Seth's Blog: What are you good at?
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/01/what-are-you-good-at.html

Difference between Content and Process

career marketing

As you consider marketing yourself for your next gig, consider the difference between process and content.

As you consider marketing yourself for your next gig, consider the difference between process and content. Content is domain knowledge. People you know or skills you've developed. Playing the piano or writing copy about furniture sales. A rolodex of movers in a given industry, or your ability to compute stress ratios in your head. Domain knowledge is important, but it's (often) easily learnable. Process, on the other hand, refers to the emotional intelligence skills you have about managing projects, visualizing success, persuading other people of your point of view, dealing with multiple priorities, etc. This stuff is insanely valuable and hard to learn. Unfortunately, it's usually overlooked by headhunters and HR folks, partly because it's hard to accredit or check off in a database.

"The third idea, the one that I think is really available to a large number of people now without a lot of resources, is this idea of finding and connecting like-minded people and leading them to a place they want to go"

You can't have insiders unless you have outsiders. All tribes have outsiders. That's what makes them a tribe. If everyone is a member, it's not a tribe anymore.... So I don't think there's any problem at all for Apple with people saying they're elitist.

An interesting article on social networking and viral marketing concepts.

# Do well on standardized tests Be able to read for pleasure Learn for the sake of learning

Three things you need if you want more customers Seth Godin I går, 12:26 PM If you want to grow, you need new customers. And if you want new customers, you need three things: 1. A group of possible customers you can identify and reach. 2. A group with a problem they want to solve using your solution. 3. A group with the desire and ability to spend money to solve that problem.

You'd be amazed at how often new businesses or new ventures have none of these. The first one is critical, because if you don't have permission, or knowledge, or word of mouth, you're invisible.

Google is a permanent record

"Google doesn't forget." Could be useful in further discussing (with kids) the implications of this...

Seth's Blog: Personal

A quick lesson on dirt laundry

Seth makes some great points about life in these modern times. Great to share with students, very concise.

"Google never forgets."/ "Everything you do now ends up in your permanent record. The best plan is to overload Google with a long tail of good stuff and to always act as if you're on Candid Camera, because you are."

家政婦で面接者をGoogleで検索。ひどい3人

people would be wise to recognize that there is no privacy in the online world - be aware that what you say and write in facebook or the like will be 'googlable' for years - operate accordingly - this is a version of big brother that george orwell didn't necessarily think of but certainly exists - in fact, there is no 'one big brother' - everyone can be big brother with google and the death of privacy due to social computing

Examples of how and how not to conduct email campaigns.

Great insights into the difference between getting your name in the news, and getting people excited about your products/company.

Seth Godin's Blog

Seth on meetings, with some innovative ideas

Getting serious about your meeting problem Do you have one? Some folks are going to eight hours of meeting a day. At Ford, they used to have meetings to prepare for meetings, just to be sure everyone had their story straight. If you're serious about solving your meeting problem, getting things done and saving time, try this for one week. If it doesn't work, I'll be happy to give you a full refund. 1. Understand that all problems are not the same. So why are your meetings? Does every issue deserve an hour? Why is there a default length? 2. Schedule meetings in increments of five minutes. Require that the meeting organizer have a truly great reason to need more than four increments of realtime face time. 3. Require preparation. Give people things to read or do before the meeting, and if they don't, kick them out. 4. Remove all the chairs from the conference room. I'm serious. 5. If someone is more than two minutes later than the last person to the meeting, they have...

Do you have one? Some folks are going to eight hours of meeting a day. At Ford, they used to have meetings to prepare for meetings, just to be sure everyone had their story straight.

1. Learn something. Become an expert. 2. Earn a following and reputation. Use social networking tools to connect to people for no good reason.

A lot of corporations have seen dramatic decreases in revenue and have cut back projects as well. In many cases, this is accompanied by layoffs, and so everyone is working far harder. But in other organizations, and for a lot...

1. Learn something. Become an expert. For free, using nothing but time, you can become a master of CSS or HTML or learn Python. You can hit the library and read the entire works of important authors, or you can borrow some books from a friend and master Analytics or discover case studies and corporate histories that will be invaluable in a year. You could learn to become fluent in Spanish...

What can you build over the next year that will take time now and pay off later? How can you invest the slack to build a marketing asset that you'll own forever?

So, my best advice is to say, "Today, right now, your contribution is worth 5% of the company and my creation of the company is worth 5%. The other 90% is based on what each of us does over the next 18 months. Here's a list of what has to get done, and what we agree it's worth..."

my best advice is to say, "Today, right now, your contribution is worth 5% of the company and my creation of the company is worth 5%. The other 90% is based on what each of us does over the next 18 months. Here's a list of what has to get done, and what we agree it's worth..."

