People DO love to talk and love to be listened to. But, when you interview them or put a mic in their face, they clam up and, while they may think they are interesting, they are not interesting enough to be interviewed. Your experience may be different, but then you are Seth Godin, not Jane Broker who got this assignment thrust on her. (And yes, I’ve been to New York and India too, and a few other places in between. Just because I’m stuck in Dayton, Ohio right now doesn’t mean a whole lot. )

What you cite as my “facts” is in fact, my OPINION that you spend a bit more time thinking stuff up than you spend time doing them. Note the comparative, not an assertion you don’t spend time doing stuff. All the words are put together in a particular order to have a specific meaning, so you may have to slow down to catch the nuance. It might save you some angst.

My “facts” is my experience doing what you suggested a particular industry does. I think it is irresponsible to say things in a “drive-by” manner like “It will cost you nothing” when it clearly will. My case study of an attempt to do what you propose shows that it will cost money, time and energy that will eventually sap from your core product. People need to know this or they will attempt it and when it does cost money, think they are doing it incorrectly. “Seth Godin can’t POSSIBLY be wrong!” Sometimes, he is wrong.

I think people do like to talk, but I also think more that most people really don’t want to join in the hunt, they want to be fed.

However, if YOU would like to start a newspaper at any point your industry is at a lull, I volunteer to be your first interview. And I will be interesting. And, I hope you prove me wrong, but I’m not holding my breath.

Of course, I will admit to being wrong about you never seeing this post. Oops!

And, I do care a little more than I thought I would about feedback.

I think you need to do a bit more research before you cast aspersions like that one.

But the bigger point is this: most people (in New York, in India, everywhere I’ve been) think they are astonishingly interesting. Example: Ask anyone, “how’d you meet your wife?” or “How did you end up doing this for a living,” and they’ll inevitably say, “well, it’s a funny story…” and then tell you an unfunny story for five minutes.

People love to talk and they love to be listened to. Exhibit A: blogs. Even blogs that get their facts wrong.