In 1999 The Cluetrain Manifesto authors, Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger, asserted the Internet enables people to have "human to human" conversations, will transform traditional business practices and call for all businesses to recognize a newly-connected marketplace. They foresaw the impact of the Internet on both markets (consumers) and organizations.

Today both consumers and organizations are able establish a previously unavailable level of communication both within and between these two groups

The emergence of email groups, webboards, on-line people to people networks and Web 2 models has now enabled powerful global conversations. Relevant knowledge is exchanged with blinding speed. For businesses "Markets are Conversations" on the Inernet.

"These markets are conversations. Their members communicate in language that is natural, open, honest, direct, funny and often shocking. Whether explaining or complaining, joking or serious, the human voice is unmistakably genuine. It can't be faked. Most corporations, on the other hand, only know how to talk in the soothing, humorless monotone of the mission statement, marketing brochure, and your-call-is-important-to-us busy signal. Same old tone, same old lies."

"No wonder networked markets have no respect for companies unable or unwilling to speak as they do."