Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas Reviews

• Got a fire in your belly? Listen to Godin and get out there. Make it happen.

  
  By A2W04AB0DFN33 on 2006-08-19
  Many say you shouldn't give away your work for free if you wish to sell it. Nonsense. Seth Godin has got a big idea with his new book Small is the New Big. This entire book of riffs already exists for free in places such as on Seth's blog or via his Squidoo lens. I've read most of the stories in the book already. Yet I pre-ordered the book on Amazon for overnight delivery because I wanted the content, again, in the new package. I want to take it to the beach. I want to have it on my desk and pick it up now and then.
  
  "you're smarter than they think"
  
  Yes, I'm a Seth Godin fan. Reading his stuff contributed to a life change for me. Back in the late 1990s, I had ideas about how content drives action on Web sites. As the VP Marketing of several reasonably large public companies, I realized that I had "power" and "a good job." In most people's eyes, I was successful. But I just didn't have the right platform to tell the world about my ideas. And I was not fulfilled.
  
  Seth Godin's writing always focuses on getting people like me, those with a fire in the belly to take action. "I've been betting on the intelligence of my readers for almost a decade," Godin writes on the back cover of Small is the new Big, "and that bet keeps paying off. They just don't get it. Now you, you get it... And I'm, betting that once you're inspired you'll actually make something happen."
  
  For me, the big moment was when my company was acquired by a huge organization and I was shown the door. I chose not to take the "safe" route and find another VP Marketing job, but instead to strike out on my own. The "I dare you" messages from Godin were an important part of my life changing decision.
  
  Wow.
  
  I work much harder than before, but fewer hours. I attend very few meetings. I choose the terrific companies I want to work with and tell the idiots to take a hike. I've never missed one of my daughter's swim meets because of work. I have dinner with my family most evenings. I'm helping people make a difference because of my ideas rather than saying "I wish I had..." or "I could, but...".
  
  Read Small is the New Big.
  
  It is an important book. And no matter what you want to do to make a difference, listen to Seth's advice. Just get out there and make it happen.
  
  

• Seth is a red rubber ball

  
  By A8FO8VMLKRMKC on 2007-07-18
  As I read this book, I thought "Seth Godin is like a red rubber ball." You know, you throw a ball against a concrete wall and it just bounces off. It looks pretty and makes a nifty noise. But the wall doesn't move.
  
  And that's Seth Godin. A lot of action, but no real impact. This book is a big idea without a next step. A complaint without a solution. Seth is the guy who stands up to start a standing ovation, but does it so awkwardly that no-one joins him. This book is a celebration of everything Seth abhors about marketing and business and management, written with the luxurious smugness of someone who cannot suggest a practical alternative.
  
  I can understand why Seth's rant seems to be "everyone is afraid of change". That's what my rant would be if I had a lot of ideas, but couldn't actually convince anyone to follow my suggestions. I'd think "it's them! They're all stuck in the status quo!"
  
  To illustrate the point, Seth recalls a time a salesperson tried to pin an executive down to make a yes or no decision. The exec was non-committal, and then showed the pushy salesperson the door when she asked the exec to sign a document giving her permission to take the offer to a competitor. Seth uses this as evidence that some people are afraid to make a decision. I say, if a salesperson tried to force me to make a decision on the spot, they'd get shown the door too. But this just proves the point. An inability to influence is somehow the other guy's fault.
  
  Actually, I think it's Seth who is stuck. His book "Small is the New Big" reads like it was written by a 14 year old boy - where everything is black and white (you change or you die) and he's discovering things other marketers have known for a long time (it's not about needs, it's about wants).
  
  Yawn.
  
  On the positive side, Seth has some creative ideas and a lively writing style. He's obviously an observer and a collector of little marketing nuggets. But after reading about 50 pages it all became very monotone and self-aggrandizing.
  
  Judging from the reviews on Amazon, it looks like Seth has touched some people's lives for the better. So there must be something there. But for me, this is like listening to a first-year MBA student fumbling through a bad business plan. Bounce, bounce, boing, boing.
  
