I went to the film Inception a few days ago and was mesmerized by the complex plot and the ideas that gurgled and sometimes exploded into my awareness.

I liked the movie but I experienced some confusion as I felt the ideas about dreams and dreaming where very relevant, however I couldn’t quite understand what did the movie have to do with my world.

Two days later I began reading a series of posts by Brian Solis because I was searching for his ideas on the concept of “pay it forward”. What I discovered on his web site were a series of posts about the movie Inception.

Here is how he introduces why the movie triggered his thinking about the movie’s connection to social media.

Inception served as a catalyst for rethinking social media and how we use it to socialize not just our marketing efforts, but our business overall.

The way in which he linked the ideas in the movie to how social media can be applied in the business world, helped me understand social media adoption within organizations and the cast of actors that is needed for success. He also has numerous links to other very relevant, resonant and significant (RSS) posts and articles that he covers in his new book Engage.

Below is an excerpt that talks about how the concepts of inception and extraction relates to listening. The concept of listening is a subject close to me as I’m searching for more effective ways to explain why social listening is so important to the development of social media strategies.

I love this explanation as it gets past the tools of listening into the figuring out of what to do with what you are hearing.

Such is the framework necessary to lead the socialization of business. While today social media is led by a champion or team of evangelists that “get it,” its path remains a bottom-up process of forcing transformation through evangelism and experimentation. Eventually social media will lose momentum before its promise can be fully realized however. A team consisting of a visionary leader supported by capable specialists across the fabric of the organization is imperative to fully realize the opportunities and responsibilities that unfold with social immersion.

The Production of Social Media Requires a Dedicated Cast

Penrose Stairs illustrate the impossible objects that can be created in lucid dream worlds

As discussed in Engage and also Charlene Li’s new book Open Leadership, it is this listening, really listening, that opens leadership to change and ultimately true collaboration and co-creation. It is through this unique understanding of the cultures, landscapes and the themes that fuel connections and communication. This incredible insight inspires relevant engagement and supporting constructs that galvanizes and empowers customers and peers to become stakeholders in all you do.

The “extraction” is the research, listening, and sifting for insight. It’s not enough to monitor conversations through keyword searches. It’s not enough to measure “automated” and mostly inaccurate sentiment. It’s not enough to track activity in terms of mentions, followers, likes, and comments. There’s a difference between listening and hearing and to extract the information and intelligence necessary to inspire your ideas requires you to hear what it is that moves individuals and communities.  Extraction is the guiding light to create more meaningful engagement strategies based on the recently introduced concept of relevance, resonance, and significance (RRS), social media’s critical path. And, it’s through extraction where we uncover opportunities for inception.

Listen to Brian Solis talk about his new book here.

Brent Uncategorized