英语书籍:Mesh(4)节选_______________________________________________________________
THE MESH: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing by Lisa Gansky
PORTFOLIO PENGUIN
'my date with mini mucho.'
Although Zipcar appealed to me as an entrepreneur, I always want to
understand a business from the perspective of a customer. What will
it take to win me over and keep me long-term? Honestly, when I first
became aware of car-sharing services, I disregarded them. I had
friends in San Francisco who swore by them, but I wasn't ready
emotionally to let go of my car. I figured it was fine for other
people. I was like my friend the surgeon who would always tell his
frightened patients, "It's minor surgery." But once I found him in a
corridor in the hospital, standing outside his office, and he looked
like crap. I said, "Michael, what's wrong?" He said, "Well, I have
to get such-and-such kind of surgery." I said, "Well, that sounds
like minor surgery." And he pulls me really close and he says,
"Screw you, Gansky! Minor surgery is when we do it to somebody
else."
The Mesh, to work, can't just be for "somebody else." It has to be
for me, and people like me. So I tried my first Zipcar, on a trip to
Vancouver, where I fell in love with a little two-door number named
Mini Mucho.
Before I left the Bay Area, I signed up for a membership on the
Zipcar Web site. They have several different flavors for joining,
including what I call the "tapas" version--trial choices like "I'm
not really sure if I like it or not, so I'm going to try it first."
In a few days I received my member's Zipcard in the mail. Today, you
can also download the Zipcar app on your mobile phone. Your Zipcard
or app-enabled phone unlocks the car by wirelessly connecting to a
box under the windshield that contains a circuit board, processor,
and modem. When you make a reservation, your card or app is
authorized for that specific car, using AT&T's wireless network. The
same network allows Zipcar to remotely monitor the vehicle.
Once I knew when and where I'd be staying in Vancouver, I could see
which cars were available close to my hotel. The Web listings are
organized by location and inventory. Let's say you need a station
wagon, or you really want a hybrid, figuring it would be a great way
to test-drive the car. Or perhaps your main concern is that the car
be parked nearby. Either way, you can view the options. For my trip,
I wanted something super convenient. I didn't have that much gear,
so a small car was fine. On the Web site, I saw a photo of Mini
Mucho, which was parked just two blocks from my hotel, and made my
reservation.
After arriving in Vancouver, I checked in to my hotel and then
walked around the corner to a neighborhood garage. Unlike with a car
rental, I didn't have to go back to the airport, or some place
that's crazy far away, and then come back into the city again.
There's no hard-to-find exit at the airport to return a car. Car-
share parking is optimized for convenience. I quickly found Mini
Mucho, which was a fabulously ridiculous, visible-from-Seattle shade
of yellow.
I was offered an online orientation for using the car beforehand,
but it's not tricky, not even the first time. I took the Zipcard,
which has an embedded chip, out of my wallet. When I held it to the
windshield, the card unlocked the car. The keys were there, Mini
Mucho was all gassed up, and a credit card for filling up the car
before returning was tucked in the visor. It was a lovely, easy
experience.
As I drove Mini Mucho all over the place, I became attached to her.
And giving the car a name worked its magic on me. If I lived in
Vancouver or I was going back again, I would seek Mini Mucho out. It
was super fun. Knowing your vehicle carries some of the perks of
ownership and takes any unpleasant surprises out of the equation.
The experience was very different from renting with Hertz, or one of
the other big car rental companies, where you're only allowed to
pick a category of car--small, medium, or large--like a Slurpee.
While in Vancouver, I also tried out the local bike-sharing service.
The city is one of the best places in the world to ride a bike. For
bike sharing, a credit card in a slot usually unlocks a bike. You
ride your bike around and return it to the same rack, or to another
one elsewhere. (Barcelona even has a phone app now that tells you
which of the four hundred return stations is closest.) In Vancouver,
the bike-sharing locations are concentrated near the park and near
public transportation. The paths are impressive, and you can take
the bicycle on the ferry.
'one part net. two parts data more than a pinch social.'
Vancouver is home to a wealth of Mesh-style businesses and
organizations. I visited food co-ops, beautiful boutique stores
organized and run by a segment of their customers. Through a friend,
I got an inside look at innovative urban design features enabling
people to walk, bike, or find convenient public transportation
around the city. I got a tour of the much-remarked-upon green
buildings and transport systems constructed for the winter Olympics.
But Vancouver is not unique. Thousands of Mesh businesses are
springing up around the globe, in the United States, Europe, and
Asia.
Mesh businesses are thriving on the growth of social media, the
Internet, wireless networks, and mobile phones. They use data
crunched from every available source to deliver high-quality goods
and services to people only when they need and want them. Mesh
businesses share four characteristics: sharing, advanced use of Web
and mobile information networks, a focus on physical goods and
materials, and engagement with customers through social networks. Of
course, not every business or organization discussed in this book
contains every element. Like any large, rapidly growing advance, the
Mesh expresses itself in a variety of ways along a continuum. Some
businesses start in Full Mesh mode. Many, many others are moving in
the right direction.
