Guest Blogger: Ryan Karpeles
Technology is worthless without values. All the widgets, platforms and social networking can't save your business if your heart is in the wrong place.
It might seem obvious, but amidst this revolutionary shift in media lies a fundamental and revealing truth. People don't care about your company. They care about what your company can do for them.
This is the value that trumps all others. Humility. Putting others before yourself. Without it, you're destined for failure. It's that simple, and it's that difficult.
As we wade through this sea of technological innovation, we have to understand that the tables have been turned. Thirty years ago, consumers were the cogs in the company's wheels. Today it's the opposite. People are the wheels. Companies are the cogs. We exist to move them forward – not the other way around.
You can't start with tactics and work your way back to values. Blogs, RSS feeds, Facebook or whatever else are simply ways to exemplify what your company stands for. Whether it's compassion, leadership, humility or humor, you have to be grounded in something stronger than technology.
Your values are the compass that points you in the right direction. Web 2.0 applications are merely the paths that allow you to reach your destination. Don't confuse the paths with the compass. And most importantly, be sure your compass is pointing in the right direction before setting out on your journey.
