Read and Pass

The manifesto advisors

Instead of having a board of advisers, we have our First Readers Group. They're thinkers, bloggers, writers, techies, business people, and more. Each First Reader gets an early look at the manifestos, and we use their comments on the landing pages--where the manifesto is downloaded and detailed information can be found--and their feedback for fine tuning.

Halley Suitt said about the "The Coke Myth":

You have no idea how much pressure there is for parents to cave in and let their kids drink soda all the time... I appreciate Tyler's obvious call to action and encouragement to resist parental peer pressure and JUST SAY NO to drinking sugar.

Joi Ito said about "Customer Evangelism":

I think marketing people often feel like they have or want to "control." [They want to] "Build the Buzz" and "Create the Community"... [but] it's about letting the buzz and the community happen and then feeding it.

Advisors continued

Red Maxwell said about "The Art of Start":

Once I started reading Guy Kawasaki's manifesto, I couldn't stop. Taking the time to hear out his ideas on entrepreneurship has give me valuable insight, affirmation, and perspective.

About the PDFs:

The interface and format of the PDF are elegant and easy to use. Brilliant!

Following the tracks

Manifestos won't just be PDFs floating unconnected through the internet. They'll each have a landing page, which has the usual author bios, reviews, and links, and also trackbacks.

We developed a system for tracking blogs that link to the manifesto's landing page. A list of recent blog posts about the manifesto will show up in the sidebar. Blogs who actually host the PDF will have links to their site, too.

Ready, set, launch!

ChangeThis is now officially launched and live. Go check it out.

Friday we had our internal launch. Over the weekend we worked out kinks in the design--cross-platform cross-browser CSS dropdowns can drive even the best people crazy--and in the backend.

Sunday night we sent out the preview links to the bloggers who have signed on. Want to join the list of bloggers who get early previews to manifestos before they're released? Sign up here.

The first manifestos

We've just published our first batch of manifestos. Check them out below:

1.01

GUY KAWASAKI, former Apple Fellow and
entrepreneur extraordinaire, on up-starting a
start-up. A sneak preview from his upcoming
book, "The Art of the Start."

http:// changethis.com / 1.ArtOfTheStart

................

1.02

Get customers who worship the ground you
advertise on. "The Customer Evangelist
Manifesto," with the evangelists themselves,
BEN McCONNELL and JACKIE HUBA.

http://changethis.com/1.CustomerEvangelist

.................

1.03

'Marriage is a basic human right.' EVAN
WOLFSON, director of Freedom to Marry,
gives a fresh legal perspective on same-sex
marriages and civil rights.

http://changethis.com/1.ForRicher

.................

1.04

Death for a 17-year-old? AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL on their campaign to stop
executions of child offenders in America and
seven other nations.

http://changethis.com/1.StopExecutions

.................

1.05

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go
down, but what do years of sugar-rich beverages
do to our children? TYLER LACKEY tells us
how sugary drinks may 'Kill Your Children.'

http://changethis.com/1.KillYourChildren
...................

Plus one!

1.06

Have you ever received AN EMAIL IN ALL CAPS?
End the madness here, with ELLY MARKSON's
brief but powerful guide to email etiquette.

http://changethis.com/1.HowToBeABoor

Manifesto Batch #2

2.01

To commemorate his 60th birthday, the guru
of post-modern business, TOM PETERS shares
his personal sixty snapshots of excellence in
'This I Believe.'

http://changethis.com/2.ThisIBelieve

................

2.02

Interested in starting a weblog for your company?
Before you begin ? or even if you've already begun ?
read 'The Corporate Weblog Manifesto' by Microsoft
evangelist ROBERT SCOBLE.

http://changethis.com/2.CorporateWeblog

................

2.03

'Terrorism can be defeated.' Professor
BENJAMIN KUIPERS presents a stunning proposal for
how to fight back in 'How to Defeat Terrorism.'

http://changethis.com/2.DefeatTerrorism

................

2.04

CHESTER E. FINN of the Hoover Institution,
on rescuing public schools: 'We should evaluate
teachers based on the only measure that really
matters: whether their pupils are learning.'

http://changethis.com/2.BetterTeachers

................

2.05

DR. JONATHAN SACKNER-BERNSTEIN,
cardiologist and heart failure expert, may just save
your life. From his book 'Before It Happens To You,'
an excerpt on heart disease prevention that you'll
want to send to everyone you love.

http://changethis.com/2.BeforeItHappens

................

Bonus!

2.06

Want to make more out of life? Do Less.
SETH GODIN, entrepreneur and author of several
best-selling business books, including Purple Cow,
on how to maximize quality and time.

http://changethis.com/2.DoLess

................

Finally,

(1) Check out the great ideas people have
submitted in the manifesto proposal area
and vote for your favorites!

http://www.changethis.com/proposals

(2) We're looking for great classic science
manifestos. Stuff by Feynman, Sagan, or similar.
Help us out, tell us what to consider:

http://www.changethis.com/content/feedback