Book Review : The Wisdom of Crowds

The Book

James Surowiecki, The Wisdom of Crowds, Anchor Books, New York, 2005, ISBN: 0-385-72170-6, 284 pages.

Précis

The lone ranger expert who tinkers alone in his shed has been replaced by the universal mob of experts, amateurs and misfits. When it comes to making decisions, the crowd is smarter than any one individual.

Features

? Intriguing case studies of how crowd thinking has previously, is currently and can be applied in the future.
? Grounded in economics this book explores the multiple dimensions of how groups of people interact.
? Borders on a philosophy of how we as individuals and as groups see the world and respond to it.

Benefits

This book carries a big idea who’s time has come. The internet is an open system that thrives on collaboration and this book gives a strong inkling for how you can profit from that.

Who’s It’s For

If you’re a know-all this book will be a dagger to your heart. It’s for deep thinkers willing to consider how the world works best. And, willing to work in partnership with others to help create it.

James Surowiecki

James Surowiecki is a US journalist based in New York who writes on business, the markets, and the economy for The New Yorker. Out of graduate school, he started writing on the internet on Motley Fool.
In 2002, he edited an anthology, Best Business Crime Writing of the Year, a collection of articles from different business news sources that chronicle the fall from grace of various CEOs.

Links to More…

Blog :  http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/jamessurowiecki/
TED :  http://www.ted.com/speakers/james_surowiecki.html
Wikipedia Author :  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Surowiecki
Wikipedia Book:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wisdom_of_Crowds

Book Rapper Thinks…

Whilst a few years old now, this book caused a big rethink for me and my career! This single idea will change the way you think about the world and your part in it.

Geoff McDonald

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Geoff McDonald

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