Clay Shirky's book "Here Comes Everybody"
I’m passionate about helping Government and Military clients fulfill their missions. So at the Gov 2.0 Summit in Washington DC this past September, I was excited to have the opportunity to hear Clay Shirky speak about the way social media is changing societal behaviors. I was so enamored with his talk that I went out and bought his book: Here Comes Everybody.
Here Comes Everybody is a smart, engaging look at the power of the Internet to mobilize groups of people around a common cause. Shirky begins the book with the story of a woman named Ivanna who lost her cell phone in the back of a cab in New York City. She enlists the help of her friend, Evan, a programmer in the financial industry, to help her retrieve the phone. Evan launches a full-scale online campaign, harnessing the power of passionate “passersby” on the Internet, the media, and even the New York Police Department — who all become actors in the narrative to get the phone back.
Eventually, Ivanna’s phone was returned and Evan’s quest for justice was satisfied. The point Shirky makes in telling this story is that the Internet has broken down the barriers to forming groups that have the power to take substantive action. People like Evan — who have time, passion, and social capitol — can organize a goal-focused quest at very little cost.
Our team at MMI is committed to using our time, passion, and social capitol to meet our clients’ substantive social media goals.
The U.S. Army's Maj. Gen. Mark Graham and his wife Carol talk candidly about suicide prevention.
For example, when the U.S. Army contacted us about connecting them with one of our clients to help with a crucial military suicide prevention program, we went into action immediately.
End results? On the social media side, we provided new tools and influential platforms for getting the suicide prevention messages to military families. Beyond that, the people leading the Army’s suicide prevention program have new relationships helping to facilitate care, counseling and intervention to save lives.
(Author’s note: In deference to the FTC’s moves re: bloggers disclosing money or freebies for reviews, I want to let you know I paid for the book myself, I wasn’t asked to write about it by Shirky or his people, and I’m receiving nothing from him for writing about it.)
Tags: Army, Gov 2.0, military, Social Media
Having someone to talk to, even with strangers via something as simple as tweeting, is no doubt helpful to keeping someone from slipping further into depression.
Thanks for sharing this book.