Most films about teenage life would show teenagers who have foolishly succumbed to the temptation to volunteer their homes as a place for a party. It’s a classic movie plot. What was planned as a small private gathering usually turns into a “free for all” party. Not wanting to lose face or get dubbed as “chicken”, the teens put up with all their uninvited guests. We’ve seen it dozens of times on TV and in the movies.

Different groups with different identities and views come together in a limited space. But, guess what will happen? Of course, you know all too well - clashes and havoc breakout as the different swarms collide. In our example of the teen party, the following morning they get greeted by a trashed house that reeks of beer and if they’re lucky just a few scratched or stained furniture. (It’s strange how teens never learn from the mistakes of others or even from their own mistakes.)

Nowadays those groups are called SWARMS. A swarm has been defined as **a set of (mobile) agents which are liable to communicate directly or indirectly (by acting on their local environment) with each other, and which collectively carry out a distributed problem solving.  Researchers tell us the swarm model is: degree of separation, alignment, cohesion, and avoidance between the individuals.
** http://www.molbio.ku.dk/MolBioPages/abk/PersonalPages/Jesper/Swarm.html

What you’ll learn in theTRAFFICplan, as you get involved in marketing, you find (sometimes) the adult social networking space can show many of those same dynamics. When different groups come together in a single space, the chances of collisions are always present. As more and more presences join in you can well expect the number of collisions to increase.

With the increase in the number of meeting places, (and by that I mean forums and networking,) add to that the immense number of people who can join in from every part of the world at same time, differences will surely arise. Arguments will surely cover every conceivable aspect with conversations turning accusatory or inflammatory. How groups communicate and their attitudes soon become their brand.

Individuals then gravitate towards a group based on searches or referrals and eventually to conversations that become a point of identity for the group. The collisions of many different swarms create chaos through which an individual would have to sort through to be able to create the identity that he desires. This identity will then target on its desired goal like productivity enhancement, social enrichment, improved economy or values.

Technology and leadership is the partnership that optimizes the outcome regardless of the swarms’ size or identity. Hopefully advances in technology will make it possible for the different swarms to stay within their boundaries, thus delineating visions and values. If we want to set the stage for the value creation of tomorrow, we need to focus on:

A) What we want our brand to represent?

B) What are the company vision and value statements?

C) Does the brand match the statements?

D) What are the best “spaces” to join in?

This is a fascinating topic, and I’m excited to share how it applies to business today. I will go into more details as we explore how understanding the swarm can help you build your business and brand. Next time we’ll look at the primary core of swarm business… they are -
1. How power can be gained by giving it away
2. Why you MUST share with the swarm
3. In today’s economy, it’s imperative you concentrate on the swarm, not on primarily making money

G. Wayne Clayton is the founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Integerol LLC  along with SocialMarketingExpert.org.  He’s a former newspaper publisher and investigative journalist. He has been seen seen and heard on CNN, Fox News Talk radio, quoted in The Toronto Star and is a Guest Blogger on FastCompany.com.