguied me and is very likely to come up in a future blog post.

In conclusion, while businesses should be moving toward a more open policy, it’s not here yet, and there’s no reason to force companies into something before they’re ready,  even if that’s what Wikinomics advises for all companies. The truth is, no company is the same, and sometimes it’s OK to breathe for a second. But once you’ve got your breath, it’s a long, fast journey, and businesses large and small must prepare themselves for the sprint ahead.

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