The World Is Flat/Thomas Friedman Notes: Pages 91-129

Page 91 Novell-distributor of Linux – a commercial software company…have to start operating further up the software stack to differentiate themselves. The open source community is basically focusing on infrastructure.

92 The way to compete against that…is to all become winner

112 I have to make money for my investors faster, so what can be outsourced must be sourced.

113 Fortune favors the prepared mind.

123 According to the U.S. Commerce Department, nearly 90 percent of the output from U.S. –owned offshore factories is sole to foreign consumers. Actually stimulates American exports. …studies indicating that every dollar a company invests overseas in an offshore factory yields additional exports for its home country, because roughly one-third of global trade today is within multi-national companies.

123 little attention is paid to the huge amount of offshore investment coming into American every year, because foreigners want access to American markets and labor.

129 Supply-chaining is a method of collaboration horizontally-amount suppliers, retailers, and customers—to create value. Supply-chaining is both enabled by the flattening of the world and a hugely important fattener itself.

The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman : Notes 8-45

Page 8 The global competitive field is being leveled.
14 Everyone has to focus on what exactly is their value added.
20 Change is the hardest on those who have difficulty changing. But change is natural, is not new, change is important.
32 The idea is to constantly learn. There is no end.
44 Blogs have given people a say in the process
44 Old hierarchies are being flattened and the playing field is being leveled.
45 The game is productivity will be staggering for those countries, companies, and individuals who can absorb the new technological tools.
45 Everywhere you turn heirarchies are being challenged from below and transforming themselves from top down structures into more horizontal & collaborative ones.

10 Forces That Flattened the World--THE World Is Flat/Thomas Friedman

Ten years ago I started a company called Commerce Capital Corporation. We make SBA Loans and Business Equipment Leases. For the last ten years the world has changed so rapidly that I knew that things were changing but not to what extent. I feel a little like Rip-Van-Winkle in that I have been so focused on lending that I haven't seen how things have changed so fast and how vast.

In the book...The World Is Flat...by Thomas Friedman outlines 10 Forces that have Flatten the World.
1) Berlin Wall
2) Netscape went public
3) Work Flow Software
4) Open -Sourcing
5) Outsourcing
6) Offshoring
7) Supply-Chaining
8) Insourcing
9) Informing
10) The Steroids--Digital, Mobile, Personal & Virtual.

Special People--Network Hubs--The Anatomy of Buzz

The pay off for paying attention to these special people who are Network Hubs can be huge for any marketer! "Network hubs are individuals who communicate with more people about a certain product than the average person does or in other words connected. Network hubs have also been called "opinion leaders", "influencers", "lead users" or "power users".

Four Types of Network Hubs
1) Regular Hubs--regular folks who serve as information sources
2) Mega-Hubs--press, celebrities, analysts, politicians
3) Expert Hubs--people who are experts or known for their knowledge
4) Social Hubs--people who are in the center of everything due to their charisma, trust, are more socially active.

"Looking at networks helps in creating tactics that a company can execute to accelerate adoption. As an entrepreneur or a marketing manager, thinking only in terms of categories or types of adopters can point you in the wrong direction. If instead you think about networks, understanding that early adopters are sprinkled throughout society, you might think of ways to bring your product to them".

Why People Talk--The Anotomy of Buzz

Understanding why people talk is the first step in understanding why people should talk about your product. 6 reasons why people talk.
1) We talk because we are programmed to talk
2) We talk to connect
3) We talk to make sense of the world
4) We talk to reduce risk, cost, and uncertainty
5) We talk because it makes economic sense
6) We talk to relieve tension

The Anatomy of Buzz

The Anatomy of Buzz is a must read from anyone interested in marketing. "The idea that a critical part of marketing is word of mounth and validation from important personal relationships is absolutely key, and most marketers ignore it." Buzz plays a major role in the purchasing process of many products.

65% of Customer who bought a Palm organizer heard about he devise from another person.

47% of Reades of Surfing magazine say the biggest influences on their decision about where to surf and what to purchase came from a friend.

#1 Souce of travel information are from Friends and Family.

57% of a Souther California Car Dealership come from word of mouth.

53% of moviegoers rely to some extent on a recommendation from someone they know.

70% of Americans rely on the advice of a others when selecting a doctor for the first time.

Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, June 12, 2005.

'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories...Continue

The Tipping Point

The book "The Tipping Point"by Malcolm Gladwell confirmed my suspicions..."Simply by finding and reaching those few special people who hold so much social power"...Can shape and start a social epidemic. "In the end, Tipping Points are a reaffirmation of the potential for change and the power of intelligent action. Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push - in just the right place - it can be tipped"