Rating: 
Summary: Talk with me...or leave
Review: The Cluetrain Manifesto reflects something I believe strongly: the people I sell my services to are not numbers, or demographic pockets, or targeted audiences.There's no magic here, just common sense. The book talks about the meeting of modern marketing and old-fashioned craftsmanship through the medium of the Internet. Instant email, one-click searches for information and global, real-time, affordable communications...news travels fast in this environment If a marketer can't stand behind what they sell, or the claims they make, the whole world will have access to this fact. If there are skeletons in the closet, they will soon see daylight... Read the book, and think about it: consumers who get their information from other consumers, directly, and not from the marketing spin of the seller. To be part of the conversation, the seller had best be willing to answer questions in real time, and discuss issues without that hidden agenda of placing a marketing spin on every phrase. Tell me what you have to sell, but don't try to talk to me like I am your own personal test subject for the latest brainwashing technique. Listen to what I say, because I've already heard all the pre-scripted fluff, and I will find someone else who is willing to risk being real.. Talk to me honestly, because I will find out if you don't. And I will tell others. Thank you, Cluetrain Manifesto. Maybe the business that won't listen to me will listen to you. If not, there's another business one click away...
Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational, period.
Review: The Cluetrain Manifesto could have been called The Emperors New Clothes, because of the authors' similarity with the little child of the fable, who blatantly and courageously tells it like it is. Cluetrain is less a book, or even a collection of essays, than a collection of ideas. Often fascinating and insightful in its challenge to unmask "business as usual", its real strength lies in two of its collaborators: Christopher Locke and Rick Levine. Their chapters are by far the strongest, whereas David Weinberger and Doc Searls seem more out of place (you'll do best in skipping David Weinbergers disastrous ramblings "The Hyperlinked Organisation", it cost this book a star in its rating). Messrs Locke and Levine, however, carry every trait of the business world's answer to Tom Waits and Vic Chestnutt: Angry, outsiders, intelligent and provocative. Their chapters savour with a wonderful blend of cynicism and a "we- want -change- now"-attitude. As a source of inspiration, Locke and Levine will provide cannon fodder for many a young, ambitious, corporate up and comers. That is, sadly, where Cluetrain runs into the usual management literature-trap, "the consultancy tongue". Their thoughts, inspirational and insightful as they are, have little if any relevance when it comes to applying them in the real world. Yes, it is important to be honest and open as an organisation (Peter Drucker taught us that in the 1950's), yes corporate-speak is ridiculous (Scott Addams has made a career out of this for the past decade) and yes, everything that the net is used for today is out of sync with its original intent (similar to Einstein's molecular theory not being intended to be used to nuke Hiroshima). Cluetrain is a book for the slightly cynical individual of the modern organisation (i.e. most people from New York to Newcastle), the kind of people who find delight in challenging bourgeois ideals (sit up straight, eat with your mouth closed, talk only when asked to do so). Tom Waits tears apart Prada-jackets on stage; Vic Chestnutt laments in his wheel-chair; Locke, Levine et al. rip apart traditional corporate jargon. Unfortunately, their nostalgic-oozing want for the early days of the Internet becomes far too obvious in the 250 or so- pages. The result is a book that struggles and ultimately fails to get past the "interesting thoughts by angry academics"-category.
Rating:
Summary: The end of business as usual
Review: Hard to recommend such a small publication when the entire thing is now available for download at the website.
Markets are conversations. This is good.
Mass marketing is not a conversation. That is bad.
The authors leave themselves open to some fair criticism - their ideas aren't fully developed nor are their any clear suggestions as to implementation. It reads more as a protestation against existing norms than a viable alternative.
Find a second-hand copy. It's worth a read but not quite worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: NOT just about the Internet
Review: I really wanted to rate this book higher than three stars. In fact, if it were only thirty or forty pages, I would have been trying to rate it at ten stars! It starts out by making bold, mostly clear, sometimes odd statements. All of which are hugely entertaining and frequently provocative. The book does drone on a bit though, and I found it tedious towards the end. I was surprised at the content, however. To me it was much less about how the Internet is changing the economoy and business, and more about how it is changing how people connect. Far beyond a clinical explanation (this is a Manifesto after all), it postulates about the changes this newfound, hyperlinked communication has made in employee, customer, and vendor expectations. I happen to agree with almost every message. Down with empty happy-talk and command and control management...long live capability, knowledge, and real, heart-felt communication. This book would certainly have received full marks from me had it been less repetitive.
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars. What more could I say in a title?
