Why Seth Godin is a Genius

What a pleasure it is to see that Seth Godin has come out with yet another cutting-edge book.

You probably know Seth because he introduced the "ideavirus" concept and wrote a ground-breaking book Purple Cow – which offered a variety of pioneering ways to be outstanding in your field (so to speak).

His newest resource is Small is the New Big: and the 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas (Portfolio).

One of this book's most valuable essays focuses on blogging . . . in particular, the importance of making sure your blog features “candor, urgency, timeliness, pithiness, controversy, and utility.”

In fact, Seth points out that “the best blogs walk a very fine line between civility and anarchy, between passion and privacy. The best blogs start conversations, they don’t control them.”

This insight really sat me back on my mental heels.

Up until now, I’ve tried to share useful information in my blog entries. I’ve noted what POP!d out in the news that particular week, why, and how you could apply that to your work.

Seth has opened my eyes.

That approach comes under the heading of controlling the conversation. That style of writing is more of a tutorial than a two-way discussion. His point is that people rather be involved than taught.

From now on, I will do my best to incorporate Seth’s suggestions. I will ask for input. I will be pithier (after all that is one of POP’s three prerequisites – to make messages Purposeful, Original, Pithy.) I will seek to stir debate.

How do you invite participation so your blog promotes two-way communication and creates an online community? How do you make your posts controversial or urgent? Are you an anarchist blogger? How so? Do you disagree with Seth? Why or why not?

I hope you buy Seth's new book and visit his blog, website, and internet forum Squidoo because they demonstrate his genius. Here are those links. Enjoy.

Seth's website: http://www.sethgodin.com/ (click on Seth’s head!)
Seth’s lens: http://www.squidoo.com/seth
Subscribe to Seth’s blog: http://feeds.feedburner.com/typepad/sethsmainblog
Buy Seth's book: