Tribes looks at the development of groups, especially niche groups which forms tribes – with or without you – and the value that is apparent in taking a leadership role of these groups.

Godin contends that people are desperate to believe in the elusive ‘something’ whether it’s animal welfare, software, tattoos, or orchids. But with this desperation, the despair is the collective sigh of all going nowhere believing in the one thing. This is where leadership enters the Tribes equation.

Godin looks at what makes a leader as opposed to a follower, what core values are needed and why so many don’t take up the challenge and why, it is essential that someone step up to the plate. He challenges our core fears of failure, apathy, discontent, the status quo and why all these fears need to be challenged and conquered – immediately.

Some of the core ideas include Leadership is Not Management, and with this, managers are not necessarily leaders. He cites examples of a single memo that changed the course of a company, written by an employee who rose to lead the company forward.

In these changing times, Godin warns that the market place is changing so rapidly that leaders need to rise to negotiate that change and in fact drive it forward. He demonstrates this with a study of Wikipedia, The Grateful Dead and many others, each filled with the smallest of golden tips.

He clarifies profoundly the difference between fans and followers. A follower is passive, who likes what you do and what you’re on about. A fan is an evangelist for you.

The balloon factory and the unicorn is one core example Godin uses to demonstrate how the status quo must be fought and why it is at times near impossible, but the key to hold onto, is that it is not impossible. With true leadership, someone who clearly demonstrates a mission statement and allows communication and activity between those who agree, can lead anyone, anywhere to do anything.

He talks extensively about the value of the heretic and how important it is to now listen to these people. Apart from this, Godin emphasises the need for these heretics to take charge of their own destiny and to lead. Sheepwalking versus tribe management and leadership is clarified. There are many sheep but very few shepherds.

In summary he looks at the key negators to leadership namely, timing and Not Now Not Yet, asks if Not Now When in such a way that you just can’t not disagree. By understanding care and charisma, elements of leadership including listening and mediocrity, he asks in conclusion Why Not You and Why Not Now?

There are no easy steps to leadership, no plan laid out or magic formula. But the totality of the information in this work equips the reader with a new outlook on what it takes to lead and who in fact you will be leading – but most importantly – WHY.

This is another one of those books to add to your collection if you’re a thinker or want to know more about the mechanics of leadership and social change.

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The second half gives a brief yet thorough overview and more detailed information about each of the option with contributions from Jim Cochrum and Tim Knox and other heavy weights.

Although an overview and really targetted at the beginning internet marketer or business owner, I found resources in here that I have not found ANYWHERE else and I am a internet marketing veteran in terms of reading everything.

A few great nuggets and another leave on your shelf reference book just for all the great links.

Joe Vitale gives a really great chapter on hypnotic writing and marketing towards the end of the book with comments from Mike Mograbi. I got hooked on this (I think they hypnotised me) and am starting the broader work on this “Hypnotic Writing” by Joe Vitale next. Stay tuned.

This is one of those books that you need to add to your collection like a dictionary.  There is way too much valuable information for any cliff notes to be reasonable here.

This book shows you how to get hotel guests to recycle, how to get people to volunteer and how to leave a larger tip, just to name a few.

Whether you’re a marketer or a worker, this book is invaluable in increasing everyone’s income just by changing one word in some circumstances.

Add it to your collection or be persuaded by another. Yes! I want to Persuade

I reviewed this when it originally came out.  I call him Joel the father of Adsense.  While heaps has been written about Google Adwords, the advertising campaign, little had really been written about Adsense and how publishers could best utilise it to make a passive income from their sites.

Joel Comm gives you heaps of tips and tricks and shows you how to cleverly disguise your ads while still complying with Google.

He took his earnings up to $600.00 a DAY with Adsense.  That’s some loose change I’d like.

He’s giving away a free copy at the moment because he’s delirious over the success of Click Here to Order so if you want to get the info for free that I paid for (but made money from) go here: Father of Adsense

Firstly I think Joel Comm has totally missed his calling and should just concentrate on writing.  He has a real gift and this book is an excellent story, intermingling facts with just enough story to create a rich text.

There is so much information jam packed within the stories of how famous internet marketers like John Reese, Rich Schefren, Rosalind Gardiner, Yanik Silver, Jay Abrahams and hundreds more, all got started and what they are most remembered for.

All of the marketer’s personal stories are overlayed upon the history of how the internet even came to be and what it actually began as and what it has evolved into, to date.

To date being the operative phrase and conclusion of the book as Joel Comm tries to look into the future to see where the next big thing will be.

He finishes off by profiling a story of an Iranian girl, Ladan Lashkari, borrowed from Eric Holmlund’s blog. The cliff note is she doesn’t have one advantage that we do but is still managing to earn $US6,300 a month.

The story from all of these marketers is that they laser focused on one thing or one niche or one topic that they knew and took it from there.  What they learned from their first experiences they took to their second and so on.

So even though what I know is not savory, I also know there’s a huge and growing market for it so I’m taking all the tips I learned and going forward with it.

History is important.  To know where something has come from, you can judge where it may lead.  Joel Comm has given an excellent, and relatively concise history of who, what, when and where and wrapped it in entertaining ditties about the personal struggles of the big guys.

Fantastic and highly recommended read for anyone, but EVERYONE who is even THINKING of starting an online business.

Joel, can we please have more books?  You are a fantastic writer. Well done mate.

Kath