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# Short book review: Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky

Tuesday 15 February 2011
Tagged with

- Social media
- Social networking
- Book review
- Sociology
- Reviews

I promised some shorter posts, so here’s one. I’ve just finished reading Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky and since it made me think I thought I’d post a few of those thoughts up here.

It’s a clear and well written, and gives a well constructed theory of how and why communities form in or around things like Wikipedia, MeetUp and the Linux kernel.

Through the use of case studies, Shirky builds up a convincing framework of three elements: the promise of what the community offers; the tool which sets the environment for the community; and the bargain between the users which sets the rules of engagement. He also points out that the patterns of behaviour we see today have been emerging for quite a long time.

If there was a weakness to the book, it was that Shirky labours the point a bit with his case studies; at times it feels like he’s repeating himself so as to make use of all the carefully researched examples. I don’t think that really detracts from the overall picture though.

I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in what makes the social web tick.