After my trip out to CJU last week, I realized that there is wildly important document that every advertiser and affiliate should have read by now. This is a relatively old document, but one that will help people grasp the social media phenomenon that is taking place right now.

The document is the Cluetrain Manifesto. The Manifesto was written in 1999, but the lessons from it resonate today as much as they did back during the dot com/dot bomb days. For affiliates, it should help you formulate your long-term business strategy (you have a long-term strategy, right?) And for advertisers, it should guide you to a new way of thinking about your business and the way that people interact with it.

I was really excited to hear Sara Fay, President of Isobar Communications, U.S. (who gave a great presentation by the way) plug the Manifesto in her speech at CJU. It looks like companies like Isobar are getting on the Cluetrain - and they are having a huge impact by doing so.

Please, if you haven't taken the time to read the Cluetrain Manifesto, do. It will change your life...

[P.S. - I know everyone who read the Manifesto back in the day is getting all smug right now. But seriously, after talking with dozens of affiliates and advertisers over the last week or so I really am realizing that most people are stuck in the shove-people-through-the-funnel, he-who-spends-the most-on-banner-ads-wins, add-no-value-and-expect-to-create-value world. It blows my mind - so I am laying out some of the fundamentals here...]