As part of my Data Driven Print class, I want to present some models of how ideas spread through communities. One of the ones I wish to address is Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point. If this was a graduate class, or perhaps I was at a different school, I’d probably make the entire class read the book. However, that isn’t a current option.

I seem to remember that around 2000/2001, as the book was beginning to gain popularity, a business magazine published an article, possibly by Gladwell, that encapsulated the core concepts of the book. This is an article that I’d really like to use. The problem is I have no idea where it appeared. It might have been in Fast Company. But I’m not sure.

So, I turn to you, gentle blog reader. If anyone out there has any ideas where it might have appeared can you let me know. Just drop me a comment. I’ll be your adoring fan for ever!

3 Responses

1. Randy Jameson Says:
   February 20th, 2006 at 4:05 pm

   If it’s not Fast Company, then the other likely contenders are Wired and Business 2.0. Slight chance that there was something in the Atlantic–that about exhausts my regular magazine list, but I remember that article also.

2. ab Says:
   February 21st, 2006 at 11:35 am

   Matt,
   Is this it?
   http://www.gladwell.com/1996/1996_06_03_a_tipping.htm
   Also try:
   http://www.gladwell.com/archive.html
   http://www.gladwell.com/links.html
   If not,
   You can do a search in magazines using the library’s website:
   http://wally.rit.edu/electronic/electronic.html

3. tw Says:
   February 21st, 2006 at 1:56 pm

   Matt -

   You may want to look into ‘meme theory’ or ‘memetics’ too - which is all about the propogation and persistence of information as a parallel to the biological systems that sustain them.

   Dive deep on wikipedia.

   tw

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