  

• It is all counter intuitive

  
  By A135Y35RRGHY3G on 2006-08-20
  The world does not work the way we think it does. In his latest, Godin takes zest in letting us know this: the internet is really bad for us(it increases anonymity which decreases civility; competence is bad(it breeds complacency and clinging to the status quo); success is unhealthy(it seduces companies to gravitate to the mean, and lose the edge that got them to success in the first place). There is more, all broken down into bite sized, digestiable chunks, like your favorite snack.Buy it, chomp away.
  
  

• An abundance of "acorns" and "mustard seeds"

  
  By A26JGAM6GZMM4V on 2007-06-02
  
  Those who now struggle to create or increase demand for whatever they offer (products, services, or a combination of both) must be able to answer three basic questions. All are important but the first two are much less important than is the third:
  
  1. Who are you?
  2. What do you do?
  3. Why should I care?
  
  As my reviews of Seth Godin's earlier published works indicate, I think he is one of the most thought-provoking business authors whose insights (especially those provided in Small Is the New Big) can provide substantial assistance to answering the aforementioned questions.
  
  Whenever I read or re-read any of Godin's books, I view his insights as "acorns" or "mustard seeds," any of which - with proper nourishment - can be developed into substantial results such as increased recognition and a higher level of awareness, a better understanding of a given market segment, a clearer sense of how to position and then promote one's offering more effectively, or perhaps overcoming what James O'Toole has aptly characterized (in Leading Change) as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom."
  
  Godin encourages those who read Small Is the New Big not to read it all at once. "It took eight years to write, and if you read it in one sitting, it'll give you a headache." Contrary to my normal approach, that is what I did, after checking out the table of contents. I skimmed through the first 276 pages and as I did so, ideas seemed to "fly off the page" and demand my attention. I immediately highlighted them for future reference and then continued on until arriving at "Special Bonus!! $243 Worth of Free E-Books, Reprinted Here at No Extra Charge to You, My Faithful Reader." I then carefully read each word until the narrative's conclusion on Page 310. One man's opinion, the "Special Bonus!" section provides the most valuable material in the book as Godin shares his thoughts about Web site design, generating traffic, the importance of "telling a story," the three components of "your best audience," why a home page is unnecessary (indeed counter-productive), three questions that must be answered when building each Web site page, how to overcome clutter, and three basic "truths" and four "laws" that defy conventional wisdom.
  
  With regard to "acorns" and "mustard seeds," here are a few representative examples:
  
  "If your target audience isn't listening, it's not their fault, it's yours." (Page 14)
  
  "What makes you remarkable is being amazing, outstanding, surprising, elegant and noteworthy."
  (Page 112)
  
  People who think like a pigeon "assume a cause-and-effect relationship that doesn't really exist. That's what a superstition is: a compulsion to take an action that has no actual influence on the desired outcome." (Page 163)
  
  "No one 'gets' an idea unless: the first impression demands further investigation, they already understand the foundation ideas necessary to get the new idea, [and] they trust and respect the sender enough to invest the time." (Pages 249-250)
  
  "In a world where things are viral, you're more likely to succeed with passive networking (strangers recommending you) than the old-school, active kind. In other words, make great stuff, do your homework, build your audience, and when you've got something worth talking about, people will talk about it." (Page 263)
  
  Seth Godin constantly generates ideas of his own and has an insatiable curiosity about breakthrough ideas from others, all of whom he duly acknowledges as their source. As he would be the first to point out, however, it would be a fool's errand to attempt to take direct action on all of the insights in any of his books, especially this one. "I guarantee you'll find something that won't work for you. But I'm certain you're smart enough to recognize the stuff you've always wanted to do buried deep inside one of these riffs. And I'm betting that once you're inspired you'll actually make something happen."
  
  

• Informative, Inspiring, and Entertaining

  
  By A1A17K25QHU9T0 on 2007-03-12
  I hadn't read Seth's blog, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out to be one of the best experiences I've had reading a business book.
  
  First of all, there are some great ideas in the book. Most have to do with marketing and product development. Even better, however, is that many essays teach you how to think up your own ideas.
  
  Second, Seth is an extremely talented and funny writer. I found myself laughing out loud several times as I was reading. Like all great humor, it was never gratuitous and served to support the point he was making.
  
