Rating: 
Summary: Thin, both in size and content
Review: The central idea of this book is to consider spreading of new ideas, fashions and social trends as contagious epidemics. Duh, what's the alternative? That new trends are secretly broadcast into consumer's cortexes from some corporate Dr. Evil's central repositiory? Or downloaded after stumbling into some banner ads "Click here for the next hot idea"? In other words, Mr. Gladwell's thesis makes sense, but it is not particularly new or non-obvious.The author's point is further expanded, among other things, into three attributes which are important in sustaining a successful "epidemics". They are called the "Law of the Few", the "Stickiness Factor" and the "Power of Context". In fact (this is mine, not Mr. Gladwell's illustartion) one can easily understand these concepts in terms of massive forest fires - like those near Los Alamos which made the news recently. "The Law of the Few" is in fact a statement that some trees (e.g. higher, dryer, with wide spreading branches) are more effective in propagating the fire than others, just as some people are better at disseminating new trends and ideas than others. The "Stickiness Factor" is that the forest areas with denser amount of dry biomass are likely to be more effective in sustaining massive fires, than thin grass or underbrush, which often burns out and fizzle very quickly. The "Power of Context" is equivalent to a notion that ambient factors (e.g. wind, humidity) are important in spreading the "epidemics" of a forest fire. Is it correct? Yes, but it is also little more than a fairly trivial, common-sense observation. Is it worth writing a book and conjuring special catch-phrases? Probably yes, given Mr. Gladwell writing skill and knack for astute real-world observations, but only marginally so. The idea of "tipping point" is illustrated by the notion of exponential growth, with slow change before the "tipping point" and rapid acceleration afterwards. But the author doesn't seem to fully understand exponential curve from a quantitative point of view. The thing is, exponential growth does not have any special "tipping point" at all. The essence of it is the same percentage of change in the same time intervals, therefore each point is the same as any other; each section of the curve, properly scaled, looks similar. In fact fact, one can consider quantitative arguments on somewhat more substantial ground. For example, define a "tipping point" as a moment when the growth passes the point of being susceptable to inevitable fluctuations and extinction, that is when initial flickering light becoming stealily expanding raging fire. The author, however, does go into such direction. Which is not to say that the book is bad. It is easy, pleasant reading, with interesting real world examples - although, for a fairly short book, it told me more about Hush Puppies than I really cared to know.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought-provoking and easy to read
Review: I've recently recommended this fascinating book to many of myfriends -- in Gladwell's terms, that may make me a Maven. The TippingPoint explores the many things that make an idea (or product or message) "catch on." Fortunately, it is loaded with examples and studies that make it involving, easy to read, and provide substantial evidence for many of the points therein. These examples demonstrate how the ideas in the book touch on our lives every day: how the personalities of the people around us affect our own behavior, how we can have a positive influence on the world around us, and more. The book is written with a relatively broad target audience in mind, but it seems to be mainly directed at product marketing folks. Although Gladwell is talking about political campaigns, the Revolutionary War, and children's television, most of the book seems to be focused on "as a marketer, how do you get your message out and how to you get it to affect people." This is not necessarily bad, and Gladwell is careful to point out that the ideas in the book do apply much more broadly to the world at large. I fear this will be a turn off to some readers, however. The Tipping Point does make extensive reference to scientific literature and psychological studies to back up the points that it makes, but I was disappointed on a couple of counts with the science. First, Gladwell proposes the existence of certain rules and personality types, and then attempts to prove that these are valid. I don't think his postulates are invalid, but they are just one way of thinking about the ideas in the book. In my mind, I think of them like Freud's ego, id, and super-ego. Do these things really exist? Well, probably not, but they can be a useful metaphor for thinking about our minds. Gladwell's connectors, mavens, and salesmen are similar and I wish he were explicit about them being a useful fiction. I guess most intelligent readers won't have a problem. Also, I wish he mentioned complexity theory and how it also examines "epidemic behavior" in populations. I would recommend "Complexity : The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos as a good intro to this area. I highly recommend this book. One message to take from it is an extremely hopeful one: we can make a tremendous impact on the world around us. And this book gives some great ideas about how you might start. END
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but not science
Review: I agree with most reviewers that this book has interesting anecdotes and makes interesting points. I found, however, that his theory has very little to do with science. His anectdotes are just that, and his attempt to explain widely differing phenomena by simple rules is thought provoking, but not scientific or rigorous. In fact, some of his examples didn't seem to fit the definition of tipping or epidemics and the more I read, the less his rules seem to "stick." But, the book is well written, is worth reading for the anecdotes, and it may inspire others to create a more rigorous theory for tipping.
