The 'H Factor'

I call it the 'H Factor' - hype. It grates like hell, invalidates reputations and sucks money from wallets world wide.

Why? Because it works. Unfortunately.

I've just finished reading a book by a very well known Internet guru. The first 5 pages are crammed with wildly ecstatic endorsements from other Internet gurus.

They all use extreme emotional language to rate the book as a 'masterpiece' and 'best of the new millenium' (which, if you recall is only 5 years old, with 995 to go).

The book is OK. The actual lessons in its 160-odd pages could be distilled to about 10 succinct pages.

Those lessons are valuable reminders of principles that have been publicly available for decades.

Yet this book became an International best seller.

On the same theme, one of the new rising gurus emailed me to look at his new sales page this week. The headline filled my entire screen, it was that bold, emotional and long.

I immediately clicked away without even reading more than the two or three (emotive) words that leapt out.

And every day since, other well-known marketers have filled my inbox with frantic urgings to rush to this page 'before the chance evaporates forever'.

I live in a culture that is laid back. As Christopher Reeve, the Superman actor commented, problems for us are 'no worries', and calamities rise only to 'a bit of a problem'.

This heart-rending stuff sucks and sickens.

Unfortunately, those doing it are keen numbers people. Obviously it works.

I can only say it's a very sad reflection on society.

It might once have been called 'lies' and 'deceitful'.

History shows thousands burned at the stake for less.