Markets are conversations!

(http://antbsd.twbbs.org/~ant/wordpress/?p=468, November 19th, 2006)

這句名言的出處是「破繭而出」(The Cluetrain Manifesto)這本矽谷文化的聖經書。從著作網站上得知的意思是：

A powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed. As a direct result, markets are getting smarter—and getting smarter faster than most companies.

These markets are conversations. Their members communicate in language that is natural, open, honest, direct, funny and often shocking. Whether explaining or complaining, joking or serious, the human voice is unmistakably genuine. It can’t be faked.

Most corporations, on the other hand, only know how to talk in the soothing, humorless monotone of the mission statement, marketing brochure, and your-call-is-important-to-us busy signal. Same old tone, same old lies. No wonder networked markets have no respect for companies unable or unwilling to speak as they do.

But learning to speak in a human voice is not some trick, nor will corporations convince us they are human with lip service about “listening to customers.” They will only sound human when they empower real human beings to speak on their behalf.

While many such people already work for companies today, most companies ignore their ability to deliver genuine knowledge, opting instead to crank out sterile happytalk that insults the intelligence of markets literally too smart to buy it.

However, employees are getting hyperlinked even as markets are. Companies need to listen carefully to both. Mostly, they need to get out of the way so intranetworked employees can converse directly with internetworked markets.

Corporate firewalls have kept smart employees in and smart markets out. It’s going to cause real pain to tear those walls down. But the result will be a new kind of conversation. And it will be the most exciting conversation business has ever engaged in.

簡言之，就是中文書的內容簡介中說明的：

< <破繭而出>>是由網路上四個最活躍的聲音所寫成，它告訴我們人類如何透過網際網路的幫助，以令人炫目的速度，發現並發明分享 知識的新方式。其直接效應就是讓整個市場變得越來越聰明，而他們變聰明的速度比大部分公司還快。這就是由談話所構成的市場，市場的成員以最自然、開放、誠 實、直接、風趣與令人震驚的語言作溝通。

這是作者認為全球化帶給市場的另一個思考角度，促使人們更嚮往「溝通的市場」(Markets are conversations)。因為作者認為很多公司對於消費者仍然採取柔合的手法(smoothing)，且太缺乏幽默感與官方制式的口語，使得與消費 者之間有著無形的距離，因此建議要更「傾聽顧客」(listening to customers)。

然而，以目前市場運作的情形來看，David Weinberger 針對 Blogversations 的作法提出了意見，認為這不是 Markets are (unpaid) conversations，並戲稱為這是 Markets are discussions。

因為 Blogversations 宣稱：

1. Ads should be not evil.
2. Engagement builds respect.
3. The www is talking about you. Say something.

這種作法就違背了 Web 2.0 希望由大眾「突現」話題的美意，變成了「製造話題」為主的商業利益，以金錢利益掛鉤後的 Blog 變成另類市場下的犧牲者。因此 David Weinberger 才會認為這只是刻意製造的 discussions。

當然，喜歡評論時事的部落客 gapingvoid 也對此事提出了看法。