Viral Marketing Guru

The challenge of building your product around breakthrough design is that the design has to in fact be a breakthrough. And that means spending far more time or money than your competitors who are merely seeking a positive return.

Return on design

good tips by Seth Godin

start a business by finding ten people who are interested in what you're doing. They will find other people they can interest in your work

This, in two words, is the secret of the new marketing. Find ten people. Ten people who trust you/respect you/need you/listen to you... Those ten people need what you have to sell, or want it. And if they love it,...

Share with students (and administrators and teachers....)

A presentation is a precious opportunity. It's a powerful arrangement... one speaker, an attentive audience, all in their seats, all paying attention (at least at first). Don't waste it. The purpose of a presentation is to change minds. That's the only reason I can think of to spend the time and resources. If your goal isn't to change minds, perhaps you should consider a different approach.

"Do you want the people visiting this site to notice it?"

Great example of what sort of site a client would need.

De eerste vraag die een designer aan een klant moet stellen is, volgens Seth, "Wil je dat je site opvalt?" En dat is, hoe vreemd het ook klinkt een goede vraag die verschillend beantwoord kan worden.

Not for nothing, but I've been saying this for years.

Because I've been thinking about business models.

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1) What compelling reason exists for people to give you money? (or votes or donations) 2) How do you acquire what you're selling for less than it costs to sell it? 3) What structural insulation do you have from relentless commoditization and a price war? 4) How will strangers find out about the business and decide to become customers?

On the power of the internet: "People on the fringes can find each other, connect and go somewhere." On marketers' new challenge: "What we do for a living is find something worth changing, then finding tribes who spread the idea and create a movement." "You don't need everyone - you just need a 1,000 people who care enough that they will get you the next round and the next round...It's about finding the true believers."

Great presentation of Seth Godin on the third wave called tribes.

There are only three kinds of classic meetings: 1. Information. This is a meeting where attendees are informed about what is happening (with or without their blessing). While there may be a facade of conversation, it's primarily designed to inform. 2. Discussion. This is a meeting where the leader actually wants feedback or direction or connections. You can use this meeting to come up with an action plan, or develop a new idea, for example. 3. Permission. This is a meeting where the other side is supposed to say yes but has the power to say no.

Meetings are marketing in real time with real people. (A conference is not a meeting. A conference is a chance for a circle of people to interact). There are only three kinds of classic meetings: Information. This is a meeting...

"# Information. This is a meeting where attendees are informed about what is happening (with or without their blessing). While there may be a facade of conversation, it's primarily designed to inform. # Discussion. This is a meeting where the leader actually wants feedback or direction or connections. You can use this meeting to come up with an action plan, or develop a new idea, for example. # Permission. This is a meeting where the other side is supposed to say yes but has the power to say no."

The panhandler's secret /Seth's Blog/ - When there were old-school parking meters in New York, quarters were ... http://tinyurl.com/dcm4ub [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1257713242]

I love this story. Brief, worthwhile.

Great way to solicit donations. http://is.gd/l5kT [from http://twitter.com/davidwees/statuses/1303875101]

The panhandler's secret: "Do you have a dollar for four quarters?" and then "Can you spare a quarter?" Smart man.

Seth does a great job reminding us that what's posted on YouTube shouldn't be the same as what goes on TV. Great list of tips, too.

TV advertisers are finally discovering that YouTube + viral imagination = free media.

Making commercials for the web /Seth's Blog/ - TV advertisers are finally discovering that YouTube viral ... http://tinyurl.com/chcl94 [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1627779796]

So, if concepts from books are easy, what’s hard? Doing it. Picking up the phone, making the plan, signing the deal. Pushing ‘publish.’ Announcing. Shipping. We spent a lot of time on this area. Every morning, each person came in prepared to push someone in the group to overcome the next hurdle. This is what growth looks like, and it was energizing to be part of. We didn’t do this at all at when I was at Stanford. We spent a lot of time reading irrelevant case studies and even more time building complex financial models. The thing is, you can now hire someone to build a complex financial model for you for $60 an hour. And a week’s worth of that is just about all the typical entrepreneur is going to need. The rest of the time, it’s about shipping, motivating, leading, connecting, envisioning and engaging. So that’s what we worked on. It amazes me that MBA students around the world aren’t up in arms. How can schools justify taking $100,000 in cash and teaching exactly the wrong stuff?

cosas que puedes hacer después de la universidad

Seth Godin telling it like it is when it comes to the type of thing students are learning in marketing classes from outdated, overpriced, and misguided textbooks. I've seen this firsthand at so many interviews with business school students. A-frickin-men, Seth!

This industry deserves to die. It has extracted too much time and too much money and wasted too much potential. We can do better. A lot better.

