Coolfarming: Turn Your Great Idea into the Next Big Thing

Be the first to write a review
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up in Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Hardcover
$22.30
BN.com price
$29.95 List Price (Save 26%)
Marketplace (New and Used)
from
$1.85
$29.95 List Price (Save 94%)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
All (17)  
Used (7)  
New (10)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 2
Showing 1 – 10 of 17 (2 pages)
$1.85
(Save 94%)
barone books ny
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(2497)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

New
2010 Hardcover New

Ships from: east moriches, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.85
(Save 94%)
barone books ny
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(2497)

Condition: Like New
2010 Hardcover Fine

Ships from: east moriches, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 93%)
Best Bargain Books
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(12865)

Condition: New
New, unread, unused and in perfect condition.

Ships from: East Patchogue, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 93%)
Best Bargain Books
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(12865)

Condition: Good
A copy that may have been read, minimal to no highlighting/underlining of text, no missing pages. May have a remainder mark. Spine may show signs of wear. Could be a library copy.

Ships from: East Patchogue, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 93%)
Best Bargain Books
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(12865)

Condition: Like New
Used Like New, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark.

Ships from: East Patchogue, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 93%)
Best Bargain Books
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(12865)

Condition: Very Good
A copy that may have been read, very minimal wear and tear. May have a remainder mark.

Ships from: East Patchogue, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$3.94
(Save 87%)
Extremely_Reliable
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(3184)

Condition: Very Good
Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.

Ships from: Richmond, TX

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
$10.00
(Save 67%)
The Business Reader VA
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(35)

Condition: Like New
New York 2011 Hard Cover Fine in Fine jacket Fine/Fine, as new, unread.

Ships from: Williamsburg, VA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$18.61
(Save 38%)
PaperbackshopUS
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(4793)

Condition: New
Shipped from US in 4 to 14 business days. Established seller since 2000

Ships from: Aurora, IL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
$18.61
(Save 38%)
ExpeditedBooksUS
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(887)

Condition: New
Shipped from US. Express shipping in 3 to 6 business days. Standard shipping in 4 to 14 business days. Established seller since 2000

Ships from: Aurora, IL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 2
Showing 1 – 10 of 17 (2 pages)
Close
Sort by

Overview

If you want to stay ahead of the curve, it’s not enough to catch on to the latest hot idea once it’s already hot. Coolfarming gives you practical, hands-on advice on how to carry your own cool ideas over the tipping point, nurture a swarm of creative collaborators to develop the next big trend for your own target group, and ride a wave of innovation. It also contains real-life examples of how to find, develop, and popularize the trends of tomorrow. . .and reap the benefits.

Praise for Peter Gloor’s Previous Book, Coolhunting:

“Helping to ‘elucidate the culture of cool,’ this book is fascinating . . . based on solid and credible field research. . .” — ...

See more details below
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

If you want to stay ahead of the curve, it’s not enough to catch on to the latest hot idea once it’s already hot. Coolfarming gives you practical, hands-on advice on how to carry your own cool ideas over the tipping point, nurture a swarm of creative collaborators to develop the next big trend for your own target group, and ride a wave of innovation. It also contains real-life examples of how to find, develop, and popularize the trends of tomorrow. . .and reap the benefits.

Praise for Peter Gloor’s Previous Book, Coolhunting:

“Helping to ‘elucidate the culture of cool,’ this book is fascinating . . . based on solid and credible field research. . .” — Inside Retailing

“…For those keen to mine the wealth of information available in online communities . . . virtues of social network analysis are clearly demonstrated. . .an inspiring read . . . ” — B&T Weekly

“There are many layers to this book, but readers will leave convinced that social networks hold the key to the future.” — BizEd magazine

“An invaluable tool for businesses of all sizes . . . will show you how to stay ahead of the curve and on the cutting edge.” — StrictlyBusinessBooks.com

“Coolhunting reports on useful techniques for helping to see what’s coming. Wrap it in a plain brown wrapper and read it surreptitiously.” — Tom Davenport, Harvard Business Online

“Coolhunting is a skill we all need to master. This book, entertaining and informative . . ., is a terrific place to start.” — Jack Covert, 800-CEO-READ blog

“Marketers, especially the online variety, and anyone else chasing what’s cool will want to read the new AMACOM book Coolhunting .” — Ted Kinni, Reading Writing Management blog