  Third, the individual essays are short enough so that you can pick it up and start reading without making a huge time commitment. Each essay is self contained, so you can stop just about anywhere without interrupting a long chain of logic. (This is manna to an "agile project manager" like me.)
  
  Finally, I find it truly inspiring. After I read some of it I feel renewed and excited about working.
  
  Don't miss out on this informative, inspiring and entertaining book.
  
  
• Small is the New Big is Full of Big Ideas
  By A2RSMFGP5WLS6C on 2006-08-26
  Small is the New Big is full of challenging what if questions and inspiring examples of remarkable ways to answer them. It would be hard to imagine anyone lacking inspiration after reading the riffs in Seth Godin's latest book, unless he or she were a little short on common sense, paralyzed by fear or drunk on the corporate Kool-Aid (r).
  
  This may be because of the way that the content in this book was created. Tapping into several years worth of blog posts and magazine columns, Seth Godin has gathered a collection of the kind of ideas that make good things happen, presented with a depth and breadth of coverage that I think make it his best yet.
  
  Among included selections are favorites that brought back memories, like the What Did You Do in the 2000's? Fast Company column that, like the magazine itself, inspired me to transform the work I did then into the work I do now.
  
  The book (starting on page 93) includes a great description of Seth and team's latest Online project, Squidoo, a social interaction site I personally find fascinating.--Visit my Squidoo lens susan_reads to see what else is on my radar in marketing and current news.
  
  
  
• Ridiculously over-rated.
  By A2J3PJP97Y687X on 2008-03-31
  The 5-star reviews must be written Godin by fan-boys. I listened through it all hoping it would get better soon (based on all those "5-star reviews") but it didn't.
  The author is basically just rambling about his own ideas on how he would like the world to be. Some thoughts are good and some are as awful as "removing anonymity from the internet". As if this world wasn't controlled enough as it is.
  Spend your time with something more useful instead.
  
  
• Motivational platitudes
  By AOMKUI325W2TJ on 2008-04-15
  At the end of the day, this is a bunch of fluffy blog posts. I did not read the whole book, maybe 1/3 of it based on random sampling of entries. Frankly, as someone deeply involved in technology & marketing, most of this was obvious to me, and it is not very well formatted for print either because it comes from a blog.
  
  
• Extremely Mentally Stimulating
  By A1EKRGMC5YERU2 on 2007-01-06
  This is an intriguing piece that isn't organized like your typical book. It's very thought provoking, but it's not a step-by-step manual or something you can read front to back in a weekend that some may desire. You're not going to walk away after reading this with a laundry list of things to do that will propel you to another hemisphere professionally. You will likely have a lot of thoughts percolating in your brain that may seem far fetched at the moment but are likely legitimate ideas to expand upon. That's what this book does--it takes you out of your mental comfort zone and expands your thinking. To me, that's the mark of a good book so I love it. Others may find it a bit bizarre because it's not organized in a logical start to end fashion.
  
  I'd suggest keeping notes of your thoughts as you read this collection of blog postings, and please don't try to read it all at once. Your brain will hurt! That being said, I highly recommend this book if you're someone who enjoys stretching your mind and considering various perspectives.
  
  
• Amazing work - like jumper cables for your brain
  By A2TQXGKN80CPYR on 2006-09-15
  I have to admit that when I first heard about Seth Godin's book Small Is The New Big and that it was about business ideas I wasn't very interested. Being a mother of two small children I didn't think it would help me at all or enable me to learn anything pertaining to my life. Little did I know that when I decided to join a Buzz campaign for it (a buzz agent is basically someone who samples a product and then shares their opinion on it) that I would be astounded at the truisms contained in his blogs, his Squidoo lenses and that it would help me to refocus what I am doing in my life - not just as a housewife, but as a friend, a mother, an educator and all the other roles that I fill in my life. Godin's writing is a breath of fresh air. He doesn't talk like an intellectual in the sense that you need a thesaurus to figure out what he's saying; he also writes about things that really matter like courtesy and not conforming for the sake of conformity. Reading his riffs, blogs and lenses really made me think about what he was saying and see how if I am, in my own life doing the best that I can. His writing is entertaining, eye opening and gives you the opportunity to look inside yourself to see how you can make things better - not just for your company, but for all the people that you come into contact with every day. We spend so much time communicating via email, over the phone, in chat rooms and text messages that sometimes we forget that there really is a person on the other end. Overall, I think this is an amazing collection of ideas, challenges and inspiring messages which can help anyone to enrich their life and I just want to say to Seth, Thank you so much for sharing with us and enabling us to transform ourselves and the world around us by giving us the nudge that we sometimes need. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be a source for change and innovation.
  