Remember Guy # 3 for the future.

you matter

Seth's Blog: What kind of open are you looking for? http://bit.ly/5uFRE [from http://twitter.com/dcouturepdx/statuses/2254080263]

People will not pay for by-the-book rewrites of news that belongs to all of us. People will not pay for yesterday's news, driven to our house, delivered a day late, static, without connection or comments or relevance. Why should we? A good book review on Amazon is more reliable and easier to find than a paid-for professional review that used to run in your local newspaper, isn't it? Like all dying industries, the old perfect businesses will whine, criticize, demonize and most of all, lobby for relief. It won't work. The big reason is simple: In a world of free, everyone can play. This is huge.

I've never written those three words before, but he's never disagreed with Chris Anderson before, so there you go. Free is the name of Chris's new book, and it's going to be wildly misunderstood and widely argued about.

"By refusing to build new digital assets that matter, traditional publishers are forfeiting their future."

In a world of free, everyone can play. This is huge. When there are thousands of people writing about something, many will be willing to do it for free (like poets) and some of them might even be really good (like some poets). There is no poetry shortage. The reason that we needed paid contributors before was that there was only economic room for a few magazines, a few TV channels, a few pottery stores, a few of everything. In world where there is room for anyone to present their work, anyone will present their work. Editors become ever more powerful and valued, while the need for attention grows so acute that free may even be considered expensive. Of course, it's ironic that sometimes people pay money for my books (I view them as souvenirs of content you could get less conveniently and less organized for free online if you chose to). And it's ironic that I read Malcolm's review for free. And ironic that you can read Chris's arguments the most cogently by paying for them.

People will pay for content if it is so unique they can't get it anywhere else, so fast they benefit from getting it before anyone else, or so related to their tribe that paying for it brings them closer to other people. We'll always be willing to pay for souvenirs of news, as well, things to go on a shelf or badges of honor to share.

"by refusing to build new digital assets that matter, traditional publishers are forfeiting their future. ... People will pay for content if it is so unique they can't get it anywhere else, so fast they benefit from getting it before anyone else, or so related to their tribe that paying for it brings them closer to other people."

it's the third one, you can probably dispense with the graph altogether. And the fourth isn't really a presentation, it's a working session. Which means you're trying to light a fire, make a point, highlight a trend, cause action to be taken. Your gra

How to make graphs that work

Good results should go up on the Y axis. This means that if you're charting weight loss, don't chart "how much I weigh" because good results would go down. Instead, chart "percentage of goal" or "how much I lost."

good article about graphs

Six Month Alternative MBA

The 6months MBA diary from the students of Seth Godin

Blog of Seth Godin's 'Six Month Alternative MBA' - some interesting thoughts on entrepreneurship and marketing.

Retweeting @TEDchris: I saw Seth Godin give the GEL talk just posted on his blog "This is broken". Funny, insightful. http://is.gd/tDwb [from http://twitter.com/nextyunus/statuses/1573958589]

This is broken /Seth's Blog/ - I did this talk about three years ago. I have to admit that very little in ... http://tinyurl.com/clhjvp [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1573738938]

Define broken, categorize broken, and note that some things are broken on purpose as a filtering system.

very nice mapping of network & platform

Here are a dozen or so forms of communication, arranged on two axes.

Reason why webinars are so valued

nice way to understand why Broadband is key.

Seth Godin sums up the sentiment that when it comes to the brand you work for, the buck always stops with you...even if the true responsibility for your brand's shortcomings arise from a different team/divison/location/etc.

Advice for both employees and employers

Education at the crossroads

here are three choices that anyone offering higher education is going to have to make. MIT and Stanford are starting to make classes available for free online. The marginal cost of this is pretty close to zero, so it's easy for them to share. Abundant education is easy to access and offers motivated individuals a chance to learn. Scarcity comes from things like accreditation, admissions policies or small classrooms. Should this be free or expensive? Should this be about school or about learning? If I were going to wager, I'd say that the free, abundant learning combination is the one that's going to change the world.

Actually, there isn't one, there are three choices that anyone offering higher education is going to have to make.

t

5. Respond. This is the single biggest advantage you have over the big guys. Not only are you in charge, you also answer the phone and read your email and man the desk and set the prices. So, don't pretend you have a policy. Just be human.

2 1. Go where your customers are. Jacquelyne runs a tiny juice company called Chakwave. I met her in Los An

The importance of focusing on the bigger picture.

3 Most of us are afraid of strategy, because we don't feel confident outlining one unless we're sure it's going to work. And the 'work' part is all tactical, so we focus on that. (Tactics are easy to outline, because we say, "I'm going to post this." If we post it, we succeed. Strategy is scary to outline, because we describe results, not actions, and that means opportunity for failure.)

