I read Seth Godin‘s post titled “You’re Boring” the other day and shrugged my shoulders. OK Seth…most companies and products ARE boring…what’s new? Products have always been boring. So have companies.
I found myself bored with Seth after reading his “You’re Boring” post. In the post, he writes:
You don’t get unboring for free. Remarkable costs time and money and effort, but most of all, remarkable costs a willingness to be wrong
Well Seth..I agree with you but haven’t you been saying this for years? Where’s the new stuff. Have you become boring?
Of course this probably isn’t the most popular sentiment in the world. But…I’m willing to be wrong here.
Seems as if everyone is enthralled with Seth. His book “Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us
” still gets a lot of play on the web. You know what? I thought Tribes was kind of boring and didn’t really say much that hadn’t been said before. The book actually felt very repetitious. I had a hard time turning each page. Dare I say I was bored reading the book?
Now…don’t get me wrong…I’m pretty boring myself. Have I said much on this blog that is unique? Not really. But I haven’t made my career telling others they’re boring…Seth has.
Seth – I love ya man but how about something new? Like you say in your post, “Remarkable is a choice”…make a choice please…start saying something remarkable. I don’t want to shrug my shoulders after reading your blog.
I wonder though…how many shrug their shoulders after reading my blog? I’ll be thinkin on that one.
17 responses to “Seth Godin – You’re Boring”
Agreed. I didn't like the Tribes book either, and I stopped reading Seth's blog earlier this week, for the same reason.
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Did I just call Seth Godin Boring? Yes. Yes I did. http://tr.im/o6CP
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I worry a lot about becoming boring. The challenge is in bridging the gulf between people who want to hear about next year's news and people who merely want something effective and useful that they can do tomorrow.
Over the last decade, I've written books about permission, viral marketing, evolution, being remarkable, telling stories, using new media, quitting and leadership. I don't think I know of someone who does what I do who has explored a range that wide, certainly not in book form. But yes, I'm certain that people who are easily bored and are spending a lot of time reading every word would prefer I go faster, etc. After all, if you are enjoying vicarious growth via reading tweets, it's essentially impossible for me to please you, particular in a book that takes a year to come to market and needs to be more than a page long.
Can't please everyone is the best response I have.
My best advice to the bored and restless is to go build that future. That's what the guys at Google and Twitter and SixApart do.
Hi Jurgen – Thanks for stopping by and confirming that i'm not loosing my mind! 🙂
I've found myself getting more and more bored with some of the so called 'experts'…seems as if they've lost their way.
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Hey Seth – thanks for stopping by and providing some insight. This comment has been very un-boring for me….this is the 'old' Seth that I loved reading.
Hi Donna – Thanks for stopping by.
Tribes was an OK book but much of what was in it has been said before by Seth or others.
Seth makes a good point above…it's hard to write a book and he can't satisfy everyone but still, the 'magic' of Seth Godin was missing from the book as it has been missing from his blog recently too.
Want to know something funny? Writing this post about Seth Godin being boring made me look at myself too and ask that same question. “Self” I say. “Are you boring too?”. And the answer is quite unequivocally yes.
There are a few authentic voices out here in the blogging world that are saying some interesting things (see These folks aren't boring These folks aren't boring) but most of us are regurgitating the same old stuff.
I too found “Tribes” very boring, and didn't finish it – short book as it was. I couldn't figure out what the hype was all about!
Hi Donna – Thanks for stopping by.
Tribes was an OK book but much of what was in it has been said before by Seth or others.
Seth makes a good point above…it's hard to write a book and he can't satisfy everyone but still, the 'magic' of Seth Godin was missing from the book as it has been missing from his blog recently too.
Want to know something funny? Writing this post about Seth Godin being boring made me look at myself too and ask that same question. “Self” I say. “Are you boring too?”. And the answer is quite unequivocally yes.
There are a few authentic voices out here in the blogging world that are saying some interesting things (see These folks aren't boring These folks aren't boring) but most of us are regurgitating the same old stuff.
[…] Seth Godin – You’re Boring (ericbrown.com) […]
Tribes solved a problem that I'd been experiencing over and over for the last few years. My guess is that not as many people had experienced the problem, so that maybe they don't (yet) realize why the book is important.
Here's the thing: MOST companies aren't using community management as part of their core marketing experience. yet. I'd say those who are found Seth's book to be VERY on-topic.
It's a heck of a tough game to please people. My first ever book is almost out and I've got stomach cramps worrying that everyone will blow it off.
You make a good point Chris.
Perhaps I didn't find the topic that exciting because I'd be dealing with communities and leadership for a long time…before it became the 'big' thing.
As you know, community management has been around for a long time and I've been involved since the days of the BBS. I ran a small system in the early and mid-1990's and found the community topic exciting and have been involved in one way or another since then. After the BBS, online discussion forums slowly built up and have morphed into what we see today…communities built around topics and companies that live online and in the real world.
Back to the book: The book itself was an OK book but, as I said, I found it less than attractive because it was a rehashing of what Seth has been saying for years…but perhaps spun just a bit differently. For those people that haven't been involved in this area or read his other books, perhaps it was a good read for them.
As to your book, Trust Agents…its on pre-order and I'm anxiously waiting to read it 🙂
You make a good point Chris.
Perhaps I didn't find the topic that exciting because I’ve been dealing with communities and leadership for a long time…before it became the 'big' thing.
As you know, community management has been around for a long time and I've been involved since the days of the BBS. I ran a small system in the early and mid-1990's and found the community topic exciting and have been involved in one way or another since then. After the BBS, online discussion forums slowly built up and have morphed into what we see today…communities built around topics and companies that live online and in the real world.
Back to the book: The book itself was an OK book but, as I said, I found it less than attractive because it was a rehashing of what Seth has been saying for years…but perhaps spun just a bit differently. For those people that haven't been involved in this area or read his other books, perhaps it was a good read for them.
As to your book, Trust Agents…its on pre-order and I'm anxiously waiting to read it 🙂
You make a good point Chris.
Perhaps I didn't find the topic that exciting because I'd be dealing with communities and leadership for a long time…before it became the 'big' thing.
As you know, community management has been around for a long time and I've been involved since the days of the BBS. I ran a small system in the early and mid-1990's and found the community topic exciting and have been involved in one way or another since then. After the BBS, online discussion forums slowly built up and have morphed into what we see today…communities built around topics and companies that live online and in the real world.
Back to the book: The book itself was an OK book but, as I said, I found it less than attractive because it was a rehashing of what Seth has been saying for years…but perhaps spun just a bit differently. For those people that haven't been involved in this area or read his other books, perhaps it was a good read for them.
As to your book, Trust Agents…its on pre-order and I'm anxiously waiting to read it 🙂
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