Editorial Reviews:
"A lot of people are starting to use the Internet to reconnect themselves to their neighborhood, their community, and the world. The Power of Many is a great survey of the way this is really being accomplished by many individuals working together."
?Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist.org "What a fascinating topic. If you're interested in the future, the past, or the present, then you should read this book."
?Scott Heiferman, Co-Founder of Meetup.com and Fotolog.net The development of social networks on the Web touches countless aspects of our everyday lives. With instant access to people of similar mindsets, near or far, we can readily form partnerships with more people and in more ways than ever before. It's now possible to use Internet tools to organize a rally, energize a political campaign, arrange a date, join a support group, or sell a product, as naturally as we use a phone. Through a series of pertinent case studies and interviews with leading thinkers and doers in this rapidly evolving field, Christian Crumlish uncovers universal themes and lessons learned. He illustrates how we use peer-to-peer technologies--web services, blogs, mobile phone SMS, and more?to accomplish widespread goals. He also suggests how we can take even more advantage of these technologies to connect with people who have similar interests. Discover how Howard Dean's campaign used the Internet to take a little-known candidate a long way. How activists arrange public meetings and drive letter-writing campaigns. How individuals find much-needed help for personal issues. How artists promote and air their creative genius. How business people and singles seek potential partners. And much, much more.
Here are just a few of the more than 60 experts, businesspeople, activists, and writers who share their insights: - Futurist and best-selling author Howard Rheingold
- Scott Heiferman, founder of Meetup.com
- Executives from the American Red Cross, the Leukemia Society, and the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer
- Venture capitalist Joi Ito
- Official and unofficial bloggers for the Bush, Clark, Dean, and Kerry campaigns
- Researchers Elizabeth Lane Lawley and Mary Hodder
The Power of Many explores how people are using new methods of social computing to simplify the ways they locate others who share their interests and kindle face-to-face communication. It reveals the tools that make it nearly effortless for groups and individuals to accomplish significant results in the real world. By understanding these trends and techniques, we can identify where and how to apply them in own lives. See the companion website at www.thepowerofmany.com.
Customer Reviews:
Displaying 1 to 5 of 9 total reviews (Page 1 of 2):
 A visionary book
I regret that it took me so long to write this review, since I knew about the book before it came out. But since that time I have witnessed its premise proved true over and over again in the local political process. Something very special--new and not so new--is at work here. Today more than any time I can remember (including the worst of the '60s), responsible, hardworking citizens feel alienated and abandoned by the democratic process. What good can taking action do when such gigantic and powerful players are on the other side of the debate and show no respect for reasoned argument or even the rule of law? But pick a seemingly tiny, local problem--trash pickup or snacks in school vending machines or use of public parks--and here are issues for which my neighbors will go to meetings, pull out their wallets, and even endorse candidates. Cluster those interests in a vertical website, allow some accretion to take place, combine those online credit card micro-donations, and suddenly thousands of like-minded folks find out that they have clout--and lots to talk about not only on trash disposal, snacks, and recreation but also on sewers, land development, zoning, business licensing, taxation, representation, and war and peace.
Hail Crumlish Caesar! Long live the Republic! Blogs are free speech!  One of a kind, worth reading
Not a perfect book (too much redundancy), but it's easy to read and covers things that other books do not. Here you get a look at how the Howard Dean campaign used the Web and its technologies, and you ALSO get a lot of insight into the use of social network software (SNS) by other kinds of organizations. Crumlish is a cheerleader, a Web believer, but he's not all yippee-yi-oh about everything (thank goodness).
I wish he had been more systematic about his coverage of craigslist in particular. Crumlish has interviewed Craig Newmark, and he makes some good observations, but he's got these scattered all over the book in a too-haphazard way.
This book is worthwhile if you want to get clued in as to how today's Web is working for people. There are lots of old (and very dated) books about discussion forums, "smart mobs," cyberactivism, etc. But for 2005, this is the book that covers the waterfront on how the Web ties people together and allows them to coordinate action in the real world. Buy This Book...
Christian Crumlish's "The Power of Many" changed my life, but more over changed my view on how the living web affects organizations and community organizing. I work for a political organization and everything that Mr. Crumlish discusses in his book, I'm currently examining and seeing how it can be applied in a political context. For the most part, everything we've tried concerning community building and decentralization, has come with much success.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to move their business, corporation, or organization into the 21st century. The future is now and Christian Crumlish had effectively documented how it can improve social networking and overall interaction with the "living web."  Do Numbers Really Count?
Christian Crumlish (wonder if that is his real name?) has been involved in web technology for ten years or more, so most of the technical stuff did not pertain to my small amount of knowledge of the Internet. He used too many personal experiences throughout the book and tells how so many people responded to his inqueries and he listed their web sites free of charge and put in a plug for all of his endeavors. He's really into the social scene online, though his To Briggs speaks louder than words.
There is too much about blogs and political sites. All of that is in the past now, and it is time to move on to the next election and spend time developing something for us not so well-developed computer users. He has written THE INTERNET FOR BUSY PEOPLE and THE INTERNET DICTIONARY. In this book, he has a glossary but most of it is Latin to me, and an Index which was helpful.
Now, down to my level, e-mail still 'feels' relatively private, although that is generally an illusion. I know that it is not exactly protected, but who would want to read through a stranger's communications with his friends? That is an invasion of privacy in the worse scenario. E-mail didn't catch on in a big way until there were nice graphical point-and-click interfaces and seamless Internet connections backing everything up. I was trained (8 months of hard work, 5 days a week) in Computers and Word Processing, yet I was not prepared for the actual work I did as a Temp at factories. It was all different and all interesting and was a joy to be able to use a computer for pay. But, I have noticed at the public computers in libraries and free labs are full of homeless people sending e-mail, and some of the not-so-nice men looking at porn. These people have no training even in typing, yet they are able to send and receive messages to people far away.
The fallacy of online communications is that so many use false identities. On Dateline, an NBC reporter used several aliases (Justin Case, that type of foolishness) to film a scam, which seemed to me unethical, but the people who claimed to be wealthy and in need at the same time, needing cash which would be repaid in multiple times were as false as his monikers. It is a shame that the web has come to this and a decent person is not safe. I have a friend who does only email on Yahoo and she keeps having to change her address using initials instead of her real name. That's sad!
The solitary writer of yesterday gives way to 'the power of many' on the Internet. Me, I'm a loner; if I can't be a leader, I will influence politicians and important people one-on-one.  Why the Democrats lost the 2004 election
This is an odd little "how to organize" guide aimed at unrepentant flower-children. Each tip for 'using the Internet' is exemplified by a left wing political activity: the Howard Dean presidential campaign, Michael Moore, MoveOn, and various fringe groups. More Customer Reviews:
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