Ride the Cluetrain

The book and the idea for the "Cluetrain Manifesto" came out in the sunset days of the dot-com boom, so it's easy to dismiss the wisdom, or worse, reduce it to platitudes. The notion that "markets are conversations" has already bubbled through business literature.

The '95 Theses' are really an indictment of antiquated notions of control. They re-define the corporation as an "artificial person" - one who needs some therapy, to learn how to speak much more clearly and authentically to the market it serves, and to dispense with paranoia, empty mission statements, and doublespeak strategies.

Because it trades in the currency of information directly, big media may has already felt the effect, from political bloggers. CNN producer Eason Jordan is the latest offender. His mug shot may be appearing soon next to Dan Rather and Trent Lott - people who have crossed the new invisible line.

The dynamics that govern the "blogosphere" apply to markets and corporations. Rapid exchange of information makes it impossible to hide behind falsity. Attention and investment are attracted to those who are responsive, transparent, and inventive. Hierarchies are subverted by hyperlinks in many different forms.

I'm usually stubborn and resistant to hype - but this makes too much sense. People have an incredible innate tendency to act like things won't really change. But just like Monty Python reminded us in 'The Galaxy Song', the the ground never stops moving.