“Coolhunting is an entirely different experience and targets those of us who are fascinated by social networks, how they work, and what’s ‘cool’.” — AllThingsWorkplace.com

“Gloor and Cooper provide a real-world, practical approach to hunting something as elusive and illusory as ‘coolness’.” — Soundview Executive Book Summaries

“The authors write in a style that is easy for those outside of their cutting-edge mindset to understand.” — Midwest Book Review

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780814413869
  • Publisher: AMACOM
  • Publication date: 7/14/2010
  • Pages: 226
  • Sales rank: 876,379
  • Product dimensions: 6.10 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 1.10 (d)

Meet the Author

PETER GLOOR (Cambridge, MA), the coauthor of Coolhunting (978-0-8144-7386-3), has enjoyed a 20-year career as an executive for UBS, PwC, and Deloitte. He divides his time between the MIT Sloan School of Management, Helsinki University of Technology, and the University of Cologne, and has been growing his startup company, galaxyadvisors.

Read an Excerpt

1

How Do You Turn a

Cool Idea into a Trend?

As special as Steve is, I think of Apple as a great jazz orchestra. Steve did a superb job of

recruiting a broad and deep talent base. When a group gets to be that size, the conductor’s

job is pretty nominal—mainly attracting new talent and helping maintain the tempo,

adding bits of energy here and there.1

—Michael Hawley, professional pianist/computer scientist/former Apple employee

WHY IS IT that Apple products are cool? Why is Steve Jobs cool?

What if you could become cool, too? And what if you could make

your own ideas cool? What if you could even turn them into the next

big thing?

The good news is, there are indeed steps you can take to be cool,

and to convert your ideas into a cool trend. This book addresses

the basic questions of what the magic of cool is. It shows you how

to “coolfarm” your ideas, how to make trends cool, and how to

become cool yourself. Coolfarming tells how to convert creative

dreams into cool products by enlisting the help of dedicated and

passionate collaborators. Coolfarming is about how to get the “next

big idea” off the ground.

So what is it that makes things cool? Cool things have four

properties:

1. Cool things need to be fresh and new.We don’t want yesterday’s

stale old ideas, but radically new and better ones. Apple is cool,

Microsoft is not. Why? Apple has a unique knack for repeatedly coming

up with beautiful new product concepts and designs that usher in

new markets, first in computers with the Macintosh, then in digital

music players with the iPod, and then in mobile phones with the

iPhone. Microsoft has grown bigger in size and may be more profitable

with its copycat strategy, but nobody has ever accused it of

being cool—that’s reserved for creators of radically new things.

Microsoft’s technology does the job, but it’s clunky, arcane, and

clogged with features that nobody wants. Apple, on the other hand,

has consistently defined new markets with superbly designed, innovative

products.

2. Cool things make us part of a community. They help us be with

people like us. As psychologists and sociologists have found out, if

given the chance, we want to be with as many people “like us” as possible—

the more the merrier. Why did two million people trek to

Washington’s National Mall for the inauguration of President Barack

Obama? Why did they stand in line for eight hours to personally

attend Obama’s swearing in and not just watch it on TV? Simple

answer: It was the chance to be part of something cool and new, to

witness change, jointly, with two million other like-minded souls.

Even something as simple as owning the latest iPhone or BlackBerry

makes the owner part of a community, a sister and brotherhood, with

the token of entry being the coolest of handsets.

3. Cool things are fun. Just owning an iPhone is fun, if only

because it is so well designed and looks so cool. Making calls and surfing

the Web on an iPhone is fun; playing music on an iPod is fun.

Going to a musical on Broadway is fun and relaxing. Drinking coffee

in Starbucks is fun, too, not the least because every Starbucks customer

is in good company with other people who are also enjoying a

good cup of coffee in a relaxing atmosphere. It’s not for nothing that

Starbucks carefully selects and trains its baristas to provide a superior

customer experience.

4. Finally, cool things give meaning to our life. Cool things make

people feel good and happier. Owning a cool thing can become a goal

all by itself, whether it is the new iPhone, the designer bag from

Adidas, or the car we always wanted. Of course, owning a cool thing

could also mean joining an activist group to fight global warming. For

many people the thing that gives meaning to their lives is making the

world a better place—the ultimate in cool.

Cool trends can only be created through the creativity of swarms.