  
• I Am A Big Fan of Seth Godin: "Small Is the New Big"
  By AFSDOEM2R35GR on 2006-09-19
  I think I have read most of the books that Seth Godin has written over the past several years. Seth is not always original, but I find him consistently provocative. He may say something I already know, but say it in a way that causes me to think about the familiar in a new way. Or, he may present me with an idea I had not been aware of, and encourage me to consider what that new idea has to do with me and my ever-changing world.
  
  Over the years, in his Blogs and magazine columns, Seth has written about hundreds of ideas I have not yet had a chance to read. His new book project - "Small Is the New Big" - collects the best of these disparate gems in one place.
  
  The excerpts below will give you a taste of the over-arching premise and common thread among these assorted writings:
  
  Small is the New Big: And the 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas.
  
  The tipping point, when big began to be not-so-appealing, happened this way, according to Godin:
  
  "Enron (big) got audited by Andersen (big) and failed (big). The World Trade Center was a terrorist target. Network (big) TV advertising is collapsing so fast you can hear it. American Airlines (big) is getting creamed by JetBlue (small)."
  
  So far, so good. But then Godin offers this bit of a twist:
  
  "Small is the new big only when the person running the small thinks big."
  
  Godin argues that small works best because a business can be nimble and flexible enough to change when it's demanded.
  
  His overarching concept:
  
  "If you want to be big, act small."
  
  Enjoy.
  
  Al
  
  
• Seth Godin's Greatest Hits
  By A2U7CZX5IEUI0Y on 2007-04-03
  If you are a fan of Seth Godin's work (I am a huge fan), and you want to examine some of his top ideas, thoughts, and concepts from his magazine articles and blog posts, this book is just what you are looking for. It's like a "Greatest Hits" collection.
  
  It's an easy read, and very addictive. Keep it on the nightstand or in your car for when you have a few minutes to read. For me personally, it puts my mind into a creative mode, which I can apply to my own projects.
  
  
• A Protreptic Guide for Remarkable Action
  By A3PVYK3TSMRKZG on 2006-08-24
  'Small is the New Big' is Seth's best book yet because it indeed prompts people to remarkable doings.
  
  These are the most important words in it:
  "The end result is that it's essentially impossible to become successful or well off doing a job that is described and measured by someone else.
  ...
  The only chance our country (your country, depends where you live), your economy and most of all, your family has to get ahead is this: make up new rules."
  
  Thanks Seth, for the fireworks!
  
  
• Mr. Godin Rides Again! A Triumph for those Marching to a Different Drummer!
  By A2SL0EI5NHEZIV on 2006-10-03
  From the remarkable book structuring (the "chapters" are organized in alphabetical order) to the intriguingly insightful commentary, Seth Godin has once again created a work of excellence. The book is an easy read, but at the same time leaves the mind reeling with thoughts of "Oh my, I need to fix that, or do that, or change that." I found the chapter on "Clean Fire Trucks" particularly interesting, as I had just 2 months earlier finished an innovation article on "Retiring the Fire Trucks" -- which deals with the same concept of preventing fires and not letting them start in the first place! (As such, you can then have time to clean the fire trucks, or as I put it, to retire them altogether!). His rants are compelling yet at the same time hilarious (hilarious in the sense of all the silly things we do as a people that we really shouldn't be doing). Take for example his rant on "Wrappers" and how the method of packaging both the tangible and intangible create an aura around the product that determines how the product is perceived, received, and applied. One might say, "It's the WRAPPER, stupid."
  
