1. The Law of the Few

Only "a handful of exceptional people" (21) drive an epidemic. Gladwell uses the classic 80/20 principle as an example of this rule. The principle states that 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. Most epidemics are tipped when key individuals or groups of people change, not when the majority does. I strongly believe in this principle, as there are countless examples where this proves true. Most of our laws and rules were created because there were a few people who decided to act in a way the majority of people would disapprove of. I could name countless instances of a student "ruining it for the whole class."

2. The Stickiness Factor

To sum up what Gladwell says in four pages: Messages that stick are more likely to cause an issue to tip. The point he makes is an obvious one. It makes me wonder why I'm reading this book, because most of the ideas presented are common knowledge. He just goes on to support the ideas with strong examples and reasoning. Hopefully this is just background information given to set the reader up for some big idea that would be presented later in the book. I would elaborate on why it is important for a message to stick, but the reasoning is so obvious that I don't want to insult the intellect of anyone currently reading this. That said, let's move on.

3. The Power of Context

"Human beings are a lot more sensitive to their environment than they may seem" (29). The story of the murder of the woman is a great example of how the environment or context of the situation affects people's actions. Everyone acts differently based on their environment. Teens talk to adults differently from the way they talk amongst themselves. People are less likely to help when in a crowd than they would if they were alone, because most people think there are enough people that the responsibility should be divided among them. A person may act differently in a job interview than they would when they work with their colleagues. The examples are endless, but once again the point Gladwell makes is an obvious one... Come on Malcolm, let's get a move on this book. Give me something I haven't already heard.

Posted in 1 comments Posted by Umang Patel at 10:15 PM  

No, it's not that point after your delicious meal when the food starts churning up inside because you have to crunch numbers to figure out how much more money you need to dig out of your wallet. And no, it's not that point in an intense game of 21 basketball where you have the opportunity to send your opponent back to zero points. But wait, I think I got it: the point at which something is pushed over the edge. Well, kind of.

The tipping point is the "one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once" (9). Malcom explains the historical popularity of the Hush Puppies product line to explain what kind of minor changes can impact a brand so greatly. At first glance, it seemed like Malcom was going to further pursue the concept of viral marketing and how trends are picked up through social interaction. I soon realized he was looking at the bigger picture: "Small things can make a big difference" (front cover). Even just a handful of people can bring about change, as long as they are the right people. Malcom introduces a handful of situations that are ready to tip, which will be further explained in the coming chapters, so with the definition of "the tipping point" in mind, hopefully we can gain a better understanding of how this phenomenon works as the book progresses.

Posted in 0 comments Posted by Umang Patel at 9:12 PM  

How to Change the World - A practical blog for impractical people
Author: Guy Kawasaki
Link: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/

I came to know of Guy Kawasaki after listening to some podcasts through the Stanford Technology Ventures website. I am attracted to any resources that help me expand and learn about entrepreneurship, business and technology. Listening to the podcast, I realized Guy is a down-to-earth individual that is very practical. He is a managing director at Garage Technology Ventures, a venture capitalist firm, a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine, marketed for Apple, and has written 8 books about business and technology. He simplifies complicated concepts and effectively teaches them by delivering a fun and entertaining experience. He is actually quite humorous, and can keep people engaged. He is relatively young and his target audience is generally college students. It is actually a coincidence that just a few days ago, Guy wrote a post about "The Tipping Point." He believes the theory of the tipping point is flawed.

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Buzzoodle - Buzz with Employee Evangelism
Author: Ron McDaniel
Link: http://blog.buzzoodle.com

I came across this blog through a search on a blog directory. The author is a fellow Ohioan that started a company for buzz marketing. His blog teaches young business owners the importance of buzz marketing, and shows easy ways to implement it. The information McDaniel presents may be slightly biased, considering he makes money off his books and consults professionally for larger companies, but the same could be said for Guy Kawasaki. It is interesting to see that McDaniel has also sited the article in FastCompany Magazine about why "The Tipping Point" is wrong. He takes the same position as Kawasaki. This is starting to make me think twice about whether reading the book will be of any benefit or not.

Posted in 0 comments Posted by Umang Patel at 6:45 PM