(2008-10-20) Godin Tribes

Seth Godin's Tribes book ISBN:9781591842330 is out. The next frontier of Marketing is in leading (Leadership, not Management) groups of people who are working together to get somewhere. Go down the list of online success stories. The big winners are organizations that give tribes of people a Platform to connect. HughTrain, Tribalism, Brand You, True Fan, Subversive, Engagement.

He notes importance of changing from within organizations (BigWorld) - cf 2008-06-18-HaqueWorldviewDisruption

RickBurnes live-blogged the launch/release event.

Hugh MacLeod did an email interview with Seth, covering the arc of his thinking. Story Telling, etc.

My notes

• argh, no index, no Table Of Contents, no chapters! Even a Thin Book needs some organization.

• name-dropping without context - often an individual is named without reference to their organization of sphere of action. Keep Google handy.

• I guess the key message of the book is: The Internet makes it easier to start/lead a Tribe, and you have no excuse not to. Seems like that Thin Book could have been even Thinner.

Mar'2011: Gregory Rader counters: The critical link that is ignored in nearly all discussion of tribes and Movement-s is the proposed solution. This omission is predictable because it deemphasizes the role of the tribe. A tribe with no productive solutions is just a mob. The “organize first, think later” formula is a recipe for extremism, not productive solutions... Hundreds of years of accumulated political history have skewed our cultural understanding of what it means to create change. Political culture loves movements because the only way to get anything done in politics is to organize a mob of voters (or campaign contributers). If you admire politicians (or creepy cult leaders) then starting a movement or leading a tribe might be for you. If you are sane then I offer you two alternatives: Empower (free individuals' Agency).... Connect (bring people together so that they may empower each other) (Collective Action).... Superior offers will require fewer contrivances to encourage adoption by others. Leading a movement may appeal to self-indulgent vanity but it restricts the available solution space. Empowering and connecting provides improved perspective. Tribes cloud perspective with social loyalties (Tribalism). 2011-03-31-RaderStartAMovementLeadATribeButOnlyAsALastResort