If you haven’t heard of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, where have you been hiding? Written by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, it has been one of the most influential books I have read on social media/networking and business.

If I could, I would pull out all of my favorite quotes and thoughts to share, but unfortunately, there are about 200 that I have made note of in the 241 page book (yes, I made note of almost a quote per page). So, I have decided to share the top 10 thoughts from the book – and leave them open for discussion. These were quotes that made me think, jot down notes, and dig deeper into my brain to think about them.

The number in italics at the end of each quote is the page number, just in case you want to grab the book and find out more details.

1. …people on the Internet showed they were in charge. Any individual can be stopped, co-opted, bought off or sued. But the Internet allows people to draw strength from each other. 6
2. Concentrate on the relationships, not the technologies. 18
3. Take a step back and ask yourself, ‘What are my customers ready for?’ and then ‘What are my objectives?’ Once you know that, then you can start planning. 67
4. Marketers tell us they define and manage their brand…Bull…Your brand is whatever your customers say it is. 78
5. With so many products trying to gets people’s attention, shouting at them isn’t nearly as effective as it used to be. 102
6. The key to succeeding in social networks is to help people spread your message and to measure results. 106
7. A community is a like a marriage; it requires constant adjustment to grow and become more rewarding. And if you’re not in it for the long haul, well, maybe you should think about the ugly endings you’ve seen to marriages that lacked the long-term effort. 149
8. Product developement is hard. Why not let your customers help you with it? 181
9. Like a diet plan built on quick weight loss, quick hits and wins can evaporate rapidly if groundswell thinking doesn’t become a regular part of a company’s process. 199
10. Within a few years, a company that doesn’t engage in this sort of activity will look dated. What would you think of a company who had one static graphic and no links on its home page? In 1995, that was typical – now it’s laughable. And in the same way, companies that aren’t wired into the groundswell in 2012 will look very 20th century – which is to say, out of touch. 238

Share your thoughts on any of the quotes above, or if you’ve read the book as well, did I miss one of your favorites?