Alyssa Salem

The Cluetrain Manifesto- Reflection Paper

Technology has taken a front seat in the marketing world and while new technology is being developed every day we are still left wanting more. And while it may seem that the large corporations who own this technology are the ones with the power , it is necessary that we take a step back and realize that we hold most of the power in the new world of Web 2.0.

Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger, co-authors of The Cluetrain Manifesto, discuss the reasons behind why Web 2.0 has become truly revolutionary in today’s marketplace. This discussion stemmed from the authors’ original thesis, which stated that markets are conversations and if you think about it for a little while you will realize why all markets are essentially one big conversation.

For example think about the last time you ordered something on-line. While putting in your credit card information allows you to purchase the product, there are so many details that go into making that final purchase decision. Many companies now allow consumers to rate the products on their website, which in turn allows future consumers to read through more information before making a decision. These reviews are not edited, so even the negative reviews are available to the public. Consequently, you can see why this is a perfect example of how markets are conversations. People are able to post back and forth to each other on these sites and let fellow consumers know how they personally felt about the product.

Also as discussed in Chapter 3- Talk is Cheap by Rick Levine, the percentage of “raw” content that is published these days is much higher than in traditional media. This is because the cost of publishing on the web is very cheap and many times even free. I really liked this point because it makes you realize why on-line conversation has become so popular. It is cheap and easy and has a fairly quick response time. Who wouldn’t like a form of conversation like that?

However, one particular market that needs improvement when it comes to Web 2.0 conversation is customer service. Customer service via the Web is so impersonal because the same service is provided for millions of different users worldwide. You click a few buttons and you may answer a few questions but nothing is actually being done to make the experience more personal for the customer. Maybe in the future virtual customer service will improve, but as this point I personally have no idea how companies would even go about improving on it.

The authors also talk a lot about social networking sites and how they have created a new platform for friendships. But if you look beyond the face value of sites like Facebook and Twitter, you will realize that they have become so much more than just social networking sites. These sites have become a primary source for today’s news. Personally through Twitter, I have found out about an upcoming snowstorm or the stats on the next election before I ever picked up a newspaper or heard it on the news. With this said, we must remember that this is the information age and the people are always left unsatisfied and wanting more. Because Web 2.0 is so user friendly, we must remember that all of the information we read is not always correct. I believe that as users we should remember to pick and choose what information we feel is trustworthy. I know it is easy to get lost in the shuffle but not all of the information of the web is valid and we must remember to do our research before trusting in a source.

News is not the only thing that is different on the web. As discussed in Chapter 4-Markets are Conversations by Doc Searls and David Weinberger, advertising has taken a whole new tone on the web. In this chapter the authors discuss how TV is the best medium for advertising and the Web is the best medium for sales. Before reading this I never really thought about advertising this way before but if you really think about it it’s true. If you see a product you like on TV and want to learn more about it the first thing many people do is check it out on the Web. If you really like the product you can order it right there at that very moment. So even though many companies advertise on the Web, in the end these advertisements are more like sales because the products are available through the same medium they are being advertised on. Additionally, an advertisement on the Web can take you from a small advertisement to an electronic storefront in a matter of seconds. I personally like to shop in an actual store where I can see and test the products I am purchasing, but with the new fast-paced lifestyles many people are leading it is not surprising that many people do most of their shopping online.

While reading The Cluetrain Manifesto, I also began to reflect and think about Web 2.0 and how it has affected my life. For instance, on Facebook I have over 1,000 friends but in the real world I would have never kept in touch with this many people at this point in my life. Many of my friends from high school would be mere memories. I wouldn’t be asking them how college is going over a simple wall post or discover that some of them are living in a whole other part of the world. Is this normal to be in contact with so many people or are we wasting our time staying virtually connected when we could be doing so many other things with our free time? Is it really necessary to know what everyone is doing at every second of the day on Twitter? I guess this stems from people just wanting more and more information and never being satisfied, but sometimes I feel that some information especially about peoples whereabouts is just irrelevant and can even cause harm. Think about it, a pedophile or stalker can look at someone’s Twitter and find out where they are and at what time according to the time they posted. So while I agree that Web 2.0 is an amazing new market and form of conversation, I think we should really pay close attention on what information we choose to share.