About a week ago I was supposed to write a deep, meaningful reflection on the tenth anniversary of the book The Cluetrain Manifesto (you can read the whole book online).  Cluetrain plus 10 was an amazing initiative spearheaded by Keith MacArthur.  He gathered 95 bloggers to reflect on the 95 core theses of ClueTrain 10 years after it was published.  I missed the actual day of blogging, but I think the thesis I’m blogging about affords a little flexibility:

“#63: De-cloaking, getting personal:  We are those markets.  We want to talk to you.”

Why did I want to participate in this project?

I read the manifesto around the same time I was engrossed in the works of Ester Dyson (Release 2.0:  A design for living in the digital age and the revision Release 2.1 were major influences on my thinking) and learning my communications theory fundamentals (“the Toronto School of Communications” best describes the theoretical underpinnings at the U of O, where I studied communications).  Cluetrain was part of this foundation of how I was taught to think about the Internet and how now think about corporations and community online.

In reading over my blog here at MediaStyle.ca, it’s clear I can impart interesting information, advice, and articles.  But, this place is lacking my personality.  So, I chose a thesis I would be regularly inspired by. “De-cloaking, getting personal:  We are those markets.  We want to talk to you,” to me means that I need to make sure you know who I am and I get to know who you, my readers, are.  So here is my commitment to you; I’m going to get a bit more personal here on the blog.  “De-cloak” if you will; share some of my other passions with you.  First up, this is part one of what will be an ongoing series on my gardens (the ones up at my camp site and here in the city).

My gardens in the forest:  Part 1

De-cloak, get personal:  tell me what you’re passionate about.