When I say that this is the most significant thing you’ll read all year, it’s absolutely true.

My job is to help people understand and implement social tech ideas, and as such I find myself talking to a lot of people who have various levels of understanding about what social media, online community, and customer collaboration is all about. I don’t get bothered when people don’t understand the space, instead looking to those misunderstandings as opportunity for teaching. But there is one thing that drives me nuts: When people say “these people are weird… where do they find the time?” I explain that everybody has their kink.

But Clay Shirky has explained it in far, far better terms than I ever could have. Trust me, you need to watch this. (Or you can read the transcript, but I suggest the video)