Adam Carstens from the Attention Company emailed today to tell me about some new research they've just published. It's a report entitled “Out There” and surveys the attitudes of people who participate in online communities. Here is the report as a PDF.
I'd not heard of them before, but the Attention Company is made up of smart people - and they've written some good books about the Internet in the recent past.
The main findings of the report were that people who are “Out There” are more likely to:
The report concludes that "Out There" people are potential saviors of companies, because they are the people who are going to help companies succeed. "Out There" people are characterized as:
The above is from page 14 of the report and is followed by this warning to companies who employ "Out There" people: "Any attempt to control it ham-handedly will only lead to excessive blowback." Which I thought was a cool way to put it :-) Blowback btw means 'unintended consequences'.
Note that in the report there are no details about how the research was gathered. I asked Adam about this and he told me it was an Internet-based survey of 1,500 white-collar professionals in the United States, between the ages 20-65. He said it was a random weighted sample, conducted in July of 2006.
In summary, I would guess that most people who read this blog would characterize themselves as "out there". While it's not a particularly scientific term, my feeling is that these kind of open and innovative thinkers are indeed the driving force in the white collar workforce.
Finally, in his email Adam was kind enough to label me as "way out there" (see, flattery will get you everywhere on Read/WriteWeb!).
UPDATE: Steve Borsch reminded me of his report on a similar topic: Rise of the Participation Culture. It's an excellent high level look at current Web trends, so check it out if you're into this type of research.
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Hmmm...Reminder me to try flattering you soon.
Posted by: David Mackey | December 7, 2006 8:06 PM
Want an example of someone or something out there? Try reading The Coconuter - http://coconuter.blogspot.com
Posted by: Villaflor | December 8, 2006 7:07 AM
Am missing something? I'm not finding anything newsworthy in this report. Are they saying that employees with innovative ideas, the ability to implement them, and the desire to self-promote are more likely to get ahead in the corporate world? That's been conventional wisdom since long before the internet.
I'm afraid that companies are likely to read this report and conclude that anyone with a blog is a future leader, and anyone without a blog isn't. Oh dear!
Posted by: Marcello | December 8, 2006 11:31 AM
I enjoyed the post. I would like to think of myself as an "out there" person, but my ex-wife would disagree. I hate her, seriously.
Posted by: Bob King Neverland IIi | December 8, 2006 4:08 PM
I've read the report and I don't seem to find the objective of that survey. However, upon reading the last page it tells us that the company has the 'tools, etc.' on how to deal with those identified as 'out there' personalities.
What I feel and please correct me if I'm wrong is the fact that employers should be aware that they have people in their organizations who are 'out there(s)' and should be handled with care or else...? Gobble up the company?
Value fame as an ‚Äúasset‚Ä?
- So, these 'out there' people are ready to go solo? Why work in an organization when they have brilliant ideas? They should be better on their own earning millions while young.
-Or is it their ego getting big?
Willing to share certain types of sensitive information on the web.
- For as long as they're ready to defend themselves if found out.
Believe that ‚Äúorganizations need to be more transparent to succeed‚Ä?
- Do they really think that companies will share corporate secrets? How smart are they?
My thoughts.
Posted by: ipanema | December 8, 2006 7:43 PM
I think these are valid criticisms of the report. It does seem a little light on new revelations. The stats are interesting though.
Posted by: Richard MacManus | December 9, 2006 5:35 PM
Hmmmm- I was nearly fired for embracing all those attitudes.
I guess not all organizations appreciate the out there types.
Posted by: Charles Thomas | December 10, 2006 6:12 PM
I'm definintely an "out there" person, for sure, but I work in the online marketing business and we're all just a little bit out there :)
I think that more people would be like that, however, most people cannot afford to be like that. They're constrained in jobs that do not reward those types of values.
Blogging is a huge part of enabling this type of person as well. Good stuff Richard. Hope you are well.
Posted by: Jim Kukral | December 11, 2006 2:12 PM