March 25, 2006

Don't Fuck With My Cluetrain

I'm glad Tara has taken to heart some of the feedback to the Pinko Marketing wiki. I didn't get a chance to form my thoughts before the rest of the blogosphere lept in and apparently did it for me. I applaud the work Tara has put into the wiki and the boldness of the effort. My personal thoughts? Unusually easy-to-follow Wiki. Typical ballsy Tara Hunt style. But wrong theme and application. When it comes to Cluetrain, that Pinko dog don't hunt.

My initial reaction to the Pinko Marketing idea was personal. I have spent the last seven years helping put Cluetrain theories into practice in ways that reflected the true spirit of its magic -- in ways that demonstrated that Cluetrain was not about leftist political hippy acid trip ideals (so tempted to put "just" in, heh), but rather a totally new mirror held to the face of faceless corporations that said: LOOK! All you see is you, but we're here. HA!

Cluetrain detractors have always looked to put Cluetrain down by attributing to it characteristics that encourage enterprises to write it off as left-fringe nonesense. But Cluetrain was never "all touchy feely" as its critics would like to imply. Cluetrain is as much about money as it is about you and me. The principles of Cluetrain are as important economically as culturally to the foundation of modern business. It's not all about Robin Hood, or about sharing and hugging and beating on drums.

In other words, Yes, Virginia, there is a ROI.

It's just that your customers tell you what it's going to be.

Wherever Tara goes next with the idea, I'm looking forward to jumping in. As long as we all understand that Cluetrain is PERSONAL to a lot of folks. No one gets to pick who spearheads Cluetrain 2.0, because we don't need a Cluetrain 2.0. Cluetrain WAS 2.0 before 2.0 was 2.0.

Get it, Got it, Good.
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