"Building a permission asset so we can grow our influence with our best customers over time" is a strategy. Using email, twitter or RSS along with newsletters, contests and a human voice are all tactics. In my experience, people get obsessed about tactical detail before they embrace a strategy... and as a result, when a tactic fails, they begin to question the strategy that they never really embraced in the first place. The next time you find yourself spending 8 hours on tactics and five minutes refining your strategy, you'll understand what's going on.

Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes! Tactics are almost the cherry on top, but that's what people want: tips-'n'-tactics. Ugh. I can spot the ones who don't get it a mile away now that I've been speaking about marketing for a while. "TELL ME ABOUT TWITTER!!" Um, no. How about we talk about right behavior, and goals? And how about you get those squared away before I put you behind the controls of this howitzer. Which will be outdated, most likely, before you learn how to operate it properly.

The hierarchy of success I think it looks like this: Attitude Approach Goals Strategy Tactics Execution

"Most everyone has a style, and if you pick the wrong one, then all the strategy, tactics and execution in the world won't work nearly as well." "As far as I'm concerned, the most important of all, the top of the hierarchy is attitude. Why are you doing this at all? What's your bias in dealing with people and problems?"

Yep. This is why change management is important to understand.

Non-profits failing to engage with social media at their cost

A great post by Seth Godin

Basically, be open to change.

Discussing non-profits resistance to change and embracing new technology

Some issues about management and marketing for the non-profit: how do non profits organizations face changes? How do they use new technologies for their marketing purposes? How do they evolve?

Info to ask before creating a website

Unresolvable

Great list to use before designing a website.

# How many times a month would we like people to come by? For how long? # Who needs to update this site? How often?

Another breakthrough idea from Seth Godin. Brands In Public should be huge. I'll keep an eye on it, that's for sure. Hopefully I'll have a business/organization/something that will need to use it.

You can't control what people are saying about you. What you can do is organize that speech. You can organize it by highlighting the good stuff and rationally responding to the not-so-good stuff. You can organize it by embracing the people who love your brand and challenging them to speak up and share the good word. And you can respond to it in a thoughtful way, leaving a trail that stands up over time.

"Squidoo has built several hundred pages, each one about a major brand. Each page collects tweets, blog posts, news stories, images, videos and comments about a brand. If your brand wants to be in charge of developing this page, it will cost you $400 a month. And once you take the page over, the left hand column belongs to you. You can post responses, highlight blog posts, run contests or quizzes."

h saying tha

twitterstorm. An idea (one that's negative to the brand)

Leave it beh

"I've been having great success with a hybrid of the yellow legal pad and a printed presentation from Keynote (or Powerpoint). I use it during small meetings where more interactivity is useful, and where the group is too small for a laptop to be the best way to present slides (I think running a presentation says, "I talk, you listen...")"

Thinking of my almost unused Muji Chronotebook..

I love how Seth's brain works... while so many people are thinking of how complicated and hi tech they need to become in order to make points and get through to people, Seth works in the opposite direction in order to simplify things and challenge the status quo. I never would have thought of this had he not posted it.

That's a good idea! A new way to do presentations

"The best time to do great customer service is when a customer is upset. The moment you earn your keep as a public speaker is when the room isn't just right or the plane is late or the projector doesn't work or the audience is tired or distracted. The best time to engage with an employee is when everything falls apart, not when you're hitting every milestone. And everyone now knows that the best time to start a project is when the economy is lousy."

Seth Godin: "it´s difficult to improve your performance in the downhills", lección aprendida andando en bicicleta. http://bit.ly/YL30f [from http://twitter.com/dariuus/statuses/2761368400]

The music industry is really focused on the ‘industry’ part and not so much on the ‘music’ part. This is the greatest moment in the history of music if your dream is to distribute as much music as possible to as many people as possible, or if your goal is to make it as easy as possible to become heard as a musician. There’s never been a time like this before. So if your focus is on music, it’s great. If your focus is on the industry part and the limos, the advances, the lawyers, polycarbonate and vinyl, it’s horrible.

Basecamp

Words sell.

What matters now - commentary from thought leaders on the key challenges ahead

Big thoughts and small actions make a difference. Things to think about (and do) this year

Who likes me? Is everything okay? How can I become more popular? What's new? I'm bored, let's make some noise

If you want to understand why Twitter is so hot, look at those five attributes. They deliver all five, instantly.

