The spirit of the game

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/05/the-spirit-of-t.html

by getp • 18 years ago

4 2 18 years ago

sethgodin.typepad.com

wallflower• 18 years ago

From Seth: "The web is nothing but a system, a bunch of (largely unwritten) rules regarding search, linking, promotion, etc."

Seth rarely goes deep on his succinct this-is-an-idea-I-have posts, but the question of what are the rules on the web is making me wonder...

Since paulgraham.com is linked, maybe we can reverse-engineer what these rules might be - establish your unique voice (essays), build and nurture an active discussion (news.YC), have a real-world event that dovetails with your mission (e.g. Seth's Purple Cows gatherings in cities or better Y-Combinator), create something that people will use and/or argue about (essays, Arc, Seth's controversial The Dip [e.g. quit if you can't handle it])

diego• 18 years ago

I think the gist of his idea is "do stuff people like, don't piss them off even if you can profit in the short term. If you can win by not pissing people off, it's more rewarding and they won't be motivated to make you stop".

I don't think there is much to reverse-engineer from that. The guy is a great marketer, he presents a simple idea and makes it sound like it's some profound pearl of wisdom.

The spirit of the game

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