This book made me really appreciate Malcolm Gladwell. Shirky certainly knows his stuff, and has interesting (although predictable) examples that illustrate his point; reading another telling of the Linux and Wikipedia story offers little excitement but some really interesting ideas.
One thing that Gladwell does well (sorry, Shirky, but you have a tough yardstick to measure up to) is that each chapter is a (seemingly) unrelated element that, slowly, becomes part of a larger picture. And, when you think you've got it, Gladwell gives you another, unexpected insight. Add his lesser known examples and it is clear why Gladwell is in the position that he is. Read "The Tipping Point" and "Outliers" if you have not, yet.
That said, Shirky is no slacker. His book is solid. Indeed, it moved me from seeing social media as something happening to others to something that I could use to enhance my life. Certainly worth reading, but it made me wish that Gladwell had written it (or at least advised him on it).Get more detail about Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations.
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