Why people choose to visit online social sites: Who likes me?, Is everything okay?, How can I become more popular?, What's new?, I'm bored, let's make some noise

The pillars of social media site success /Seth's Blog/ - Why people choose to visit online social ... http://tinyurl.com/ddgjj6 [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1380983695]

5 things that drive social interaction/why people choose to visit online social sites: * Who likes me? * Is everything okay? * How can I become more popular? * What's new? * I'm bored, let's make some noise

For fifteen years, I was a book packager. It has nothing to do with packaging and a bit more to do with books, but it's a great gig and there are useful lessons, because there are dozens of industries just waiting for you to do something like this. Let me explain:

Seth Godin's Pearls of Wisdom. We love lists and Seth's list is impossibly insightful. It must be read and spread.

A great, short list of useful thoughts and tips for anyone who wants to grow a business or gain momentum for their new idea.

Random rules for ideas worth spreading

Don't plan on appearing on a reality show as the best way to launch your idea

Blog post on ideas for "socializing" the Kindle. Some good ideas here...

Using ebooks.

@d7y @IamSB reminds me of Seth Godin's post about making a product that people love vs making it less annoying: http://bit.ly/44qE

When industry norms start to die, people panic. It's difficult to change when you think that you must change everything in order to succeed. Changing everything is too difficult. * Keep the machines in your factory, but change what they make. * Keep your customers, but change what you sell to them. * Keep your providers, but change the profit structure. * Keep your industry but change where the money comes from. * Keep your staff, but change what you do. * Keep your mission, but change your scale. * Keep your products, but change the way you market them. * Keep your customers, but change how much you sell each one. * Keep your technology, but use it to do something else. * Keep your reputation, but apply it to a different industry or problem.

Pivotal points for change - one thing at a time.

When industry norms start to die, people panic. It's difficult to change when you think that you must change everything in order to succeed. Changing everything is too difficult.

Pivots for change /Seth's Blog/ - When industry norms start to die, people panic. It's difficult to change ... http://tinyurl.com/bu4tdr [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1315341354]

It's difficult to change when you think that you must change everything in order to succeed. Changing everything is too difficult.

Simple... use points from this Seth Godin blog to think about what to keep and what to change.

Intentionally building communities (More hallway!) /Seth's Blog/ - If you think about the tribes you belong ... http://tinyurl.com/couqja [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1482623217]

The challenge is to look at the rituals and events in your organization (freshman orientation or weekly status meetings or online forums) and figure out how amplify the real reason they exist even if it means abandoning some of the time-honored tasks you've embraced. Going around in a circle saying everyone's name doesn't build a tribe. But neither does sitting through a boring powerpoint. Working side by side doing something that matters under adverse conditions... that's what we need.

Working side by side doing something that matters under adverse conditions... that's what we need.

You could be more gracious than if you'd won the work. You could send a thank you note for the time invested, you could sing the praises of the vendor chosen in your stead and you could congratulate the buyer, "based on the criteria you set out, it's clear that you made exactly the right choice for your organization right now." That doesn't mean the criteria were right, it just means that you're not attacking the person for being an impulsive lunatic. You could even outline what you learned from the process and what you'll be changing in the future. And you can make it clear that you're in it for more than just a sale, and you'll be around if they ever need you.

Seth's Blog: Sprint!

« Learning all the time | Blog Home | Which parts are you skipping? »

Sprint! /Seth's Blog/ - The best way to overcome your fear of creativity, brainstorming, intelligent risk ... http://tinyurl.com/akjsof [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1193019864]

seth godin

"Hurry, we need to write a new script for our commercial... we have fifteen minutes."

Sprinting can be helpful, but its not sustainable.

How to get a lot done (both in terms of quantity and quality) in a relative short amount of time. Not something you can do all the time, but a good idea to do periodically.

You can't sprint every day but it's probably a good idea to regularly.

Ignore your critics /Seth's Blog/ - If you find 100 comments on a blog post or 100 reviews of a new book or ... http://tinyurl.com/cupjf9 [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1411642918]

something to think about

So, who should you listen to? Your sneezers. You should listen to the people who tell the most people about you. Listen to the people who thrive on sharing your good works with others. If you delight these people, you grow.

Ignore your critics and fans...You should listen to the people who tell the most people about you. Listen to the people who thrive on sharing your good works with others. If you delight these people, you grow.

Ignore your critics. Ignore your fans. Listen to your sneezers. You should listen to the people who tell the most people about you. Listen to the people who thrive on sharing your good works with others. If you delight these people, you grow.

Hi Lyle, I think that's what he's getting at; Listen to your fans as they will get you more fans. He's a bit difficult to understand sometimes. There is a god point he made a while ago; Don't listen to those people that make the most noise, but those people that bring you the money. I have found that working with the 'shouters' takes up much more time than your good clients and costs you as lot more. Something to keep in mind for when you start working. Cheers, Ian All understood and agreed, i understand that its not wise to listen and take what they say to heart but what of your fans? Are they not the ones you seek to please? Can they not offer you constructive criticism?

