I’ve often used this blog as a means to discuss my ideas about how social media and real-time communication can and will have a profound effect on publishing in the 21st century.

Publishers, the producers of the content readers love and buy, no longer wield the power in the book industry. During the 20th century, the industry trended toward a centralized system that today skews market perceptions and forces publishers into a bidding war with chain booksellers, who, though they represent only large markets (and therefore are in most cases a bad fit for books), dictate terms in their business relationships with publishers; publishers must abide out of sheer necessity. Some would say that current trends within the industry show little sign of that changing. But publishers can and will change that by communicating with readers, and slowly but surely, they are beginning to embrace the power of internet networking with that purpose in mind.

Business is about relationships. As much as it is popular to demonize large corporations for their seemingly obtuse acknowledgment of the regular people (consumers) on which they truly rely, the fact that developing good products that people will purchase in what all parties involved acknowledge as an equal exchange has not changed, and never will.

Today, business relationships and personal relationships are becoming increasingly indistinguishable; this is for the better.

I recently had the worst accident of my life–a hit and run driver struck me while crossing the street, but don’t worry, I am on the road to a full recovery. In most cases, I wouldn’t even consider discussing this in a public forum like this one. But what was born out of that accident is worthy of discussion.

I reached out to friends on Facebook, originally for information, then for funding to hire a private investigator for my case. The group I created grew to over 180 people, many of them strangers. I had confidence in the Boston Police Department, but I wanted to do everything I could. It didn’t matter to the group members who I was, in most cases; justice, in light of so many familiar incidents, was their motivation.

Following that, Boston’s channel 5 news covered my Facebook initiative; the result was an increased effort on the part of the Boston Police Department, which in turn led to the successful closing of my case.

This may appear to have little to do with publishing, but in essence, it does. It is clear that a group of people–strangers and friends alike–were willing to self-organize around a cause in which they saw merit. The institutions necessary to initiate change–in this case, Channel 5 news, and the Boston Police Department following–responded directly to myself and that group. And so what was to each individual a few minutes of time in front of a computer became the focus of the extremely valuable time of two of Boston’s most well-recognized institutions.

They did their job; they responded to the people who most matter to them: the people for whom they provide their services.

It is when I look at the relationships that I have forged in my own life, and the exchanges that take place there, that I realize that despite all the formal dressings associated with jobs and institutions, the exchanges that take place are not so dissimilar.

Relationships empower people and institutions alike. And there are no better, more fruitful relationships than the ones you have with those who truly matter to you.

For me, it has been my family, my friends, and the group of people who showed me they cared enough to come forward to provide kind words and donate. Institutions–publishers included–take note: listening to, and providing for, the people who truly matter to you is your most precious asset. These days, there’s no excuse: you must find the means to do it.

Tags:   Chris · commuication · publishing · relationships · social mediaNo Comments