Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: I'm Behind

I did not forget about this series, I swear. Going offline for 9 days has taken a bit harder toll on my workflow than expected, so I'm a few days behind.

My promise to you is to be back on track before the end of this week, hell or high water.

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: Bombastic boasts--"We are positioned to become the preeminent provider of XYZ"--do not constitute a position.

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

Thesis #24: Bombastic boasts--"We are positioned to …

Hang Tight

If you follow me on twitter, you may have noticed something awry this week...I've been silent.

That's because I'm on vacation, my first real unplug in 4+ years.

I had the first half of this week's Cluetrain-a-Day series ahead of time, but now it's Thursday, February …

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: Companies attempting to "position" themselves need to take a position. Optimally, it should relate to something their market actually cares about.

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

Thesis #23: Companies attempting to "position" …

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: Companies need to lighten up and take themselves less seriously. They need to get a sense of humor.

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

Thesis #21: Companies need to lighten up and take …

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: Getting a sense of humor does not mean putting some jokes on the corporate web site. Rather, it requires big values, a little humility, straight talk, and a genuine point of view.

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

Thesis #22: Getting a sense of humor does not mean …

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: Companies need to realize their markets are often laughing. At them.

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

ITS GOOD TO BE BACK! Thanks again to Stephen Smith …

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: Companies that don't realize their markets are now networked person-to-person, getting smarter as a result and deeply joined in conversation are missing their best opportunity.

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

Note: This is a guest post from Stephen Smith, editor …

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: Companies can now communicate with their markets directly. If they blow it, it could be their last chance.

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

Note: This is a guest post from Stephen Smith, editor …

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: Already, companies that speak in the language of the pitch, the dog-and-pony show, are no longer speaking to anyone.

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

Thesis #16: Already, companies that speak in the …

Redesign

I haven't been happy with the readability of my blog for a really long time. It's been a complaint amongst readers for a long time as well.

Starting today, you don't have to read it in a feed reader to get rid of the god-awful contrast problems I had before.

I looked at …

Cluetrain across the Web: Brains on Fire

I'm a huge fan of the Brains on Fire blog, especially after meeting Geno and Spike at BlogOrlando last fall. This crew is smart. Super smart. They don't just get the cluetrain, they run circles around it.

From their latest post,

So now let me tell you why peer-to-peer …

When all else fails, blame it on the economy. Unstick.me gets new rates and more.

Just under 2 months ago, I launched a micro-consulting effort that I dubbed "Unstick.me". It's premise was simple. Small problems, action steps, 1 hour or less.

As I said when I started, it is a work in progress. An experiment, like most everything else I do. That meant …

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: Companies that assume online markets are the same markets that used to watch their ads on TV are kidding themselves

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

Note: This is a guest post from Stephen Smith, editor …

Being a Good Marketer, via Tara Hunt

Remember when I kicked off the cluetrain series saying that I'd be turning to some of my really smart friends for input and possibly contribution? Tara Hunt was on my mind then, and she is now. She just re-posted a 3+ year old blog about being a good marketer. It was …

Cluetrain in Action: Online community ROI research report

I've spent the last 3 weeks working from Cluetrain theses to explain how online communities are conversing, with and without the companies they are conversing about.

While doing some more research for case studies, I came across a research report by the Online Community …

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: Corporations do not speak in the same voice as these new networked conversations. To their intended online audiences, companies sound hollow, flat, literally inhuman.

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

Thesis #14: Corporations do not speak in the same …

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: In just a few more years, the current homogenized "voice" of business - the sound of mission statements and brochures--will seem as contrived and artificial as the language of the 18th century French court.

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

Thesis #15: In just a few more years, the current …

Beehive Baltimore Coworking opens February 2nd with 25 members.

Congratulations to Dave Troy, Newt Fowler, and the whole Baltimore community for what might be one of the fastest paced "call to action" to "space openings" I know about.

Dave just announced on the Coworking google group that they are opening with an astonishing 25 …

Cluetrain-a-Day 2009: People in networked markets have figured out that they get far better information and support from one another than from vendors. So much for corporate rhetoric about adding value to commoditized products.

This post is part of a 95 post series discussing the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto as they relate to business in 2009. Read more about the series in the introduction post. And check out the rest of the series!

Thesis #11: People in networked markets have figured …