From Seth Godin's blog. Discusses the phenomenon of "social clutter" and why traditional ad campaigns fail online.

"Traditional advertising is inherently selfish. It interrupts in order to generate money (part of which pays for more interruptions). That approach doesn't work at a cocktail party, or at a funeral or in a social network." Very interesting take.

Seth Godin blog post on brands needing to provide value with social media

Via @orian

I work with and associate with a lot of talented people in this space. On a rare occasion people mistake me for talented. This post is a great reminder that it’s okay to say no to some requests, in fact, sometime it’s a game changer.

Saying no to loud people gives you the resources to say yes to important opportunities.

List of resources on how to learn graphic design-type stuff.

Ten years ago, you had a wide range of excuses for being a lousy visuals person. Starting with no talent, leading to no skill and going from there. But now, in a world where it is expected that professionals will be able to make beautiful powerpoint slides, handsome business cards, clever bio photos and a decent website, it's as important as driving. And easier to learn and do, and requiring less talent.

No, in fact I’m awful at graphic design. If you’re like me and you have trouble with spacial relations, are borderline color blind, etc. and graphical design, creating power points, etc. is your weak spot consider checking out the resources Seth’s put together. Let’s stop making excuses, okay?

Why aren't you (really) good at graphic design? /Seth's Blog/ - Ten years ago, you had a wide range of ... http://tinyurl.com/dm5uf9 [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1423593339]

graphic design for blogs, books, sites

“Busy does not equal important. Measured doesn't mean mattered.” – Seth Godin There’s a hidden message in this post – it’s your free prize inside. Whether you find the free prize or not, this post will make you think. About your life. About work. About just about everything. Why? Because it’s a distillation of lessons from a man named Seth. Seth Godin is an author, an agent of change, a meaning maker, and an Idea Merchant.

“Busy does not equal important. Measured doesn’t mean mattered.” – Seth Godin

Seth condensed into 25 essential lessons/insights

success sethgodin inspiration strategy business ; The five pillars of success:See (really see) what's possibleKnow specifically what you want to achieveMake good decisionsUnderstand the tactics to get things done and to change mindsEarn the trust and respect of the people around youIt sure seems like we spend all our time on #4.

Basics from Seth Godin. The five pillars of success 1. See (really see) what's possible 2. Know specifically what you want to achieve 3. Make good decisions 4. Understand the tactics to get things done and to change minds 5. Earn the trust and respect of the people around you It sure seems like we spend all our time on #4.

1. See (really see) what's possible 2. Know specifically what you want to achieve 3. Make good decisions 4. Understand the tactics to get things done and to change minds 5. Earn the trust and respect of the people around you

See (really see) what's possible Know specifically what you want to achieve Make good decisions Understand the tactics to get things done and to change minds Earn the trust and respect of the people around you It sure seems like we spend all our time on #4.

Interesting approach to dealing with big problems that you seem to have no control over.

This is a must-read if you’re concerned about the health of your personal brand, job, or company during the current economic recession. If one thing is out of sync, don’t let it cause panic, build up the other aspects of your business so that when we come out of this thing, you’re suddenly ahead of the game (and your competitors).

keeping it balanced

Sounds so simple (and it is) but Seth is great at giving simple truths

Marketing Strategy

"If you want to grow the size of your customer base, you need to confront the buffet dilemma" Great post by Seth Godin http://bit.ly/Q9Don [from http://twitter.com/r1tz/statuses/2003329906]

This is a great analogy featuring buffets that really simplify two different business approaches that could significantly impact your business and attract more customers.

Great post from Seth Godin on the myth of $50m salaries http://bit.ly/1o5EYK [from http://twitter.com/r1tz/statuses/1418127934]

The myth of big salaries (it's all marketing) /Seth's Blog/ - The failed bankers on Wall Street have been ... http://tinyurl.com/chkazp [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1374768795]

Excellent post that lifts the lid on the nonsense of self-justified bib money salaries

Seth Godin has posted a great post 'The myth of big salaries (it's all marketing)' on his BLOG.

The failed bankers on Wall Street have been whining that if they have to cut bonuses and salaries dramatically, they'll be unable to recruit great talent, and they need great talent to fix the situation. And for years, boards have...

My approach now is simple: take a look at the rules of the new ecosystem. Do they make sense? Is it possible they'll come to pass? If they do, what happens to you?

And that's where we get stuck. We get stuck because we believe that the rules of our ecosystem are permanent and transferable. In fact, they are almost always temporary and rarely transferable. My approach now is simple: take a look at the rules of the new ecosystem. Do they make sense? Is it possible they'll come to pass? If they do, what happens to you?

