Seth Godin: Brilliant Blogger... Good Person?

Seth Godin. I find it fascinating that a celebrated author, who writes masterpieces of business books such as Meatball Sundae, would run such an awesome Blog. It is even more incredible that he would then write (and compile) a book and publish it FOR FREE... "What Matters Now" view it here or download it free here. Even more incredibly, his intentions are NOT completely self-serving, as so many authors are... the very first page is GENEROSITY: "When the economy tanks, it's natural to think of yourself first... Instead, we're rewarded for being generous." I have found this to be SO completely true... for me, it really is the path to my current successes, and is in fact the backbone of what my new company is all about: Karmaback!

In the digital world, as Seth puts it, there is no reason NOT to give. Giving means clicking a sponsored link, blogging a product or cause you love, or twittering or facebooking the links you care about. Karmaback helps give incentive to the peopel who spread your love. Getting some Karma back, for your troubles and your time, is the least we can do!

So go, be Generous. Read the free book. Register at http://karmaback.com and get some of that Karma back! Thanks Seth!

Lead with your weakness: Your Glass Jaw!

Seth's Blog had a recent post about "Leading with your Glass Jaw". His idea was that only the bravest and most secure companies will interact publicly with customers... and the weakest ones will shape up quickly if they start to do it. I think he's probably right: every company has a weakness (or 2)...a glass jaw if you will. However, I think he missed the boat with his post & headline. I believe, in the age of skepticism and skimp, of reviews and 'word-of-mouth' power, we should all be leading with our glass jaw...in truth in our products strengths AND weaknesses.

Too many companies "lie by omission" about their products real value. They hope that people won't notice the blatant flaws, and that people won't mind the "idiosyncrasies".

In reality, companies should be up-front with their customers and in their marketing materials... ADMIT to your weaknesses. Expose the glass jaw. Why? If customers start to hit it... THEY look like the bad guys... after all you were very clear and up-front about your problems/issues.

In fact, done right, your other customers will stand up for you (if they like your "main" value proposition).



Want the best example in the world? Apple.

They admit that their CPUs and GPUs aren't as modern as PC. They admit that their software is tied to their hardware (closed platform). They admit to "blocking google voice"... and more!

And OH how the people defend them....

Be Apple, tell the truth... up front!


photo attributes:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markhillary/ / CC BY 2.0

Do Incentives Work on Social Networks??? MIT Students Prove: YES!

There is fascinating new evidence that incentives work for social networking VIRAL growth... even better than DARPA expected.

This article outlines the details of the MIT Students "incentive program" for social networking to help them find 5 red weather balloons spread across the nation. Their program rewarded $2000 for "first to find the balloon" but also "$1000 for a friend who referred them" and "$500 to the friend of the friend who referred that friend" and so on!!! BRILLIANT!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/dec/07/darpa-challenge

And this is part of what Karmaback does... we reward people for sharing good deals, specials, and cool products with their friends! Its the whole point of Karmaback! If you haven't checked out Karmaback yet, now is the time... you could be missing out BIG!

Read more about the MIT team here: http://balloon.media.mit.edu/

Free Stuff vs. Prizes.

This post is more of a question than a deep thought. What % of people, do you think, are motivated by free stuff (like swag)? What % of people, do you think, are motivated by chances to win "bigger" prizes? Which is better, swag or prizes?

This and many other questions, I hope to answer with my new company: Karmaback. http://www.karmaback.com

One of the most exciting things that we do at Karmaback is measure EVERYTHING. The statistics of motivation have intrigued me for years... ever since we handed out massive K heatsinks (the Killer Bling) at Blizzcon in 2007. I recently wrote a magazine article about this experience... basically, giving away the big K heatsinks on chains as necklaces WORKED extremely well.

So, what do you think will work? Swag or 'bigger prizes'... and what % of people will be hooked?

Stay tuned to Karmaback and find out.

By the way, some great prizes can be had right now on Karmaback:
http://karmaback.com/spend

Good luck!