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The revenge of the gifted amateur… be afraid, be very afraid…

The revenge of the gifted amateur… be afraid, be very afraid…
The revenge of the gifted amateur… be afraid, be very afraid…
Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the characteristics and impact of “gifted amateurs” who are maximising the potential of Web 2.0 technologies to grow their businesses creatively and in a cost-effective manner. They are “punching above their weight” in their dealings with larger competitors who are less exposed to these new skills and more restricted in their structures.

Design/methodology/approach – A total of 378 small businesses in the South East of England are surveyed and 30 detailed empirical case studies charting the activities of these “early adopters” of Web 2.0 tools are developed.

Findings – Proactive “gifted amateurs” can systematically raise their profile through blogging, networking and judicious use of search engine optimisation techniques. They are competing effectively against larger organisations by applying network effects to their marketing activities, often circumventing the need for increasingly complex IT systems by continuing to rely upon cost-effective Web 2.0 tools and their own networking skills as the business grows.

Practical implications – Technology has now developed to the point where the entry costs and barriers to remote and collaborative working have disappeared. “Gifted amateurs” can acquire new online marketing skills and secure IT systems, plus the ability to network and collaborate globally if necessary on knowledge projects, by creating virtual (and even disposable) organisations without having to commit themselves to a traditional IT infrastructure. Therefore they can avoid reliance on IT suppliers and grow their businesses in more flexible ways.

Originality/value – By recording the characteristics and experiences of these early adopters, this paper is one of the first to document the significant changes in business growth patterns and priorities that these tools are starting to facilitate.
business development, internet, internet shopping, small to medium-sized enterprises
1462-6004
694-709
Harris, Lisa
cf587c06-2cf7-49e6-aef8-c9452cbff529
Rae, Alan
9ca4c1fb-c712-4d39-a1cc-72a58ef34738
Harris, Lisa
cf587c06-2cf7-49e6-aef8-c9452cbff529
Rae, Alan
9ca4c1fb-c712-4d39-a1cc-72a58ef34738

Harris, Lisa and Rae, Alan (2009) The revenge of the gifted amateur… be afraid, be very afraid…. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 16 (4), 694-709. (doi:10.1108/14626000911001009).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the characteristics and impact of “gifted amateurs” who are maximising the potential of Web 2.0 technologies to grow their businesses creatively and in a cost-effective manner. They are “punching above their weight” in their dealings with larger competitors who are less exposed to these new skills and more restricted in their structures.

Design/methodology/approach – A total of 378 small businesses in the South East of England are surveyed and 30 detailed empirical case studies charting the activities of these “early adopters” of Web 2.0 tools are developed.

Findings – Proactive “gifted amateurs” can systematically raise their profile through blogging, networking and judicious use of search engine optimisation techniques. They are competing effectively against larger organisations by applying network effects to their marketing activities, often circumventing the need for increasingly complex IT systems by continuing to rely upon cost-effective Web 2.0 tools and their own networking skills as the business grows.

Practical implications – Technology has now developed to the point where the entry costs and barriers to remote and collaborative working have disappeared. “Gifted amateurs” can acquire new online marketing skills and secure IT systems, plus the ability to network and collaborate globally if necessary on knowledge projects, by creating virtual (and even disposable) organisations without having to commit themselves to a traditional IT infrastructure. Therefore they can avoid reliance on IT suppliers and grow their businesses in more flexible ways.

Originality/value – By recording the characteristics and experiences of these early adopters, this paper is one of the first to document the significant changes in business growth patterns and priorities that these tools are starting to facilitate.

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More information

Published date: 2009
Keywords: business development, internet, internet shopping, small to medium-sized enterprises

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 80489
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/80489
ISSN: 1462-6004
PURE UUID: 6407d6e9-35e9-4799-9c21-c864f58276ef

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Date deposited: 24 Mar 2010
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 00:37

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Contributors

Author: Lisa Harris
Author: Alan Rae

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