  Once again, Mr. Godin has helped to "validate my existence" (despite my intense self-certainty!) by showing that the crazy, "outside the box" (hey, can we just shred the box, then burn it in effigy of the outdated strategies and the consultants who promote them?), simplifying, forward-looking, remarkable, visionary adventures we can lead our clients and companies on are really worth the effort. In short, less is more, small is big, and remarkable is just that: REMARKABLE.
  
  This book is REMARKABLE. I strongly encourage adding it to your shelf, then spreading the virus of its contents to others.
  
  P.S. The entire ending "Bonus Section" on blogs and other resources is something not to be missed, and single-handedly justifies the purchase.
  
  
• Great book!!
  By A3GH4U3IZMZUD3 on 2006-11-10
  I've been in marketing for a few years not and somehow had never heard of Seth Godin. I recently heard of him when I was attending a Pragmatic Marketing seminar and have since become a huge fan. Now, I read his blog daily and love this book. I also read his "Purple Cow" book, but I think he hit a homerun with "Small is the New Big."
  
  
• One of the best Marketing Book Ever
  By A1LB4HDELNVJHV on 2006-11-10
  I pre-ordered this book the moment I found about this. I have read this book thrice already. Seth has once again come out with his book which is a compilation of his blogs. There are lot of ideas which you can straight apply to your situation be it marketing, business, finding a job or a girlfriend. I particulary like one quote "You can't to well off in a job that is described and measured by someone else. Highly recommend this and every single book by Seth Godin.
  
  
• Take the unique idea challenge
  By A26ZAM8KFU0GY9 on 2006-11-24
  I read an awesome book on strategy by Seth Godin on the flight here called "Small is the New Big and 183 other riffs, rants and remarkable business ideas".
  
  I seem to be drawn to strategy books lately. Strategy is what I am thinking about. Being in a low margin business makes me think.
  
  Seth's challenge is to be truly unique, edgy, new, add value. He give many examples of companies who have done this. Part of what he pushed is the next big idea. I like that but also know ideas are cheap, excellent implementation is what is difficult. I am a big believer in acting small but being big. Take the best from both worlds.
  
  Seth's challenge on CEO blogs are they need to offer at least 4 of the following 6:
  
  Candor
  Urgency
  Timeliness
  Pithiness
  Controversy
  Utility
  
  To that, I would consider adding humour. People never mind that.
  
  Thinking about how I stack up...
  
  I loved his comments on lawns. Why have a lawn? Just because everyone else does. Of course those who know me well know I have no lawn and grow strawberries, squash, potatoes etc on the "front lawn". Probably drives the chemlawn neighbours crazy. Just FYI, this is definitely not a time saver. It takes more work to care for a garden.
  
  Overall - an excellent highly recommended read.
  
  
  
  
• Small insights for big dreamers
  By A2MGUNKW1ANLT5 on 2007-04-26
  Small is the New Big looks and feels like Seth Godin's blog - a collection of short and clever insights that will often make you think twice about the status quo. This is not a book you read over the weekend, rather it's a work you have to slowly consume piece by piece, giving yourself enough time to digest each idea. If you're curious, and unsatisfied with sticking with 'safe', this book is for you. If you're still unsure, read Seth Godin's blog, it will give you a taste for the ideas discussed in this book.
  
  
• Seth is a god!!
  By A1PZXWXEN2KEPL on 2007-05-10
  Even though I read his blog everyday, and went to one of his "day with Seth" functions in NYC, I got new ideas from this book.
  
  
• Forget Blogs and Read Books
  By A3N4DW9S8T2I0D on 2006-08-22
  I don't know exactly how blogs work and I don't read any regularly. For a while I've suspected that I've been missing a lot of interesting and useful information. Now Seth Godin has proven me correct, but it's okay, because at least I can read his writings in this awesome collection of his writings.
  
  This book proves that Seth understands that the world is bigger than blogs, and his ideas are too.
  
  
• Challenging our ideas
  By A2WWOHQATH896I on 2006-08-28
  Seth Godin challenges us to think in new ways. I have been reading excerpts of this, his newest book recently. I became a BzzAgent recently and as my first assignment applied to read Small is the New Big. I love it and how he pushes me to think about the world and look at it in a slightly different angle than I have before. I recommend you read it!
  