'What characterizes a Mesh business?'
1. The core offering is something that can be shared, within a
community, market, or value chain, including products, services, and
raw materials.
2. Advanced Web and mobile data networks are used to track goods and
aggregate usage, customer, and product information.
3. The focus is on shareable physical goods, including the materials
used, which makes 'local' delivery of services and products--and
their recovery--valuable and relevant.
4. Offers, news, and recommendations are transmitted largely through
word of mouth, augmented by social network services.
Why call this new wave of businesses "The Mesh" ? A Mesh describes a
type of network that allows any node to link in any direction with
any other nodes in the system. Every part is connected to every
other part, and they move in tandem. To me, "The Mesh" is an apt and
rich metaphor to describe a whole new phase of information-based
services. Mesh businesses are knotted to each other, and to the
world, in myriad ways. Some connections are formed directly, such as
an agreement among companies to identify a market and make
coordinated offers. These companies share information to facilitate
access to new customers, customer preferences, and goods. Other
connections are formed indirectly through third parties, such as
aggregated consumer data or via customers' social networks.
The Mesh is made possible by the way in which we are all
increasingly connected to everything else--to other people,
businesses, organizations, and things. This is the first time in
human history when this kind of far-reaching, always-on, and
relatively inexpensive connectivity has existed. Just as our minds
are more than a collection of neurons, these Mesh connections have
given rise to something more complex and challenging. In the brain,
all the parts--DNA, nerve cells, and lobes--are constituent of each
other and in constant communication. We can likewise describe the
Mesh in terms of its multiple parts, such as electrons, mobile
devices, servers, services, partners, and customers. But like our
minds, the Mesh is much greater than the sum of its parts. Now that
everyone and everything is becoming connected to everyone and
everything else--Twitter reached 50 million tweets a day in February
2010--something new has been born that is constantly growing and
adapting. The Mesh has a clear pulse. And it's a fast learner.
_________________________________________________________________
*****TABLE OF CONTENTS *****
1. Getting to Know the Mesh
2. The Mesh Advantage
3. Mesh Design
4. In with the Mesh
5. In Mesh We Trust
6. The Mesh as Ecosystem
7. Open to the Mesh
8. Mesh Inc.
9. Seed Your Own Mesh
_________________________________________________________________
THE MESH: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing by Lisa Gansky
PORTFOLIO PENGUIN
'my date with mini mucho.'
Although Zipcar appealed to me as an entrepreneur, I always want to
understand a business from the perspective of a customer. What will
it take to win me over and keep me long-term? Honestly, when I first
became aware of car-sharing services, I disregarded them. I had
friends in San Francisco who swore by them, but I wasn't ready
emotionally to let go of my car. I figured it was fine for other
people. I was like my friend the surgeon who would always tell his
frightened patients, "It's minor surgery." But once I found him in a
corridor in the hospital, standing outside his office, and he looked
like crap. I said, "Michael, what's wrong?" He said, "Well, I have
to get such-and-such kind of surgery." I said, "Well, that sounds
like minor surgery." And he pulls me really close and he says,
"Screw you, Gansky! Minor surgery is when we do it to somebody
else."
The Mesh, to work, can't just be for "somebody else." It has to be
for me, and people like me. So I tried my first Zipcar, on a trip to
Vancouver, where I fell in love with a little two-door number named
Mini Mucho.
Before I left the Bay Area, I signed up for a membership on the
Zipcar Web site. They have several different flavors for joining,
including what I call the "tapas" version--trial choices like "I'm
not really sure if I like it or not, so I'm going to try it first."
In a few days I received my member's Zipcard in the mail. Today, you
can also download the Zipcar app on your mobile phone. Your Zipcard
or app-enabled phone unlocks the car by wirelessly connecting to a
box under the windshield that contains a circuit board, processor,
and modem. When you make a reservation, your card or app is
authorized for that specific car, using AT&T's wireless network. The
same network allows Zipcar to remotely monitor the vehicle.
Once I knew when and where I'd be staying in Vancouver, I could see
which cars were available close to my hotel. The Web listings are
organized by location and inventory. Let's say you need a station
wagon, or you really want a hybrid, figuring it would be a great way
to test-drive the car. Or perhaps your main concern is that the car
be parked nearby. Either way, you can view the options. For my trip,
I wanted something super convenient. I didn't have that much gear,
so a small car was fine. On the Web site, I saw a photo of Mini
Mucho, which was parked just two blocks from my hotel, and made my
reservation.
After arriving in Vancouver, I checked in to my hotel and then
walked around the corner to a neighborhood garage. Unlike with a car
rental, I didn't have to go back to the airport, or some place
that's crazy far away, and then come back into the city again.