Review: Many people happen to think this is a great book and I think it's definitely something that many business majors could benefit from. I'd advise people who don't find this book to be of any use or to be "nothing more than the ramblings of a number of self-appointed dot-com smart guys who have little or no experience in the real world of profit and loss" to stick to lower level reading and I think I'm not alone here judging by the other reviewers. "How-to's" are probably what you should be grazing on, spiteful remarks notwithstanding. As all successful businessmen know, and there are still many on the Web, it takes creative thinking to implement vision in real-world manifestations and this book is a great starting place for spurring that kind of thinking -- the now-cliched "Thinking out of the box." Anybody would rather devote several years of their lives to a project that's original enough to succeed and taking the thoughts in this book to heart is a great way to help assure that.
Rating: 
Summary: Love it or hate it but don't ignore it
Review: This is one of those books that people either love or hate. My guess is that its the delivery people don't like, not the message. Personally, I tend to think its just plain common sense but I won't pretend I had a clue before reading. After reading, its painfully obvious. There are several extremely valuable realizations about how the internet changes business (and much more) which you likely ought to consider as you think about your business. If you want better insight into what is so exciting and empowering about the internet for customers this is worth the read. Some of you can probably get enough by just reading the manifesto. Status quo corporations, you need to be on your guard (chances are you're not reading this anyway). I would have preferred a little less 60's "revolution is in the air" hype. If you're looking for a revolution, take another hit of acid and wait. This book simply describes what inevitably happens when better communication and information is available in a free market economy. I also think the book could have been written in about 30 pages but those 30 pages were powerful enough to deserve 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Take a delivery from this Cluetrain--before it's too late!
Review: Over the last several years, I've come to the conclusion that "business-as-usual" had to come to an end--that the world, culture, technology have changed so much that a new business paradigm is not only required but desperately needed. And it can't be simply a change of rules--the entire *game* has to change. So finding the on-line Cluetrain Manifesto last year was a real pleasure. Here were these four guys with 95 wild-eyed idealistic theses for overthrowing the business world order--and setting up a new paradigm based upon (of all things) human interaction and conversation. I signed right up. So you can imagine my delight when I found "The Cluetrain Manifesto" book had been published. I bought it in a millisecond. Inside, you'll find the reflections of the Cluetrain's originators--in more detail, with more reflection than their Website provides. The Manifesto's background and philosophies are brought into a clearer focus--*not* crystal clear, mind you, but clearer than before. And it's a *very* enjoyable and provocative read. It's not a flawless work. There's redundancy, for example, in the multiple essays within. Some chapters (Chapter 1 especially) are outstanding, others are so-so. One might even be called elementary. But there's always food for thought. And don't expect to find some kind of "formula" or "strategy" or "plan" to prosper in the brave new world we live in. It's not there. In fact, such a plan, the authors remind us, would be *counter* to the Manifesto's assertion that honest human conversation is the key to success in the future. But you will be stirred to find your voice and to add it to the voices of the revived marketplace called the Internet. Heck, you might even be inspired enough to try to help your company find *its* honest, human, authentic voice (rather than brochureware and doublespeak). And I think that's what would delight the Cluetrainers most. This book is one of several that dramatically affected my life and career. I heartily recommend it!
Rating: 
Summary: If you've been asleep for the last four years, read this
Review: I think the target audience is somebody who completely missed out on the late nineties, but who would like a very light read to understand the change in openness and freedom in conversations that most folks now take for granted. There's not a lot of content here -- you can skim about 10% of the book and get seemingly 99% of the content. If you're really "clueless", hit the web version instead and save the effort of grabbing this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but lots missing...
Review: I have mixed feelings about this book. At the beginning, it makes a lot of sense, with discussions about markets and the power of the Internet. Here it succeeds. The problem is that it runs out of steam. A lot of concepts are repeated over and over and some of them make less sense the more they are repeated. There are some good ideas about using the technology to reconnect with customers, co-workers and the world at large. The case histories are also quite illuminating. These guys have clearly been there and done it. The problem I have is that they think the Internet is somehow a magic cure for a lot of these problems. Technology by itself never fixes anything and I say this as someone who is an IT professional. I found it an interesting read, but was left wanting more from it in the end. Some of the observations about organisational hierarchy and culture I think are over simplified and at times plain wrong. As a companion to the book, I would recommend readers try "Good to Great" by Jim Collins, which deals with how some organisations make the jump and some don't. It's an interesting counterpoint, as it focusses a lot on effective management of people, any organisation's most valuable asset. Cluetrain is worth a read, but keep some salt handy....
Rating:
Summary: Hello, are you reading this!
Review: Markets are converstions. When markets were created, the term market was a place where we came together to exchange goods and services, along with the stories of the grand ventures. Market was a place, not a verb. In the market people exchanged stories with their goods. The industrial complex built up. Things became automated. Supply and demand seperated. The web was created. The barriers between supply and demand erode. All along markets are conversations. Few businesses understand this, do you?
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