How are we gonna be different than the ClueTrain?

Someone asked "how will you be different than the ClueTrain Manifesto?"

I said "the Cluetrain told us why and what, we'll show you how."

See, the Cluetrain told us "markets are conversations." But, I've been living inside the conversation now for four years and learning some techniques that we'll get in the book.

For instance, what do you do when someone criticizes you, or your company? It will happen. Look at the Apple iPod. It's the product of the decade. But there still are people who criticize it (search on battery replacement, for instance and you'll find bloggers who are less than happy). If the iPod can be criticized, I'd imagine that just about every product or service will occassionally have a detractor.

There are a few ways to "make the hatred deeper" and there are a few ways to answer detractors that'll build long-term trust and turn around the public discussion.

Also, when it comes to the market conversation, we'll show how to listen to the conversation and be a part of it.

These techniques will be relevant to everyone from small businesses to people who are running major businesses like General Motors or Procter and Gamble.

You'll discover how to use weblogs to build relationships (David Weinberger called it the "hyperlinked corporation") both inside and outside your organization that can help you make friends, influence people, and build new businesses.

We'll look at lots of case studies of how bloggers are using online-communication to build businesses, get new customers, strengthen relationships with existing customers. Build partnerships (even with their competitors) and participate in the word-of-mouth conversations that are becoming more and more efficient with every day.

But, this is all a lot of hype. The hard part of writing the book (finding the case studies we'll put in and interviewing people like you who are using blogs to change the world) is ahead.

Really, this book will be how to hop on the Cluetrain and how you can too!

Hint: you either get on or your business will die. Blog or die. Cluetrain or die.