Social media, it turns out, isn't about aggregating audiences so you can yell at them about the junk you want to sell. Social media, in fact, is a basic human need, revealed digitally online. We want to be connected, to make a difference, to matter, to be missed. We want to belong, and yes, we want to be led.

On the surface this post was promoting Seth’s new book Tribes, but take a closer look and he’s explaining why mass marketing and yelling at your audience doesn’t work, and how social media reveals a basic human need that we want to be connected, to make a difference and to matter.

Awesome - can't believe I missed this one first time round.

Seth Godin's blog

ideas that spread, win

Seth Godin: "Social media, it turns out, isn’t about aggregating audiences so you can yell at them about the junk you want to sell. Social media, in fact, is a basic human need, revealed digitally online. We want to be connected, to make a difference, to matter, to be missed." [via:Adriana Lukas]

Presentatie - ontwikkeling van marketing

seth_godin advertising marketing

just about every successful product or service is the result of smart marketing thinking first, followed by a great product that makes the marketing story come true.

This is only sort of true. The danger with starting the marketing first is that its very easy to over promise and under deliver. Just ask Microsoft. However, marketing clearly plays an important role in every product and subsequent launch.

Marketing FTW.

Marketing is not the same as advertising. Advertising is a tiny slice of what marketing is today, and in fact, it's pretty clear that the marketing has to come before the product, not after.

I still remember that person... http://tinyurl.com/c67zl6 [from http://twitter.com/mrdoubleb/statuses/1380242864]

Yeah, but he really knows his stuff... /Seth's Blog/ - Every organization worth its salt has at least one ... http://tinyurl.com/d3x8pl [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1365156152]

Deep technical competency is overrated compared with the ability to make excellent decisions and to create a culture where forward motion is valued and personal initiative is rewarded. The good news is that the bully knows this, and the only reason he gets away with being a bully is that he thinks he's got you bluffed. Call his bluff and odds are you'll have a much more cooperative team, top to bottom.

Deep technical competency is overrated compared with the ability to make excellent decisions and to create a culture where forward motion is valued and personal initiative is rewarded.

Every organization worth its salt has at least one guy like this. Someone who knows every technical detail, or has vast expertise in the parliamentary procedure. Perhaps he's the coot who knows every verse of the Bible or is the...

Warning: The internet is almost full Due to the extraordinary explosion in video, blogs, news feeds and social network postings, the internet is dangerously close to running out of room. Nothing can grow forever, and exponent

Seth Godin's point about information overload seems well made: Ten years ago, you had a shot of at least being aware of everything that mattered. Five years ago, you had to be really selective about what you took in, but at least it was possible to know what you didn't know. Today, it's impossible. Today, you can't even read every article on a thin slice of a thin topic. You can't keep up with the status of your friends on the social networks. No way. You can't read every important blog... you can't even read all the blogs that tell you what the important blogs are saying. Used to be, you could finish reading your email, hit "check email" and nothing new would show up. Now, of course, the new mail is probably a longer list than the mail you just finished processing. The internet isn't full, but we are.

Of course, the decentralized nature of the net means that it will never be physically full. As long as we can keep making hard drives, we won't run out of space to store those inane videos of your Aunt Sally. What is full is our attention.

Great insight on the digital/internet age

For 400 years, higher education in the US has been on a roll. From Harvard asking Galileo to be a guest professor in the 1600s to millions tuning in to watch a team of unpaid athletes play another team of...

Seth Godin is a marketer, not an educator, but as a marketer he predicts the downfall of higher ed. "I'm afraid," he writes, "that's about to crash and burn. Here's how I'm looking at it... Just as we're watching the disintegration of old-school marketers with mass market products, I think we're about to see significant cracks in old-school schools with mass market degrees... Accreditation isn't the solution, it's the problem."

College might be overrated.

The opportunity, then, is not to insist that your customers get more rational, but instead to embrace just how irrational they are. Give them what they need. Help them satisfy their needs at the same time they get the measurable, rational results your product can give them in the long run.

"The opportunity, then, is not to insist that your customers get more rational, but instead to embrace just how irrational they are."

The problem is that your prospect doesn't care about any of those things. He cares about his boss or the story you're telling or the risk or the hassle of making a change. He cares about who you know and what other people will think when he tells them what he's done after he buys from you.

The problem is that your prospect doesn't care about any of those things. He cares about his boss or the story you're telling or the risk or the hassle of making a change. He cares about who you know and what other people will think when he tells them what he's done after he buys from you. The opportunity, then, is not to insist that your customers get more rational, but instead to embrace just how irrational they are. Give them what they need. Help them satisfy their needs at the same time they get the measurable, rational results your product can give them in the long run.

