Meatball Sundae
I just began reading Seth Godin’s newish book, Meatball Sundae. And I would like to personally compliment Seth on this interesting, well-written and funny book.
I am about half way through the book so far and I am really enjoying it.
The book is centered around Seth’s idea that “New Media” has begun a cycle (or as he says a fourth industrial revolution) of information exchange. He bases this new cycle of business on fourteen trends:
1. Direct Communication and Commerce between producers and consumers
2. Amplification of the voice of the consumer and independent authorities
3. Need for an authentic story as the number of sources increases
4. Extremely Short attention spans due to clutter
5. The Long Tail
6. Outsourcing
7. Google and the dicing of everything
8. Infinite channels of communication
9. Direct Communication and commerce between consumers and consumers
10. The Shifts in Scarcity and abundance
11. The triumph of big ideas
12. The shift from “how many” to “who”
13. The Wealthy are like us
14. New Gatekeepers, no gatekeepers
Each of these section are filled with insightful industry news and exhilarating business strategies. But I think that the most interesting parts of the book lie in Seth’s historical anecdotes.
Favorite idea so far: All advertising is SPAM. Anything the interrupts can expect avoidance and clutter. The new rule is permission. He gives some really convincing arguments showing the trend away from interruption. My advertising 101 professor would roll over in his tenure if he heard that.
Talk to you later,
Bill
