Edelman has issued it’s sixth annual Trust Barometer It finds that the most trusted information source these days is peer to peer. Goll-ee!
The report labels that finding as profound. And I guess it is news to government, industry and PR firms. There’s actually a section about why trust is important, complete with charts and graphs. Puh lease!
Read The Edelman Trust Barometer, or read the original, The Cluetrain Manifesto, written in 1999.
Cluetrain:
“A powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed. As a direct result, markets are getting smarter–and getting smarter faster than most companies.”
The Edelman report takes lots of charts and graphs to say Yikes! In the US, mainstream media is trusted less than business or government, and government is in the public opinion toilet.
Cluetrain:
“But learning to speak in a human voice is not some trick, nor will corporations convince us they are human with lip service about “listening to customers.” They will only sound human when they empower real human beings to speak on their behalf.”
Edelman:
“The growth of the Internet, and the amount of trust it now has, has surpassed everybody’s expectations.”
Nope! There’ve been a lot of us out here for a more than a decade who understand the Internet’s potential and the realities. I guess our ignorance has now become cutting edge. :>)
PR firms and businesses they represent may be waking up at long last. Welcome to the party.
Clearly missing from the report: discussion of ethics in business government and the Internet. Posted by B.L. Ochman
