5: FEED THE WEB FIRST

Members Prosper as the Net Prospers

The distinguishing characteristic of networks is that they contain no clear center and no clear outside boundaries. Within a network everything is potentially equidistant from everything else. Therefore the first thing the network economy reforms is our identity. The vital distinction between the self (us) and the nonself (them)--once exemplified by the fierce loyalty of the organization man in the industrial era--becomes less meaningful in a network economy. The only "inside" now is whether you are on the network or off.