The Politics of Social Networking

This artifact from Xplane is a terrific combination of several areas I have been covering on this blog:


  1. It's another example of how Xplane creatively combines graphics and text into content-rich, single-page visualizations to produce clear and powerful communication vehicles. Over the years this company has been a great source of communication ideas and inspiration.
  2. It highlights the disruptive dynamics and scaling capabilities of social networking.
  3. It demonstrates how social networks are far more than merely relationship building tools and trivia exchange centers. In fact they are extremely efficient engines for raising money and driving revenue.
No Rocket Science

There's nothing terribly new here, social networking and word-of-mouth dynamics have been impacting business and society since the rise of the first human communities. The exciting difference is the emerging visibility of these networks and the ability to observe interaction behaviour, even when we scale it up. The opportunity:
  • Social networks can now be visualized and made explicit.
  • Social interaction can now be measured and correlated to ROI considerations.
  • Influence and knowledge can now be more readily focused and directed.
Copying Google

Why is Google so successful? How can Barack Obama raise so much on so little effort? How can Wikipedia accomplish so much with so few staff?

They understand the recipe and the emerging capabilities. There's still lots of room in the pool. Why not jump in, learn, and benefit from these dynamics in your context?

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