What is "Kindling" You?

The book and magazine publishing industry is undergoing a major overhaul. Publishers are scrambling to catch up to the rapid changes that are taking place. Years ago they published paper books and kept the rights and most of the profits.  The invention of the printing press centuries ago meant a more empowered individual and spelled the end of the educated class' control of the population.

Today you simply switch on your Kindle, Nook , IPad or e-reader, check out the online store (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) and download your next purchase in seconds – for usually under $10 per book! Wow! This simple process has completely reinvented book writing and publishing. Traditional publishers are getting left outside of the process.

These devices have reinvented the process of buying and reading books and magazines. They have almost put traditional publishers out of business. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com said in a recent interview on 60 Minutes that he wasn't attempting to put bookstores out of business, but to challenge them to meet consumer needs more effectively. His Kindle is putting book, magazine and newspaper publishers out of business.

The IPod "Kindled" CD's out of business.  Netflix has "kindled" Blockbuster out of business.  Smart phones completely "kindled" pagers out of existence.  Online and mobile banking are "kindling" branch lobbies. 

In every venture something is "kindling" the traditional way of doing business and customer interaction. Don't believe me?  Just check out WebMD the next time you feel ill and see how your doctor's office feels about your self-diagnosis.

Question: What is “Kindling” you or your business or sector?