DIY Tribe Building.

I read Seth Godin's Tribes this week. I must admit I couldn't get into it, more because the style of writing (high on emo, low on ano) sends my critical antenna through the ceiling. I enjoy his early work and blog a lot by the way, and he is no fool - so you just know there is something in it. Enter Ian Hughes, who has distilled the core messages here in a form analytical wonks like me prefer - and they are:

Things to do

1. Publish a manifesto (it does not have to be written just known)

2. Make it easy for follower to connect with you

3. Make it easy for followers to connect to one another

4. Realize that money is not the point of a movement, it exists to enable it. The moment you cash out you stunt your movement

5. Track your progress, publicly


Principles

1. transparency is the only option

2. movement needs to be bigger than you

3. movements that grow thrive

4. movements are made most clear when compared to the status quo i.e. when they are noticebly different not the same as another movement

5. exclude outsiders (a powerful force is who is not part of the movement)

6. tearing others down is never as helpful as building followers up

Finding a summary like this is one of the great things about the blogosphere. Saves time and frustration. And you'll never look at some Web Manifesto in quite the same way again