  
• Godin does it again - excellent book if you want to change
  By A2Q4BMLCC0RYKR on 2006-09-29
  Dont know what to say. Love what this guy has to say and his unique view in business. In this book its great since it is written in small article like chapters on all topics business and it really makes you think. Each chapter covers a different topic, not in any particular order and you can read one, two or read it like a book. But however you read it its worth the price of admission. Godin has a great way of challenging the status quo and getting you to look at things you didnt think of. It has so many interesting topics that I cant pick one but good stuff for sure.
  
  
• Thought provoking...
  By A2IWG52TDKC6YC on 2006-11-06
  I have heard a couple of Seth's books and would highly recommend this for anyone who is "open" to look at the world a little differently. Highly recommend this as a gift to all your friends or foes who might seem be too scared of change. Small Is the New Big, truly resonates why good companies need to remain "small" to ensure agility, value customers and revisit the basics of <> end user services and products get truly recognized, adopted, marketed or bought.
  
  I'd also recommend Seth's blog (subscribe via RSS)
  
  
• Break Out of Your Stalled Thinking with Godin's Challenging Ideas!
  By A1K1JW1C5CUSUZ on 2006-12-29
  Small Is the New BIG is Seth Godin's attempt to translate blogging and brief magazine essays into a book without losing the immediacy of the original contexts. Unlike most books that bore you would pages of uninterrupted type that say very little, this book is broken up into 184 brief segments that challenge the world as it is . . . to become like the world as it should be: Full of respect, common sense, helpfulness, thinking responses, and meaningful work. Unlike a blog which is in reverse chronological order, these materials are alphabetical by subject -- But drat . . . I would have liked to read in reverse chronological order.
  
  The writing is at its best in pointing out today's nonsense in word pictures, much as Scott Adams does with cartoons. Less often does Mr. Godin move onto suggesting what to do . . . other than to suggest you DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! I was most impressed with his thoughts that making experiments and changes should have the presumption of going forward, rather than the status quo.
  
  I'm not sure everyone is going to be persuaded that being a free agent is going to be a better life . . . until they learn how to prosper in that unaccustomed role.
  
  For those who are less familiar with the Internet, his suggestions about which Web sites he uses . . . and for what . . . will be welcome. You cannot help but dig deeper into the blogger world after reading his enthusiasm for blogging's potential to spread ideas and make connections as a conversation.
  
  If you're already a free agent, are prospering, and can navigate your way around the Internet, blogs and obnoxious service providers, you'll get chuckles . . . but not much practical advice.
  
  This book is for those who are nameless cogs in large organizations and haven't broken out yet. Be Free!
  
  
• You'll get many valuable ideas!
  By A2HM0BZWQRV1EF on 2007-01-02
  Thanks to Seth Godin, author of SMALL IS THE NEW BIG, I'm going to be more receptive to a practice
  known as "zooming" . . . as he defines it, the term "is about
  stretching your limits without threatening your foundation. It's about
  handling new ideas, new opportunities without triggering the
  change avoidance reflex."
  
  And to do this, I'll give thought to following his five-step zoom
  start checklist:
  
  For dinner tonight, try a food that you've never tasted. Then
  try another one tomorrow night.
  
  On your way to work tomorrow, listen to a CD from a
  musical genre that you hate or that's new to you.
  
  Every week, read a magazine that you've never read before.
  
  Once a week, meet with someone from outside your area
  of expertise. Go to a trade show on a topic in which you have no
  interest whatsoever.
  
  Change the layout of your office.
  
  Godin's excellent book is actually a collection of over 180 blog pieces
  that he has published over the past eight years . . . though presented
  in alphabetical order with no seeming flow, they almost all got me
  thinking--always a good sign . . . also, I found myself taking all sorts
  of notes with respect to both what I want to do in the future, and I have
  already shared many of his ideas with both my friends and colleagues.
  
  Among the many valuable tidbits I gleaned were the following:
  * Most organizations are staffed with people waiting for the alarm
  to ring. Instead of going out to the community and working
  to prevent new fires, the mind-set is that firemen are working
  to put out the fires that have started. Hotel desk clerks don't write
  letters or make calls to generate new business--they stand at the desk
  waiting for business to arrive. Software engineers are often overwhelmed
  with an endless list of programming fires--and rarely get a chance
  to think about what they ought to build next.
  
