Almost 10 years ago, four guys watching the way business was being done on the Web posted a 95-point proclamation of what worked and didn’t online. They called it “The Cluetrain Manifesto.” Its key tenets: Conversation is essential for business to thrive. Silence kills.
In the least year or so, I’ve heard more marketers like Ian Schafer of Deep Focus and Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research refer to it.
As news organizations scramble to engage its readers, it may be time to study the manifesto once more. And this time, it may pay off to read how market researchers are changing their engagement strategies. A good place to start is Cluetrain at 10.
For those who like slideshows, here are the 95 theses of the original Cluetrain Manifesto:
Photo by eye2eye/Flickr
Nice connection, Chrys! The Slideshare version is a really nice way to experience the Cluetrain.
Slides 33-36 are essential for the journalism business. Ah, but I have to wonder … is it too late? I was reading a Tribune memo over at Craig Stoltz’s blog earlier tonight, and it didn’t sound like “using a human voice” is in the plans for those newspapers.