There's no hard-to-find exit at the airport to return a car. Car-
share parking is optimized for convenience. I quickly found Mini
Mucho, which was a fabulously ridiculous, visible-from-Seattle shade
of yellow.
I was offered an online orientation for using the car beforehand,
but it's not tricky, not even the first time. I took the Zipcard,
which has an embedded chip, out of my wallet. When I held it to the
windshield, the card unlocked the car. The keys were there, Mini
Mucho was all gassed up, and a credit card for filling up the car
before returning was tucked in the visor. It was a lovely, easy
experience.
As I drove Mini Mucho all over the place, I became attached to her.
And giving the car a name worked its magic on me. If I lived in
Vancouver or I was going back again, I would seek Mini Mucho out. It
was super fun. Knowing your vehicle carries some of the perks of
ownership and takes any unpleasant surprises out of the equation.
The experience was very different from renting with Hertz, or one of
the other big car rental companies, where you're only allowed to
pick a category of car--small, medium, or large--like a Slurpee.
While in Vancouver, I also tried out the local bike-sharing service.
The city is one of the best places in the world to ride a bike. For
bike sharing, a credit card in a slot usually unlocks a bike. You
ride your bike around and return it to the same rack, or to another
one elsewhere. (Barcelona even has a phone app now that tells you
which of the four hundred return stations is closest.) In Vancouver,
the bike-sharing locations are concentrated near the park and near
public transportation. The paths are impressive, and you can take
the bicycle on the ferry.
'one part net. two parts data more than a pinch social.'
Vancouver is home to a wealth of Mesh-style businesses and
organizations. I visited food co-ops, beautiful boutique stores
organized and run by a segment of their customers. Through a friend,
I got an inside look at innovative urban design features enabling
people to walk, bike, or find convenient public transportation
around the city. I got a tour of the much-remarked-upon green
buildings and transport systems constructed for the winter Olympics.
But Vancouver is not unique. Thousands of Mesh businesses are
springing up around the globe, in the United States, Europe, and
Asia.
Mesh businesses are thriving on the growth of social media, the
Internet, wireless networks, and mobile phones. They use data
crunched from every available source to deliver high-quality goods
and services to people only when they need and want them. Mesh
businesses share four characteristics: sharing, advanced use of Web
and mobile information networks, a focus on physical goods and
materials, and engagement with customers through social networks. Of
course, not every business or organization discussed in this book
contains every element. Like any large, rapidly growing advance, the
Mesh expresses itself in a variety of ways along a continuum. Some
businesses start in Full Mesh mode. Many, many others are moving in
the right direction.
'What characterizes a Mesh business?'
1. The core offering is something that can be shared, within a
community, market, or value chain, including products, services, and
raw materials.
2. Advanced Web and mobile data networks are used to track goods and
aggregate usage, customer, and product information.
3. The focus is on shareable physical goods, including the materials
used, which makes 'local' delivery of services and products--and
their recovery--valuable and relevant.
4. Offers, news, and recommendations are transmitted largely through
word of mouth, augmented by social network services.
Why call this new wave of businesses "The Mesh" ? A Mesh describes a
type of network that allows any node to link in any direction with
any other nodes in the system. Every part is connected to every
other part, and they move in tandem. To me, "The Mesh" is an apt and
rich metaphor to describe a whole new phase of information-based
services. Mesh businesses are knotted to each other, and to the
world, in myriad ways. Some connections are formed directly, such as
an agreement among companies to identify a market and make
coordinated offers. These companies share information to facilitate
access to new customers, customer preferences, and goods. Other
connections are formed indirectly through third parties, such as
aggregated consumer data or via customers' social networks.
The Mesh is made possible by the way in which we are all
increasingly connected to everything else--to other people,
businesses, organizations, and things. This is the first time in
human history when this kind of far-reaching, always-on, and
relatively inexpensive connectivity has existed. Just as our minds
are more than a collection of neurons, these Mesh connections have
given rise to something more complex and challenging. In the brain,
all the parts--DNA, nerve cells, and lobes--are constituent of each
other and in constant communication. We can likewise describe the
Mesh in terms of its multiple parts, such as electrons, mobile
devices, servers, services, partners, and customers. But like our
minds, the Mesh is much greater than the sum of its parts. Now that
everyone and everything is becoming connected to everyone and
everything else--Twitter reached 50 million tweets a day in February
2010--something new has been born that is constantly growing and
adapting. The Mesh has a clear pulse. And it's a fast learner.
_________________________________________________________________
*****TABLE OF CONTENTS *****
1. Getting to Know the Mesh
2. The Mesh Advantage
3. Mesh Design
4. In with the Mesh
5. In Mesh We Trust
6. The Mesh as Ecosystem
7. Open to the Mesh
8. Mesh Inc.
9. Seed Your Own Mesh
_________________________________________________________________
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