Rating: 
Summary: This Book Will Teach You A Lot!
Review: I had no presuppositions about this book when I picked it up at a Borders, completely by chance. I guess the cover drew me in. Wow, was I lucky to have picked it up and skimmed through some selected pages.I keep reading and rereading it....not cover to cover, but here and there.The section about "stickiness" and Sesame Street will amaze every reader who has ever watched the t.v. program (as a kid or a parent). Gladwell offers so much insight into our everyday lives. Why things happen and why things don't. Why things are the way they are. It will make some begin to do a "paradigm shift" about the way they observe the world around them. I've already begun "tipping"...I plan to use Gladwell's insights in my professional world as a teacher and a children's writer.To think the man is in his thirties amazes me...Buy this book and share it with friends and family...A great Father's Day gift too! I say WOW! again!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent non-fiction work
Review: A fast read that is actually quite entertaining. The element that I found most compelling was his use of everyday examples to illustrate his points. It's a potentially dull subject, but he dresses it up quite nicely
Rating:
Summary: Provocative and out of the ordinary
Review: From Joan Mazza, author of DREAMING YOUR REAL SELF, DREAM BACK YOUR LIFE, FROM DREAMS TO DISCOVERY and THINGS THAT TICK ME OFF. So much about THE TIPPING POINT was new information for me-from the making of children's television shows to the stories behind the falling crime rate in NYC to the study of fashion trends. I loved the detailed descriptions of the different personalities that contribute to the tipping phenomenon. It helps explain the success (and failure) of so many people's attempts to make a public impact. The concept of context, especially the "magic" number of 150, was in keeping with what I know about people living in intentional communities. Translating these ideas into positive "sticky" life choices has enormous potential for social change and personal satisfaction that most people can only get a glimpse of in their personal lives. **Very thought provoking.** I want to recommend it to everyone I can think of- and for very different reasons!
Rating:
Summary: An Eye Opener As To What Makes Things Happen !
Review: A very interesting read that will help you find out why things happen in your everyday life, personal, business and entertainment. You'll find out how very small changes in anything can affect its popularity. Everything in this book is spelled out very clearly. You'll learn the buzz words and terminology that can be used to explain things that happen in the fields of medicine, culture and social activities. The author emphasizes what makes things click, why ideas spread and what makes them stick. Some of the major topics include: Three Rules of Epidemics, The Stickiness Factor, The Power of Context, and numerous case studies. You will learn how to apply the basic concepts to help you reach a Tipping Point in virtually all of your activities. I love books that guide provide the reader with personal improvement methods, leading to a better life. This book helped me see that "little things mean a lot." Some of these concepts can help everyone. Very informative.
Rating:
Summary: Useful and entertaining
Review: As a marketing professional, I'm always looking for good analogies to help me understand and communicate subtle marketing concepts. The use of the epidemic as an analogy for the way cultural trends spread was great. Gladwell has clearly done his homework and gives plenty of examples from all over the place. He talks about brands, cultural trends, and real epidemics. In developing strategies, I will find his breakdown of the mechanism of an epidemic (how it gets to the tipping point) very useful. And the personal, conversational style made this factual and relevant material engaging as well. In the spectrum of good reads, I found it to be a useful book that can be read on a round-trip coast-to-coast flight (no problem). Read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Quit complaining, and read this book!
Review: A must read for anyone in teaching, coaching, marketing, or sales... for that matter for anyone who seeks positive change. Interesting and motivating!
Rating: 
Summary: there's something fishy going on ...
Review: As a few others have pointed out, every time a low review of this book is given it is immediately followed by several glowing reviews that sound professionally written. And its no secret that the publisher paid about one million dollars for this book! Might there be a connection? Maybe they've taken the lessons of the book to heart and are trying to create their own Hush Puppy phenomonon by making it seem like the world is just set on fire by this book. And what of the book itself? Nice, but no real groundbreaker. If you know that you can be influenced by your friends and by the world around you, you just got all you will get out of this book. In almost 300 pages the author gives plenty of examples; and to be said, he writes well. But there is no SUBSTANCE underlying the book, just some neat tales. When the subway system in NY started cleaning all the trains and refused to allow a train to return with graffiti once it had been cleaned, grafitti declined. Are you surprised the graffiti artists didn't want to waste their time once it was clear it was futile? If you are, this is the book for you. If not, why waste your time reading it.
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