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Internet Economy

There's a lot of talk about a new economy and how the internet has changed everything. But, what does that means for us in business? Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls and David Weinberger have sketched it out in "The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual." Although the book is available in all the usual places, Locke et al. have published the first chapter and the "95 Theses" online. It's alternately hilarious, profane and practical.

Here's the intro:

"if you have time for one clue this year, this is the one to get...
we are not seats or eyeballs or end users or consumers.
we are human beings -- and our reach exceeds your grasp.
deal with it."
And the first three of the "95 Theses"
"1.Markets are conversations.

2.Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.

3.Conversations among human beings sound human. They are conducted in a human voice."
Here's a way to think about it. Imagine yourself in Starbucks sitting around that little wood table with a friend. What kinds of things would you talk about? What would you want to understand about your friend and what makes him or her tick? Now, imagine having that dialogue with thousands, even millions, of friends. That's the internet. How are you going to create that conversation?

To read the first chapter of the Manifesto and the "95 Theses," go to:

http://www.thinksmart.com/bookpages/bookofthemonth.html

Then, if you want to weigh in, join the Innovation University discussion forum here:

http://www.thinksmart.com/inforums.html

And, thanks to Al Fahden of the Innovation University Faculty for pointing us in the direction of this timely tome.

Andrea Woodward

Join the Innovation University Fellowship Group

Call Ruth Ann Hattori at 303-604-1981 or e-mail andrea@thinksmart.com for more information.

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