Idaho Airships, Inc.

In short, The Cluetrain Manifesto explores relationships between businesses within our “connected” marketplace. It presumes (rightly, I think) that both the internet and intranets are either underutilized or misappropriated, and offers a series of 95 Theses (yeh, it’s been done before) as a foundation for harvesting the potentials and navigating the liabilities of our new “connectedness.”

For educational purposes only:

The entire The Cluetrain Manifesto book can be accessed online, and the 95 Theses are available as a .pdf. The Manifesto doesn’t claim to compensate for poor logistics, bad ideas, clunky corporate machinery or inadequate products, but it does resonate with common sense and prompts a convergence of efforts on fundamental interpersonal competencies.

I’ve selected several of the Theses that I hope describe Idaho Airships, Inc.’s character. It’s invigorating to realize that our corporate personality reflects yet predates the Manifesto, but humbling to realize how far short of my own perceived ideals we are hovering.

• Thesis 1: Markets are conversations.
• Thesis 2: Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.
• Thesis 9: …networked conversations are enabling…social organization and knowledge exchange…
• Thesis 10: …markets are getting smarter, more informed…
• Thesis 11: People in networked markets have figured out that they get far better information…from one another than from vendors.
• Thesis 14: Corporations do not speak in the same voice as these new networked conversation…(they) sound hollow, flat, literally inhuman.
• Thesis 15: …the sound of mission statements and brochures-will seem as contrived and artificial as the language of the 18th century French court.
• Thesis 16: …the dog-and-pony show…are no longer speaking to anyone.
• Thesis 21: Companies need to lighten up and take themselves less seriously…
• Thesis 57: Smart companies will get out of the way and help the inevitable to happen sooner.
• Thesis 76: (Market speaking to Vendor) We’ve got some ideas for you too: Some new tools we need, some better service. Stuff we’d be willing to pay for. Got a minute?
• Thesis 78: (Market speaking to Vendor) You want us to pay? We want you to pay attention.
• Thesis 79: (Market speaking to Vendor) …drop your trip, come out of your neurotic self-involvement, join the party.
• Thesis 80: (Market speaking to Vendor) Don’t worry, you can still make money. That is, as long as it’s not the only thing on your mind.
• Thesis 84: (Market speaking to Vendor) We know some people from your company. They’re pretty cool online. Do you have any more like that you’re hiding? Can they come out and play?
• Thesis 90: (Market speaking to Vendor) Even at its worst, our newfound conversation is more interesting than…trade shows…(and) corporate websites.

I’m confident that the well-refined language of the Theses is transparent. It may have been constructed to be directive in nature, but I know of a few companies (including Idaho Airships, Inc.) for which it is more descriptive-not that we’ve fully satisfied its call to action-and that is very gratifying.

So, we get along with the other kids.

L