Not Panels, It's Engagement!

The transaction costs of creating a mixed group of people have collapsed in recent times. When you consider that groups are how we identify ourselves, how we add insights, how we propose to win business, how we party, how we meet our future spouse, how we work and so on this has simply enormous consequences. Ok, big picture. But let's go even bigger - yes just liek Virgin Galactic if you like (no sponsorship paid for that mention).

What is it that holds groups together? Fundamentally it is trust, right? Trust in each other, trust in the cause, trust in the transaction, trust in the relationship etc etc. And clearly the nature of trust is changing too and being expressed in new ways. For example, I have heard it said many times that eBay's vital currency is trust, that Pierre Omidyar its founder basically believed that people are good. I am sure that Wikipedia is maybe based around a similar narrative. Well, I know it is.

So the point is, when we talk about 'panels' there is often an inherent distrust of the panelists, the data quality and so on. And whilst the magnitude and direction of this distrust has changed over time, it is still there in some way in some quarters. So why it is good enough for eBay and not for 'panels'.

That gap is profoundly interesting....