>I'd argue that the misapplication of Taylor's >techniques were inhumane, not Taylor's work itself.
yeah, and I'd like to know more about that. but I think it's fair to say that b-schools were teaching the misapplication when they taught "Taylorism" to business. What I dislike is not the historical truth of the source (whatever that may be) but the impact of how these techniques were applied in real industrial settings. we're not talking scholarship here, right?
good point about the refrigerator. mass production was not an evil conspiracy, no. it had its downside with respect to craftsmanship -- that is, understanding the whole product -- but it was right for its time. and it brought widespread prosperity, as you say. it isn't right for this time, though, and has been less and less so since the dawn of the global economy. it's especially unsuited to a networked world. yet mass production, mass marketing and mass media are still the triple pillars on which most "e-commerce" plays are founded. Cluetrain focuses on the critique and doesn't talk much about alternatives. working on that part...
As one of the authors of The Cluetrain Manifesto, I first would like to thank hemos and Jason Bennet for their reviews, which I thought were quite good. but then, I would. also, for not charging me too much for saying such nice things (did you get the bag of unmarked bills I sent along per your request?)
This seems a perfect place to plead guilty to all the charges that have been leveled here. speaking strictly for myself and not my co-authors, I take this opportunity (and what a relief it is to finally come clean!) to admit to being everything everyone has said. It's all true. I'm boring. I'm a communist. I'm a drug-addled hippy. I pander to suits. I'm naive. I desperately want to control your thinking. More than that, I'm a secret agent for the NSA. I have a side deal going with Microsoft to destroy the Internet. I once kicked Little Elian Gonzalez's adorable furry puppy.
As a card-carrying anarchist, I love the mayhem and disinfotainment going on here with respect to the book. Gluetrain is excellent, yes. Pouring hot grits down your pants: highly recommended. But my favorite has been "I'm fed up with being told what to think (Score:4, Insightful)" -- which begins: "Whilst I'm sure this is an interesting book..." I translate this as meaning: "Although I haven't actually read the book, that's not going to stop me from telling you what to think about it." (btw, "whilst" -- nice touch!) That this spew about "communist ideals" and (far worse) "paradigm shifts" would be considered insightful begs the question of what passes for insight these latter days. but everyone's entitled to an opinion, right? here's mine: learn to read, bunky.
forgive me for saying this, but the detractors here have been so pedestrian! surely this group is bright enough to do better. for a real slash-and-burn job on the manifesto, see my own review: Clues You Can Lose.
anyway, great fun to read this stuff. allow me to leave you with one quote from the book, which/. itself proves so well: "Armed only with imagination, we're gonna rip the fucking lid off. There's your market."
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>I'd argue that the misapplication of Taylor's
>techniques were inhumane, not Taylor's work itself.
yeah, and I'd like to know more about that. but I think it's fair to say that b-schools were teaching the misapplication when they taught "Taylorism" to business. What I dislike is not the historical truth of the source (whatever that may be) but the impact of how these techniques were applied in real industrial settings. we're not talking scholarship here, right?
good point about the refrigerator. mass production was not an evil conspiracy, no. it had its downside with respect to craftsmanship -- that is, understanding the whole product -- but it was right for its time. and it brought widespread prosperity, as you say. it isn't right for this time, though, and has been less and less so since the dawn of the global economy. it's especially unsuited to a networked world. yet mass production, mass marketing and mass media are still the triple pillars on which most "e-commerce" plays are founded. Cluetrain focuses on the critique and doesn't talk much about alternatives. working on that part...
This seems a perfect place to plead guilty to all the charges that have been leveled here. speaking strictly for myself and not my co-authors, I take this opportunity (and what a relief it is to finally come clean!) to admit to being everything everyone has said. It's all true. I'm boring. I'm a communist. I'm a drug-addled hippy. I pander to suits. I'm naive. I desperately want to control your thinking. More than that, I'm a secret agent for the NSA. I have a side deal going with Microsoft to destroy the Internet. I once kicked Little Elian Gonzalez's adorable furry puppy.
As a card-carrying anarchist, I love the mayhem and disinfotainment going on here with respect to the book. Gluetrain is excellent, yes. Pouring hot grits down your pants: highly recommended. But my favorite has been "I'm fed up with being told what to think (Score:4, Insightful)" -- which begins: "Whilst I'm sure this is an interesting book..." I translate this as meaning: "Although I haven't actually read the book, that's not going to stop me from telling you what to think about it." (btw, "whilst" -- nice touch!) That this spew about "communist ideals" and (far worse) "paradigm shifts" would be considered insightful begs the question of what passes for insight these latter days. but everyone's entitled to an opinion, right? here's mine: learn to read, bunky.
forgive me for saying this, but the detractors here have been so pedestrian! surely this group is bright enough to do better. for a real slash-and-burn job on the manifesto, see my own review: Clues You Can Lose.
anyway, great fun to read this stuff. allow me to leave you with one quote from the book, which /. itself proves so well: "Armed only with imagination, we're gonna rip the fucking lid off. There's your market."
thank you,
Dale Carnegie
EGR
Gonzo Marketing: Winning Through Worst Practices