The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Amazon.com Review:
"The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life," writes Malcolm Gladwell, "is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do." Although anyone familiar with the theory of memetics will recognize this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.

For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston," he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you.

Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor Rod Steiger. Although some readers may find the transitional passages between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy, even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that "tipping point," like "future shock" or "chaos theory," will soon become one of those ideas that everybody knows--or at least knows by name. --Ron Hogan

Product Description:
This celebrated New York Times bestsellernow poised to reach an even wider audience in paperbackis a book that is changing the way North Americans think about selling products and disseminating ideas. Gladwells new afterword to this edition describes how readers can constructively apply the tipping point principle in their own lives and work. Widely hailed as an important work that offers not only a road map to business success but also a profoundly encouraging approach to solving social problems.

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Customer Reviews

Rating: - Book that made Gladwell famous
This is the book that made Gladwell famous, and rightfully so. There are some great concepts introduced in this book, especially his theories as to why certain products, ideas, and social changes occur when they do, and why some of these changes occur faster than others. Why is the iPod so popular, but the Rio MP3 player can't be given away. The concept of ideas being spread like a virus was first introduced to me by Seth Godin in his book, Spreading the Idea Virus. Other books have discussed the ... Read More
Rating: - Making good use of specfic unique people around you
Malcolm Gladwell, is one of the innovative thinkers of our time. In his book, "The Tipping point", Malcolm unveil some of the hidden treasures around us that will make all of us percieve the world anew. One thing that caught my attention is the three unique type of people that surrounds everyone. They are the connectors, mavens and salesmen. According to him, these are three specific people around us that are essential in solving manyof our problems in the world. He defines the connectors to be ... Read More
Rating: - The Tipping Point
The book was listed as "new," but it was bruised and beaten upon arrival.The item was stuffed into a very small, non-padded envelope which resulted in severely dented corners around the entire book.There was also a dark pencil line across the back, which made me doubt how new the book actually was.
Rating: - best airport buy so far
I bought the hard copy when travelling to London. If you are the type that picks up stray rubbish or follows the mantra to leave the beach with more than you came, this book is for you. Well written and thought out covering everything from why some people are extreme social butterflies to even those who meander through their day as if they are lost sheep.
Rating: - AS THE WORLD CHANGES, WISDOM REMAINS THE SAME
My Husband Ran Off with the Nanny and God Do I Miss Her

THE TIPPING POINT, in my humble opinion, is a brilliant read that will be useful without constraints of being of a certain time like, for example, a book that is all about the internet when it just started and is completely outmoded now. To be more succinct: it is timeless,; as a reader usually figures out with the author's example of why Paul Revere became so famous and the "other guy" doing the exact same task in the middle of ... Read More