Fed up with Seth.

Is anyone else getting fed up with Seth Godin?

I like the guy a lot. He's written some great books, he kinda invented viral marketing and he's even featured us in one of his lovely books. But something has been bothering me.

Almost everything that happens to Seth is an earth shattering marketing breakthrough.

Like the time he visits a ticket website and they were busy. (Hey maybe they were just, you know, busy?)
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/06/fifteen_minutes.html

Or the time he bought something and they thanked him. (They thanked you. It's a start.)
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/06/thank_you.html

Or this sign he saw on a truck. (Whatever.)
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/06/this_one_i_dont.html

Or some kid he met in the street. (Real insight or just a charming child?)
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/04/one_smart_kid.html

Sorry Seth, it doesn't feel right to me.

Comments

[Charles]

No it isn't just you. I subscribe to Mr Godin's feeds which, if time permits, are worth a read to keep up with it all. But as soon as I need to crack on with stuff, then Seth's is the first to get the chop. It feels a bit like indigestion otherwise, and much like the academic type bloggers who love a long winded treatise where a parable would do just as well, they both lack the authenticity, simplicity and modesty that made a lot of people distrust anything to do with marketing communications. It feels like they are writing for their peers and not their readers.

[cat]

"indigestion" is a perfect descriptor. A mile of winges is way more than I can take at times.

[Ben]

Good, I'm glad it's just not me. The lack of humility is perhaps what I'm getting at.

It reads more like a newspaper column than a blog. It lacks that immediacy and intimacy that blogs do so well.

Anyone still love Seth?

[Marketing Headhunter]

Boy! In addition to being anonymous, you guys are cranky! Just unsubscribe from Seth's RSS feeds if you don't like them.

[Ben]

The original reason why this blog is anonymous is here: http://noisydecentgraphics.typepad.com/design/2005/07/hello.html

Over time another reason has emerged. Anonymity allows me to write without the baggage my identity may carry. Blogs can easily descend into self indulgence, the blogger writing for who he thinks his audience is. My anonymity enables me to avoid this.

I don't subscribe to Seth's RSS feed. I look at it regularly because it's an important marketing blog and he is an important figure in the marketing world. Recently I've gotten fed up with some of Seth's posts. By posting this I hope to find out if others feel the same way. After all, discussion is what blogs are for, isn't it?

[jon o]

Still love him. Yeah, he's amazed at everything - and that's why I love him. Do I always agree with everything he thinks is a big insight? Nah. But he's exuberant, and that goes far on my end.

Like the blog. Cheers,

Jon

[daisybush]

I subscribed to Seth's feed for all of four days before I got tired of just what you point out - the inanity of many of his comments/observations - and unsubscribed. Where he fails is not in the talent department, but rather he seems unable to keep up with work and posting, hence the sloppy, pointless daily posts.

[miscmash]

Funny the marketing world. You write an interesting book, it sets the world alight, and then that's it - you're a guru for eternity

I too agree with your observations, but would go further and say that his books are way overrated. Take Purple Cow for instance, after a few pages he just repeats the same point over and over and over again, which is kind of ironic given that's what advertising does (the very branding tool he critiques)

That said, full respect where it's due: he certainly knows how to make a lot of industry noise and he's a compelling presenter. If only all the people that write interesting stuff could do that

[Charles Frith]

I regret writing 'long winded' now. Now that I have a blog I don't think I could write a concise post if someone put a bacon sandwhich as incentive for me.

We live and learn :)

[Charles Frith]

erm. Sandwich...