Note to self: Never forget - people buy emotionally and justify rationally

«This is why I don't have a podcast, a video channel, any activity to speak of on Facebook. It's why I don't use Twitter or travel the country visiting bookstores. There are many places to be, and it's tempting to act like those non-profits and race after the next one. But it doesn't work.»

Critical mass is what happens when you have enough and do enough that you connect to a tribe, one that matters. Critical mass is the pay off from focused, consistent effort. Critical mass is what you don't get if you are constantly working the angles and looking for a shortcut.

Why rushing from one quick win to another won't get you anywhere in social media.

blog post 10/08

Godin's concept of tribes is similar to Gadwell's talk about the 150 rule in the Tipping point

Do one thing really well.

"We can make a market or we can take share from a market."

That's the choice most of us make when we launch a product or service. We can make a market or we can take share from a market. "This is just like the Gillette razor, but cheaper." "This has a touch screen, too, but you can get it from Verizon." "I'm a shiatsu massage therapist, the only one on this block." Those are 'taking' statements. They break a larger market into smaller bits. Compare to: "This is a sugared cereal for adults." "Our software enables you to find data and trends that no one else can find." "By combining protein and chocolate, we've developed a new food that's both dessert and dinner." These are 'making' statements. Riskier, sure, but they stand for something, they don't just steal share. The Dummies guides made a market, the Idiot's guides took from that market. You need to be clear with yourself and your team about which one you're after, because they bring different costs, different benefits and different time frames.

That's the choice most of us make when we launch a product or service. We can make a market or we can take share from a market. "This is just like the Gillette razor, but cheaper." "This has a touch screen, too, but you can get it from Verizon." "I'm a shiatsu massage therapist, the only one on this block." Those are 'taking' statements. They break a larger market into smaller bits. Compare to: "This is a sugared cereal for adults." "Our software enables you to find data and trends that no one else can find." "By combining protein and chocolate, we've developed a new food that's both dessert and dinner." These are 'making' statements. Riskier, sure, but they stand for something, they don't just steal share. The Dummies guides made a market, the Idiot's guides took from that market. You need to be clear with yourself and your team about which one you're after, because they bring different costs, different benefits and different time frames.

making markets v. taking markets

Seth's Blog:

These are 'making' statements. Riskier, sure, but they stand for something, they don't just steal share. The Dummies guides made a market, the Idiot's guides took from that market.

"One by one, the mass marketers have insisted on robocalling, spamming, jingling and lying their way into our lives. " / "The public works tirelessly to flee to actual interactions between real people, and our organizations work even more diligently (and with more leverage) to corporatize and anonymize the interactions. The irony, of course, is that an organization with guts can go in the opposite direction and win."

Organizations will work tirelessly to de-personalize every communication medium they encounter. The public works tirelessly to flee to actual interactions between real people, and our organizations work even more diligently (and with more leverage) to corporatize and anonymize the interactions. The irony, of course, is that an organization with guts can go in the opposite direction and win.

"The irony, of course, is that an organization with guts can go in the opposite direction and win." - think about this

The Sad Lie Of Mediocrity by Seth Godin

Doing 4% less does not get you 4% less. Doing 4% less may very well get you 95% less. That's because almost good enough gets you nowhere. No sales, no votes, no customers. The sad lie of mediocrity is the mistaken belief that partial effort yields partial results. In fact, the results are usually totally out of proportion to the incremental effort.

Key point: anonymous agents are interchangeable and virtually worthless. Agents that don't do anything but help one side find the other side in a human approximation of Google aren't so helpful any more.

Now, the best ones are paid by the traveler, not the airline. The best ones provide a differentiated service that is worth paying for. Instead of being middlemen, then, they are the front men, the attraction, a key asset to the traveler.

Where have all the agents gone? /Seth's Blog/ - Travel agents... gone. Stock brokers... gone. Real ... http://tinyurl.com/dz9uw4 [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1341447525]

Travel agents... gone. Stock brokers... gone. Real estate brokers... in trouble.

To thrive in a world of self-service, agents have to hyperspecialize, have to stand for something, have to have the guts to say no far more than they say yes.

This is the heart of the modern business plan. The only reason to launch a project is to change something, and I want to know what you're going to do and what impact it's going to have.

Seth makes a great case for a better, straight-forward business plan

divide the modern business plan into five sections: Truth Assertions Alternatives People Money

Business plan in bare essentials

150 years later, why go to work in an office/plant/factory?

When you need to have a meeting, have a meeting. When you need to collaborate, collaborate. The rest of the time, do the work, wherever you like.

If we were starting this whole office thing today, it's inconceivable we'd pay the rent/time/commuting cost to get what we get. I think in ten years the TV show 'the Office' will be seen as a quaint antique.