Brian Reich and I often speak on the same subject — how nonprofit and causes can use social media effectively. Brian wrote a book called Media Rules! which goes over the big issues that have lead to an online communications revolution.

I have my way of explaining these things. I talk about massive media fragmentation, permission marketing and how the infrastructure of TV and the web are coming together.

Brian covers the same ground, but in a different way and I want to share it with you. This is from an email he sent to folks who attended his talk at the Cause Marketing Forum, where See3 was a sponsor.

Here’s a quick explanation of the new world we are in, from Brian Reich:

In my book, Media Rules!, I address this in the context of three big themes:

Everything is fragmented and blurred: It is necessary and expected that our society will evolve and the impact of those changes will be felt by all organizations. But never has our society changed so quickly or and never have organizations been so dramatically impacted. We are all challenged to adapt in ways, and at levels, not previously imagined. And with little sense that the chaos will settle down any time soon, it is important, new frameworks for operating – and succeeding – must be developed and manage along the way.

Small Can Be Big: Our culture and economy are increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of “hits” (mainstream products and markets) at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail. As a result, what you sell is different. How you sell is different. The services you offer have changed. The expectations of those who shop, and share, and create are shifting as well. New markets have been created, for products and ideas alike, and organizations must determine whether to participate, and if so, how.

We Are All Connected: Technology has fundamentally changed our culture. The online world is about connection, community and conversation. And as the online world goes, so goes much of what the rest of the world thinks and acts on. What we know about each other is changing, or in some cases just being learned. How we think and the decisions we make are increasingly driven by many voices not few. Total control has been replaced by complete understanding and participation.

If you haven’t already, go buy Brian’s book Media Rules.