THE CLUETRAIN MANIFESTO THESES: THE CONDENSED VERSION

September 24, 2009 queenbeedc1983

In my eyes, the existing 95 theses from The Cluetrain Manifesto can be boiled down into the following overarching and interconnecting theses.  My proposed four theses encompass the main messages and themes within The Cluetrain Manifesto, as they highlight the importance of corporations joining the flourishing global conversation.  Embedded within this principle  initiative are ideas surrounding finding a genuine and lifelike voice, connecting with online markets, and urgently joining these markets in hopes of crafting and building a genuine, free-flowing conversation.  To me, these concepts can be summed up in these four precise theses instead of inundating the reader with 95 repetitious and contrived premises.

1. Corporations need to understand that markets are conversations, and that they consist of REAL people.

Companies must understand that online markets consist of HUMAN BEINGS!  This market should not be treated as targets or statistics.  Conversation is a form of humanity and companies need to acknowledge that there is a human behind the numbers.  Beyond this involves the realization that a conversation is a two-way dialogue, and that in order to engage a market corporations need to unfasten the conversation floodgates.  Stop sending one-way messages and share the conversation.

2.  Corporations need to remove their corporate mouthpiece and find a genuine, even humorous voice.

Companies need to cut the corporate jargon, speak with a HUMAN voice, and get a sense of humour.  Corporations need to RELAX and stop agonizing over starched conversations; a lack of character and ingenuity is a definite conversation killer.

3.  Corporations need to locate their online communities and join the conversation…NOW!

This thesis implies that extensive online audiences, internal and external, are already out there connecting and chatting on the web.  Aside from this, these markets are getting more enlightened and advanced by the moment. Internal company audiences are talking to each other every day about important company issues, and this doesn’t necessarily include protocols and rules.  On the outside, audiences are doing the same exact thing and both parties are desperately hoping to connect with each other and find a sense of authentic community within these corporate confines.  Corporations need to bridge the gap among these parties by joining the conversation immediately.

4.  Companies should resist the urge to safeguard conversations.

This concept is pretty straightforward and involves the free flow of conversation between a corporation and its market. Specifically, communicators need to resist the urge to regulate and monitor every move within their communities and let people speak their minds.  The honesty and candidness within these walls will help corporations better understand how to reach, help and improve the  conversation from here on out.

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Elisabeth

Entry Filed under: BEE's BLOG ENTRIES.

One Comment Add your own

• 1. BloggerDude  |  October 9, 2009 at 3:13 am

  I don’t know If I said it already but …This blog rocks! I gotta say, that I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks,

  A definite great read….

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