My previous two books, Swarm Creativity (Oxford University Press,

2006) and Coolhunting (AMACOM, 2007), introduced the idea of

Collaborative Innovation Networks (COINs) and explained how to

coolhunt. Coolhunting is the art and skill of chasing down cool trends

by spotting the trendsetters collaborating in COINs. This book

makes the bold leap to “coolfarming,” explaining the steps that anybody

can take to make cool trends happen. Obviously COINs cannot

be mandated into action, and inventions cannot, by sheer force of

will, be turned into new trends. Nevertheless, there are steps that the

creator of a new idea or the enthusiastic very early adopter of a concept

can take to increase the odds of turning the cool new thing into,

indeed, a new trend.

The Four Steps of Coolfarming

This swarm-based innovation process happens in four steps:

STEP 1 The creator comes up with the cool idea.

STEP 2 The creator recruits additional members to form a

Collaborative Innovation Network (COIN).

STEP 3 The COIN grows into a Collaborative Learning

Network (CLN) by adding friends and family.

STEP 4 Outsiders join, forming a Collaborative Interest

Network (CIN).

These four steps establish the most efficient engine of innovation,

creating the innovations that continuously change our lives.

This book is written for creators and COIN members. If you are

looking for practical hands-on advice on how to carry your cool

ideas over the tipping point, converting them into real trends, this

book is for you.

Table of Contents

C O N T E N T S

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IX

1 HOW DO YOU TURN A COOL IDEA INTO A TREND? . . . . . . . 1

The Four Steps of Coolfarming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Finding the Trendsetters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Growing Your Own Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Coolfarming Is More Than Managing a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Coolfarming the World Wide Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Coolfarming Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

2 SWARM CREATIVITY: The Force That Fuels Coolfarming . . 29

The More Swarms Communicate, the Better They Perform . . . . . .34

Swarm Business Beats “Black Swans” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Lessons from the Beehive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Swarm Creativity in Ghana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Essentials of Coolfarming and Coolhunting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

3 CREATORS: Building the Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

COIN Leaders Are Not Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Eating and Feeding Royal Jelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Royal Pheromone—Nicholas Negroponte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Coolfarmers Are Coolhunters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

How Do Leaders Get Selected? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

Coolfarming Tourists—Immersing Yourself into the Swarm . . . . . .88

Coolfarming a Palm Tree Plantation—

Empowering the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Running an Internet Café in Ghana—

Using the Swarm to Police the Swarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

Seven Guidelines for Creators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

4 COINS: Building the Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

How Picasso Created Cubism Through a COIN . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Gain Power by Giving It Up—Rotating Leadership . . . . . . . . . .106

Start Out as a Small Fish in a Big Pond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Six Guidelines for COINs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

5 CLNS: Teaching and Preaching the Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Increasing Sales Through a CLN of Salespeople . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Learning About Innovations Through the

P&G Technology Entrepreneurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Coolfarming in Twilight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129

Six Guidelines for CLNs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

6 CIN: Building the Buzz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Immersion Gets the Swarm to Explosion—LEGO Mindstorms . . .137

Building the Heat—Yummy Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

From Creators to CINs—

Illustrating the Process Through Social Networks . . . . . . . . . .150

Five Guidelines for CINs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

7 COOLHUNTING: Find the Trends Through

the Trendsetters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Coolhunting Combines the Wisdom of Crowds,

Experts, and Swarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

Coolhunting U.S. Presidential Candidates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

Coolhunting the Value of Brands:

Looking for the End of the Federer Era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174

Why the World’s Most Influential Intellectual

Is an Islamic Cleric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175

Predicting the Outcome of the Academy Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . .178

Predicting Stock Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180

Predicting the Actions of People Using Social Badges . . . . . . . . .181

8 WHAT MOTIVATES COOLFARMERS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Coolfarmers Show Yhteisöllisyys and Gemeinsinn . . . . . . . . . . . .186

Coolfarmers Are Ethical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

COINs Need Cops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192

Coolfarmers Are Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193

Coolfarmers Are Altruistic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

AFTERWORD: It’s Not Chief Executives,

but Chief Creators We Need! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identiy on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

We're sorry, but penname is already taken.

Please select one of the following:
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

penname is available!

By visiting the BN.com website or marking a purchase on BN.com, a User is deemed to have accepted the Terms of Use.

Continue Anonymously

Welcome, penname

You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit