The Big Question for 2011 - Will Gamification Change Social Media - Umair Haque - Harvard Business Review

It doesn't matter whether I'm talking to an investor, C-suiter, or an entrepreneur. Most of them — like most of the general public — answer the question, "What does social media mean to you?" with "It's stuff that helps you make 'friends, digitally!! Do you want to be my friend?" "Sure" I usually reply. And then I say: "But thinking of social tools that way is a little bit like using a positronic brain multiplier from the 25th century to tie your shoelaces faster. Here's a more powerful, resonant — and disruptive — way to think about social media.

Click to read more ...

Game-Changing Innovations from Emerging Markets - Tarun Khanna - HBS Faculty - Harvard Business Review

President Obama's mission to Asia earlier this month was touted by US media primarily to highlight the 50,000 jobs created by deals signed in India during his visit. It's a shame Obama — and the Western press — didn't pay attention to the far bigger story happening in many of the countries on his visit: real, game-changing innovations from emerging markets that could point the way for currently stagnant Western firms. The good news for the world economy is that, with economic development occurring in a more dispersed fashion, experiments are underway in more diverse institutional settings than ever before. So, with the right attitude and mindset Western economies should expect to see the emergence of viable models from all over the world, not just their backyards.

Click to read more ...

FREE - The Digital Future of Your Organisation

Chris Anderson (canderson@wired.com) is the editor in chief of Wired and author of The Long Tail. His new book, FREE, provides a powerful insight to the future of the Web. Watch the video and then read the more substantial article. Attend one of workshops - FREE: The Digital Future of Your Organisation.