If you’ve been delving into the online world at all, you’ve probably heard the term “tribes.” For several years, management consultants, social networks, business book authors and others have been using this term to describe groups of people who come together around a cause, a project, a way of thinking, a hobby or an interest. Tribes can exist within organizations or outside of them, but the one thing they have in common is that they want someone to lead them.
One of the more recent additions to this line of thought is Seth Godin’s book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us.
Tribes is a slim book you can read in a day, and it’s short on details. Don’t read it thinking it will teach you how to launch a company, use Twitter, win over a community of bloggers or create a street team to spread the word about your product or book. But do read it if you’re confused about social networking and why you should get involved with it.