Wired for Thought: How the Brain Is Shaping the Future of the Internet [Hardcover]

Jeffrey M. Stibel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2009 | ISBN-10: 1422146642 | ISBN-13: 978-1422146644 | Edition: 1st

In this age of hyper competition, the Internet constitutes a powerful tool for inventing radical new business models that will leave your rivals scrambling. But as brain scientist and entrepreneur Jeffrey Stibel explains in "Wired for Thought", you have to understand its true nature. The Internet is more than just a series of interconnected computer networks: it's the first real replication of the human brain outside the human body. To leverage its power, you first need to understand how the Internet has evolved to take on similarities to the brain. This engaging and provocative book provides the answer. Stibel shows how exceptional companies are using their understanding of the Internet's brain like powers to create competitive advantage - such as building more effective Web sites, predicting consumer behavior, leveraging social media, and creating a collective consciousness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Stibel bridges the gap between business and the brain in his thinking, his numerous Internet innovations, and his writings. Wired for Thought helps us understand the Internet at a new, and more intelligent, level. This vision will influence our futures.”

—Dan Ariely, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Economics, MIT Sloan School of Management, and author of Predictably Irrational


“Jeff Stibel’s approach to entrepreneurship in Wired for Thought is an inspiring example of how the best entrepreneurs learn from the world around them and apply what they know to their business. It provides a great example of a multidisciplinary approach to business, as well as practical lessons for any aspiring entrepreneur. This book should be part of any business or entrepreneurship education.”

—Alexa Klebanow, President, Brown University Entrepreneurship Program


“Jeff Stibel has always been two steps ahead of the world of Internet and business, and in Wired for Thought he shares his unique vision in a practical way. Any Internet business will benefit from the connections he makes between what we know about the brain today and what we need to understand about the Internet for tomorrow.”

—Rolla Huff, Chairman and CEO, Earthlink


“Jeff Stibel is one of the most successful entrepreneurs I know, with an uncanny ability to teach others how to grow their businesses. Wired for Thought reveals his secret to success: an entirely new perspective on the Internet, the brain, and business.”

—John Assaraf, entrepreneur; featured expert in The Secret, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal; and bestselling author of Having it All and The Answer

“Wired for Thought is a tremendously provoking, enjoyable, and useful book. The central comparison of the brain and the Internet yielded obviously applicable ways to think about my own businesses and their future—specifically, how to choose, optimize, and manage our business structures. I recommend that you read this book to explore your own possibilities in our increasingly complex global economy.”
Jerry Ostrov, Chairman and CEO, Bausch & Lomb

From the Inside Flap

A Bold Theory on How the Internet Will Evolve—and What It Will Mean for Business

If you want to succeed on the Internet, forget trying to understand how the latest Web phenomenon works. Instead, you need to understand how the mind works. According to Jeffrey Stibel, the Internet is evolving into a brain—and the Web sites, communities, networks, and companies that leverage this insight will own the future.

A brain scientist and serial entrepreneur, Stibel has made an impressive career translating his knowledge of neuroscience into successful Internet ventures. In Wired for Thought, he takes readers on an exhilarating journey into the world of “neuron hunters” who are using their knowledge of the Internet’s brainlike powers to create online businesses.

Viewing Web sites as the “neural networks” of the Internet, Stibel describes how ideas live, die, and spread like genetic material across the Web, quickly transforming the Internet from a mere repository of information to a “prediction machine” that can recognize patterns and intuit meaning. Through intriguing examples from Google, MySpace, The Search Agency, and others, Wired for Thought shows how this evolution is playing out—and offers practical advice and compelling predictions for innovators, including:

• How online networks grow, and how to manage each stage
• What looming dangers threaten social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter
• Why the Internet won’t grow forever—and what will happen when it hits the wall
• How advancements in artificial intelligence will impact businesses and consumers
• Why an “intelligent” Internet is closer than you think—and what it will be able to do

Science and business are converging to create the future of the Internet. This eye-opening and authoritative book will help you avoid the pitfalls and embrace the opportunities of this exciting new world.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Press; 1st edition (September 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1422146642
• ISBN-13: 978-1422146644
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #696,945 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeffrey M. Stibel is a brain scientist and entrepreneur who has helped build numerous public and private companies. He is currently President of Web.com, a public company which helps entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses on the Web. Stibel was the recipient of a Brain and Behavior Fellowship while studying for his PhD at Brown. He serves on the boards of a number of private and public companies, as well as academic boards for Brown and Tufts University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wired for Thought - Wired to Read this Book, September 30, 2009

By 

William H. Borzage - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wired for Thought: How the Brain Is Shaping the Future of the Internet (Hardcover)

Mr. Stibel's "Wired for Thought: How the Brain is Shaping the Future of the Internet" kept me glued to its pages wondering what his next Internet prediction will be. He has some startling predictions about the way the Internet will be the catalyst of catalysts in accelerating human technology. The scenarios he presents will stimulate your imagination and some of them you may find a little unnerving. Can Moore's Law apply to the evolution of technology? I, for one, can't wait to find out. If a business is to survive and prosper, it must stay ahead of its competition. Wired for Thought gives you an insight into what could be in store for businesses, so that you can stay ahead of your competition.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brain waves, October 31, 2009

By 

John Lenac - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wired for Thought: How the Brain Is Shaping the Future of the Internet (Hardcover)

We're due for an intellectual renaissance and, like Stibel, I feel we're experiencing the early stages of this growth with the expansion/evolution of the Internet. I applaud him for detailing this phenomenon so comprehensively, while also making it an easy read. His conclusions are just as significant in the story of human evolutionary as Donald Johanson and his team finding Lucy.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Business People and Entrepreneurs!, October 19, 2009

By 

Annette Tonti (Jamestown, RI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wired for Thought: How the Brain Is Shaping the Future of the Internet (Hardcover)

Jeff Stibel presents a clear, thought provoking premise that overlays brain evolution and biology with the birth and growth of the Internet. The analogies are very strong and if you are in business you must read this book. Why? Because the evolution of the Internet will no doubt affect the strategy of your business over the next 10 years. Jeff makes the case that the Internet is following an evolutionary path so similar to the brain that he unlocks what no doubt will be a path to our connected future. As an entrepreneur this book has opened up some new ideas for me (I see Twitter as a MEME I/O creative destruction machine now!). Business people will love this book!