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Summary: The analysis for informediary is not complete.
Review: Although the explanation for informediary is quite clear, the ground for the deduction has lots holes. The authors like to relate informediary with the other industries but they did not provide clear evidences on why they can use the analogy. However, the three-stage plan for building informediary is comprehensive for ideal candidates. (I wonder who could have such opportunity except Yahoo or Amazon. ) Could it be the plan for new start up? It offers little advices. I guess the book is good for those big Internet powerhouse.
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Summary: Good, but repetitious
Review: Authors could have made the text significantly shorter by not repeating the same theme several times.
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Summary: An internet business model that will change the world.
Review: Ever hear of the 2% rule? Only 2% of the people that see an advertisement actually respond to it. Considering that companies can spend anywhere from 2% to 30% of its grose revenue on marketing, there is enormous waste and inefficiency here. There is also a huge opportunity. This book describes a business model that is inevitable.
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Summary: Great Read
Review: Great read for everybody working with internet !
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Summary: Dimensions and Applications of Effective "Infomediation"
Review: Hagel has co-authored two especially important books (with Arthur G. Armstrong III and Marc Singer, respectively) and Net Worth "which builds on a number of the themes originally developed" in Net.Gain. As Hagel and Armstrong point out, Net.Gain "systematically [analyzes] the economic drivers for value creation that exist on networks. It [uses] one particular business model -- the virtual community -- to illustrate the unique capabilities of digital networks and how these might be harnessed to create a substantial business with very attractive economics." The material in Net Worth is carefully organized within three Parts: The New Infomediaries, Entry Strategies, and The Infomediation of Markets. Hagel and Armstrong also provide an Appendix: The Technology Tool Kit, followed by excellent suggestions for further reading. According to Hagel and Singer, "We came up with a key insight. Digital networks such as the Internet might for the first time provide the tools necessary for customers to capture information about themselves and to deny vendors access to this information....It became clear that there would be an opportunity for a new kind of business -- we call it 'information intermediary' or 'infomediary' -- to help customers capture, manage, and maximize the value of this information." Hagel and Singer challenge a number of common views about the Internet: "First, we urge senior managers not to view the Internet simply as a way to do the same things cheaper and faster....Second, we reject the notion that the Internet is uniformly leading to disintermediation, creating opportunities for vendors to connect directly with customers while relentlessly eliminating all intermediaries that previously came in the way....Third, we question whether the real value of the Internet is in information access. The Internet instead is a powerful platform for connecting people or businesses with each other, enriched and enhanced by relevant information....Fourth, we are suspicious of claims that the Internet will systematically lower barriers to entry and lead to fragmentation of businesses." These excerpts from the text correctly suggest that (a) Hagel and Singer believe that there are several quite serious misconceptions about the Internet relative to virtual communities and (b) they have quite specific opinions about how best to shape markets at a time when customers determine what the terms of engagement are. They assert (and I wholeheartedly agree) that companies playing the "infomediary" role are now -- or will soon become -- the custodians, agents, and brokers of customer information, marketing it to businesses (and providing then with access to it) on consumers' behalf, while at the same time (key point) protecting their privacy. In the final chapter, Hagel and Singer observe that "This book has argued that infomediaries can play an extremely valuable market role in reconciling the tension between the growing value of customer information and the growing concern over customer privacy....[Over time] infomediaries will reshape firms and markets. In doing so, they will unleash broad social changes and call into question many conventional approaches to public policy. Our response to these social and public policy issues will in many respects determine the pace and the ultimate effects of this innovative new business model." It is probably impossible to calculate the full value of what Hagel and Singer provide in this single volume. Theirs is a stunning achievement. Beyond its obvious implications for multi-national enterprise, the concept of "infomediation" may well be the defining principle of global connectivity and interactivity for decades to come. My strong recommendation is that Net.Gain be read first, then Net Worth. My further recommendation is that both books be used to formulate the agenda for a workshop or what is generally referred to as an "executive retreat" (preferably for two days and located offsite) with all participants required to read both books in advance. Those who share my high regard for the two books are urged to check out Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline as well as O'Dell and Grayson's If Only We Knew What They Know. Both can also help with the planning and then implementing the off-site workshop recommended earlier.
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Summary: If you want to "get it", get this book
Review: I can understand why so many people have blown off this book with their reviews. It's not pleasant to read if you're basing your business or investment strategies on doing what everyone else is doing on the Internet. But if you want to really have your preconceptions challenged. If you want to feel uncomfortable with all the notions you have as to who the winners and losers will be, then read this. Especially read this if you're a VC. Read this if you're investing in .coms...Read it and re-read it...because these guys are peering into the future and telling you something that you may not want to hear. This is a profoundly insightful book that will be looked backed on as a turning point in the history of e-commerce.
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Summary: Great concept book... even if a bit simplistic
Review: If you buy this book and read it assuming that you can take the business model as is and turn it in to $20M, you are probably in for heartache. If instead you take the concepts presented in the book and find practical uses, you will be well pleased.
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Summary: a book so capable of so polarising views is a must read
Review: It is not often that a book can receive such polarised views. Yes, it is repetitive, but then who has time to read every word! We are clearly on the verge of major shift in governance, privacy, power that is seeing supplier driven rules give way to consumer driven ones - that is the issue at the core of this book. It is threatening, but it is provocative. I frankly don't care much for the views of those who poke criticsm on the style and detail of Hagel and Singer - the simple reality is that potential implications of infomediaries on all markets cannot be ingnored....and the real issue is not about technology, it's about trust. Do yourself a favour read it - once.
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Summary: Visionary, yes -- and the economics to back it up
Review: It isn't easy to understand some of the negative comments on this page written in reaction to Net Worth. In an environment where so many Internet books offer little more than extended metaphors or analogues, Net Worth goes beyond mere anology and actually makes an economic argument. Certainly the wisdom of this book is not lost on the entrepreneurial and venture capital communities, both of which are scrambling to implement this book's vision of the future. Nor is it a mystery to most readers -- the book's been on the Business Week best seller list for months. Perhaps some of these armchair reviewers protest too much. If they're so smart, where are *their* books, anyway?
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Summary: Definitely worth a read!
Review: Just as with "Net Gain," the concepts are right on the money! Mr. Hagel has identified a significant shift in the power struggle between buyers (consumers) and sellers (merchants). Traditionally, the sellers were bigger, more powerful, had better resources and thereby more information. "Net Worth" describes how the information battle is shifting to the benefit of the buyer. Now, for the first time as a rule of thumb, the buyer has better access to information. Moreover, "Net Worth" describes the potential value of a new source of data: consolidated information about an individual. The individual's purchasing behavior, likes/dislikes, and hobbies and interests can all be consolidated into a single profile that has enormous value. To the individual and the marketer. My only criticism of this book is that it is dry, like an academic textbook, and repetitious. Nonetheless, it is worth the effort getting through the writing to learn about these incredible concepts. I also strongly recommend "Information Rules" as a supplement. That, along with "Net Worth," are probably indispensable road maps for this burgeoning industry.
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