Customer Reviews
Mega dissapointment - By: D. Bourke, 04 Jan 2009 
I had heard a lot about Seth before buying this book & had seen a couple of his speaches on the internet. I suppose I had high expectations of him, which may be what has led to my dissapointment with this book.
Essentially, Seth is discussing the emergence & importance of 'Tribes' of people, with a particular slant on the internet. The problem is that the sum total of the theory could have been compressed to 20 pages, not 120. There is a lot of personal opinion with little to no facts & case studies.
It was a shame that he didn't go into more detailin the few examples that he has used & given more insight into how the technology can be used. Instead, there is a lot of repetition, generalisation & some pretty boring lengthy passages where no knowledge is imparted to the reader.
The only reason I gave two stars is that it has inspired mein a way to investigate the available technologies more than I have. Other than that, I haven't taken anything from this book. If you are looking to read up on 'Tribes' & social media, do it on the web & wait for someone to write a proper book on the subject.
A real shame - By: Mr. N. B. Stanhope, 10 Dec 2008 
I think the 5 star reviews of this book must have been from friends, family & publishers, because this book is a real wasted opportunity & I'm surprised that this kind of work still gets published.
The concept & approach is interesting, but the way that it has been covered is very poor.
The book is basically made up of a series of personal observations & anecdotal evidence. Where is the research? Where are the original insights? Where are the statistics to back any of these observations up? And most importantly, where is the self-awareness or grace to realise that just because your own "tribe" hangs on your every word, does not mean that a wider audience will.
Perhaps this is the main lesson of the book. Easily accessible mass communication tools have given people with little experience or skill the chance to appeal to a group of like minded people by sharing mutually relevant experiences. The major communications channels still need filling with real insight, authenticity & dedication their topic.
This book is missing all of these because the author simply isn't up to the job.
All-Inclusive Invitation to Lead Combined with Rants about What Not to Do - By: Donald Mitchell, 28 Nov 2008 
This book's theme is unconventional leadership, taking a cause or idea & gathering support without a firm institutional foundation by finding like-minded individuals & connecting them. If that's a new idea to you, you will find the book to be flatteringin its encouragement & motivationalin its tone. If you are an unconventional leader already or know a lot about how to do this, you will searchin vain for anything newin Tribes.
The book's substance is rather thin beyond the few examples & rants.
Here it is:
People are turned into a tribe by "a shared interest" & "a way to communicate" ("leader to tribe, tribe to leader, tribe member to tribe member, & tribe member to outsider"). A leader increases effectiveness for the people by"
"transforming the shared interest into a passionate goal & desire for change;
"providing tools to allow members to tighten their communications; and
"leveraging the tribe to allow it to grow & gain new members."
As you can see, he's describing the way causes, nonprofits, political pressure groups, & save the world organizations operate.
Some will be offended by the rants. For example, he takes off rather hard on all religions while being allin favor of faith that you can accomplish whatever you want. There's no real basis for his position other than generalities about how no religions ever favor any changes. Well, if that were the case, there would still be rampant slaveryin many nations. It was religious organizations that led the antislavery movement from the beginning.
Mr. Godin is very well informed about things that happened recently on the Internet (orin his own life), but he doesn't seem to have a broader understanding of leadership or change leadership. If either subject interests you, I suggest that you read better informed authors like John Kotter (Leading Change, The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations, & A Sense of Urgency), John Maxwell (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them & People Will Follow You, & Developing the Leader Within You), & Peter Drucker (Innovation & Entrepreneurship).
I found his commentary that getting ideas is unimportant to be particularly unhelpful. He feels that leadership is all about passion & communication. But with the wrong ideas, you can be passionate about communicating harmful changes.
Ultimately, this is a book that will be enjoyed by those who cannot stop admiring themselves enough. Mr. Godin will encourage them to take actions so they can admire themselves even more. Whatever happened to servant leadership?
Seth Godin fans can't seem to get enough exhortations & rants directing them to be bigger, bolder, & more assertive than ever before about anything that occurs to them. I suppose I should review these books by comparing them to what New Age gurus suggest rather than serious books about accomplishing useful things.
I was intrigued to see that Mr. Godin addressed those who give his books critical reviews by noting that he's pleased that anyone takes the books seriously. Perhaps they aren't meant to be taken seriously. My mistake.
Essential reading for anyone to understand the web and its power - By: I. Hughes, 26 Nov 2008 
Seth Godin has captured the story of many of us out on the web. People who have gathered like minded individuals through sharing, through leadership. Anyone can do this if they want to. This is not a self help book, it is a series of anecdotes that should empower anyone to just get on with it.
For me it is the story of my tribe eigthbarin virtual worlds retold through countless other stories.
The changes are already happening, we are already all connected & able to form these tribes & movements. We can all make the difference we need to, just by doing it.
By far, the best book I have read this year! - By: S. Gale, 16 Nov 2008 If you want to change the world, or change your bit of it, this is the book for you!
Seth Godin focuses on the role that LEADERSHIP playsin change & makes some powerful observations about the difference between MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP. Management is about maintaining stability, about perpetuating the status quo, it is about ensuring that things are done the same way that they have always been done. It is about avoiding change. For managers, change equals risk. Leadership, on the other hand, is about creating change that people can believe in. Leadership doesn't avoid change, it thrives on it. For leaders, change equals opportunity.
The book is incredibly well written. It feels as if every page has been handcrafted. Some many find the lack of chapters disconcerting. For me, it just helped the whole flow of the book. Ironically, it almost reads as a set of blog entries (no surprise for anyone that has read "Small is the new Big" or Seth's blog). I find it amusing that many said that the online world would kill off traditional publishing. Well, here is an example of the online world inspiring traditional publishing!
It is very easy to read. I read itin a couple of sittings & the only thing that slowed me down was the fact I made so many notesin it! I highly recommend it. If you are interestedin leadership, then you MUST read this book. You will not be disappointed.
I wish I could think & write like Seth Godin. However, I suspect the only thing we havein common is our initials! Great book. Inspiring reading. Thank you, Seth.
