social media & jujitsu : focus on the groundswell

i've been reading groundswell at the suggestion of many social media / marketing types. in the early stages of the book its pretty basic for someone who has been immersed in social media for the last 4-5 years. i liked this acknowledge of the real power behind social media tools.

So many words have been written about blogs, and blogging, social networks, and user-generated content that you might think that understanding those technologies will equip you for the new world.

Wrong.

First, the technologies change rapidly. And second, the technologies are not the point. The forces at work are. Like the jujitsu master, you must understand how bodies move, not just learn a single block or throw. You must develop a feel for the groundswell.

With that in mind, here's the principle for mastering the groundswell: concentrate on the relationships, not the technologies.

In the groundswell, relationships are everything. The way people connect with each other - the community that is created - determines how the power shifts.

-groundswell, charlene li & josh bernoff