Business

I just heard Kurt Andersen quote E.B. White with this glorious phrase.How willing is your organization to be lucky? What about you in your career and your marketing efforts? Or in the people you meet or the places you go... Seth Godin

Not sure what I think of this. I like the idea, just not to sure about the implementation. The only bit that really made me laugh was “William Hague (available for speeches, weddings and hen nights) has logged on. hi sorry am late. had a prior engagement”. And that joke was too far in. Good idea, but needs to be funnier. Also on a technical point, you’re asked to post to facebook or add it to your website, but it’s a bit big (wide) for most people.

Technorati Tags: Labour Party,William Hague,shadow WebCabinet

In December Jed Hallam wrote on the Wolfstar blog that Wikipedia discourages community and was in fact “a dictatorship that’s run by sixteen geeks in San Francisco.” We’ve been talking about this in the office and I think Jed’s wrong. Just before Christmas a plea appeared on Wikipedia from the site’s founder Jimmy Wales saying if Wikipedia didn’t raise $6 million they were going to have to start accepting advertising on the site or make Wikipedia a paid subscription service. The Independent are now reporting that subsequent to Wales’ plea donations rose from $30,000 a day to $215,000 easily reaching the goal.

I think those donations, especially the 8,186 which came in the first 24 hours prove Wikipedia has a community. The donations made ranged in value from $5 to $1million; that’s people pitching in what ever they can to save something they feel a part of. There are hundreds of millions of websites on the internet we each see dozens maybe hundreds a week but none we’d give money to not even save, Wikipedia wouldn’t have gone away, but preserve because we have no investment in them. Plenty of us, though, have an investment in Wikipedia if it’s an alteration we’ve made, editorial discussion we’ve become embroiled in or just the knowledge that it carried you through your degree. Investment in something and collaboration (the massive editorial discussions) to make it work are community and financial donations are proof positive of that investment.

David writes in to point out that banks are losing a fortune on foreclosures because many frustrated homeowners are trashing the houses before they leave. This dramatically diminishes the value of the home and leaves scars all around. Why not,... Seth Godin

Unless you work in a nuclear power plant, the answer is certainly no (and if you work there, I hope the answer is yes.) No, everything is not okay. Not in a growing organization. Not if your company is making... Seth Godin

Scarcity plus Christmas plus social pressure plus greed plus kids = critical mass. The most poignant moment comes just after 3:00 when a young boy totally loses it. This is the most disturbing video I've seen today. Seth Godin

If the local bank were offering a sale on dollar bills, ninety cents each, how many would you buy? Most rational people would say, "I'll take them all please." Especially if you had thirty days to pay for them. So,... Seth Godin

When a restaurant goes from a la carte to either a buffet or a prix fixe meal, it is able to find a new class of customers. Could a law firm charge by the project? When I incorporated Yoyodyne, a... Seth Godin

I don't like New Year's. Faux merriment, excessive drinking, ridiculous resolutions and general malaise. Not to mention Dick Clark. There's one great opportunity, though... Brand new expectations are set, expectations just waiting to be shattered. Like an empty Moleskine notebook,... Seth Godin

I really don’t like those blog posts where all the blogger does is regurgitate a series of links they’ve recently read, but it’s the holidays and I don’t have time for a long post and I’ve spotted lots of useful stuff to read so here goes:

Twitter uses 140 characters to change the world; Financial Times
Companies use Twitter to pack PR punch; Financial Times
Social Xmas: Social networks = 10% of UK internet traffic; Hitwise Intelligence, Robin Goad
We’ve embraced social media. Why hasn’t everybody else?; A Shel of My Former Self, Shel Holtz
So you’re a social media agency…; Philip Buxton, former editor of Revolution – a different list to the one I created on Top ten ways not to choose a social media consultant – I’ll blog further on my thoughts on this
US Air Force blog assessment chart; USAF Public Affairs Emerging Technology division via Global Nerdy

Was Jackson Pollock a good painter? The critics at the time certainly didn't think so. Twyla Tharp's London debut was panned. The Prius was largely ignored by car magazines, mostly because it wasn't a very good car. If we define... Seth Godin

Should the person who runs the customer service operations at a ski school also be required to love skiing? Can the CFO of a large church be an atheist? Does the head of marketing at Kodak have to have a... Seth Godin

It's not surprising that Malcolm Gladwell's new book has made a splash. All his thought-provoking writing does and deserves to. The argument of Outliers: Where you're born and when you're born have an enormous amount to do with whether or... Seth Godin

It's not surprising that Malcolm Gladwell's new book has made a splash. All his thought-provoking writing does and deserves to. The argument of Outliers: Where you're born and when you're born have an enormous amount to do with whether or... Seth Godin

Let's say you're stuck in the airport and you need to figure out if you can transfer your seat from your airline to another. Would you pay $20 to talk to a competent, empowered agent who answered on the first... Seth Godin

Let's say you're stuck in the airport and you need to figure out if you can transfer your seat from your airline to another. Would you pay $20 to talk to a competent, empowered agent who answered on the first... Seth Godin

If your pipes break at 3 am, Roto Rooter is happy. They're organized for emergencies like this, for moments when you have no choice but to do business with them. Since you're out of options, their high-priced service is your... Seth Godin

If your pipes break at 3 am, Roto Rooter is happy. They're organized for emergencies like this, for moments when you have no choice but to do business with them. Since you're out of options, their high-priced service is your... Seth Godin

As chosen by clicks, biggest one last. Feel free to vote: Click through to see the plexo Seth Godin

As chosen by clicks, biggest one last. Feel free to vote: Click through to see the plexo Seth Godin