Book Review: Unleashing the Ideavirus

Thanks to Eric Myers, I am a reader and fan of Seth Godin’s work. Not only does Godin stay ahead of the curve with marketing ideas and trends, but he communicates his ideas related to this subject really well in his books. He takes explosive ideas and somehow smacks them into books that become highly effective, enjoyable, easy reads. 2000’s Unleashing the Ideavirus is no exception.

It seems that every modern non-fiction book I read anymore claims to describe a paradigm shift of some sort. This book focuses on the paradigm shift from factories generating profits to ideas generating profits. With this shift in mind, Godin explains what makes a good idea good and what makes it easier for you to spread it from member to member in a targeted group. (I’ll point out the relation of viruses to this idea as a metaphor just this once; if you want to hear plenty more metaphors, pick up a copy of the book.)

If you want a great brainstorming session on how to improve your ideas and get them communicated to the outside for whatever reason (to make money, to be successful, to persuade others, etc.), give Unleashing the Ideavirus a read. At five years old, it is a tad bit outdated, but not so much that it intrudes with Godin’s message. Plus you can download the whole book for free.

That’s right, you can get the book in PDF format for free. And once you read the book, you’ll understand that the book is a fine example of an ideavirus in itself. It’s easy to attain (free), it’s remarkable, it gives Seth Godin cheap exposure, which leads to more sales of his other books, and it gets bloggers like me to talk about it in our attempt to become powerful influencers. If anything, skim through it to get a good sample of Seth Godin’s general message and style. You will more than likely be drawn in like I was.

Then sit back and watch (or participate in) the world of marketing from a whole new perspective.