  * The next time you review resumes, try ignoring all of the perfectly
  qualified applicants. In fact, disqualify everyone who is clearly
  competent to do the job at hand. Do what Southwest Airlines does:
  Don't hire people with experience at another airline unless you're
  sure that they can unlearn what they've learned there. "Competence"
  is too often another word for "bad attitude." Instead, find the serial
  incompetents--the folks who are quick enough to master a task and
  restless enough to try something new. The zoomers.
  
  * Cursive is a fundamentally useless skill in this century, and if we
  were inventing the curriculum from scratch, it wouldn't even show
  up in the top one thousand things children need to learn. Typing,
  on the other hand, is way up there, at least until the "scientists"
  perfect voice recognition. Educators must realize this, but because
  they don't actually test the efficacy of what they teach, because they
  don't have an obvious way to figure out what's worth the time and
  what's not, they still teach cursive.
  
  Godin, author of seven other business bestsellers, concludes
  SMALL IS THE NEW BIG with two free e-books that he has
  published . . . the first is about web design, and the second
  is about blogs . . . just these two pieces alone make his latest
  effort worth reading!
  
  
  
  
• Mr. Godin does it again!
  By AS0UNA9TQGZW6 on 2007-01-03
  Seth Godin has got to be one of my favorite authors. This book is such a joy to read. The important thing that Seth mentions in the beginning of the book is to not read it all in one big gulp. Instead I spent 3 weeks reading this book and I did it in small chunks. It was a wonderful experience. Some of his 'rants and riffs' use humor so well as it shines the mirror back at the 'business world' and the powers that be. A great read, I can't wait for Seth's next offering!
  
  
• Excellent book
  By A3MTDM50MNLP8R on 2007-01-05
  A great collection of short articles that make you think about how you can improve your business and better serve your customers.
  
  
• Another winner- big time!
  By A24992STMFU90 on 2007-09-10
  I think that Seth's books are getting better. But this is not a book book, its a collection of articles, newsletters and blog posts. But it is real, quality, and very useful. Such useful ideas as, " The best marketers, of course, use the needle and the vise at them same time:. They don't assault, they don't demand, instead they earn attention. And they apply their marketing pressure so consistently and in such a measured and relentless way that sooner or later, they profit from it. " A great book if you want it in small lumps or more, It would be a good plane ride book, but bring a highlighter! I love this one
  "I. Humans tend to work on a problem until they get a good enough solution, not a solution that's right.
  2. The marketplace often rewards solutions that are cheaper and good enough, instead of investing in the solution that promises to lead to the right answer."
  
  
• Outstanding!
  By A1AI01ZX39UD8L on 2007-12-04
  This is a 6-CD audio book set, loaded with valuable information.
  Thank you, Seth.
  
  
• Motivational Marketing
  By A25AMBAAZLNTQT on 2008-01-28
  Seth Godin knows how to market through motivation. His books are not deep and dense. They are quick and hyper. "Small Is the New Big" is the epitome of Godin's style. It is a collection of 184 blog posts, e-books, columns, chapters, and articles. From a free blog to a $25.00 book--not bad work if you can get it.
  
  This is not criticism--it's factual praise. Godin understands the new world and its demand for blended information technology--the blog is the column is the chapter is the book . . . And he practices what he preaches.
  
  The book itself, like any collated book, is uneven. The author challenges readers to select any ten "posts" and dares them not to be changed. I suppose the simple statistical possibilities would suggest that a random sampling would lead to some motivational, challenging, and helpful posts and some less so. That has been my experience.
  
  I will say this, he is always interesting, passionate, self-assured. Of course, many of those late-night infomercials are the same. But in fairness to Godin, his ideas, while not novel, are much more useful than the self-serving infomercials. It's just that they are not as useful and unqiue as they seem to claim to be. After a while the claim to remarkability becomes a constant dripping that causes one to wonder just how remarkable (purple-cow-like) any of it is. In other words, less telling us how remarkable it is and just be remarkable.
  
  
  
  

• The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
• Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
• Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers
• All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World
• Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync?