Update:
This little Venn Diagram satire was noticed by Sheila at Gawker yesterday, and some self-satisfied, sanctimonious, humorless dork took it upon himself (I’m assuming MisterHippity is male) to correct the “inaccuracy” of my diagram. I’ll admit to not being an expert at creating Venn diagrams, and I sometimes get stumped on those little math quizzes you find when you need to verify you are a human being. However, I can read. And this is a powerful tool.
Having a look through the comments, it’s actually quite funny. He clearly understands the diagram I drew, yet was unable to perceive its humorous intent. You, dear alert readers, will also notice that MrHippity (who clearly isn’t) did not actually recreate the original diagram, because the original third (tiny, anguish-inducing circle) reads: “People who buy books written by bloggers.” (Not “read” as his diagram indicates.)
Here’s his “correct” version:
Of course, if this was more truthy, there would be no need for despair, because then promoting a book with a blog would be no problem. I think my version is way funnier. (Plus it has pretty colors and a nice font.)
I will let you be the judge.
Neither this source of humor, nor this one are sanctimonious, though there may be some self-satisfaction going on.
Tags: book promotion, cconomics, humor, marketing, Monkey Kin, murketing, satire, venn diagram
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May 22, 2008 at 11:05 am
Mark
Ouch.
So, in order to get a book written by a blogger bought the answer appears to be: under no circumstances promote it on the internet.
And when it does get bought you’ve then only got a 50/50 chance that the person buying it is a person who reads books anyway. That’s a lot of beds that need a leg raised.
May 22, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Mark A. Rayner
Yes, you’ve parsed that correctly. It is, after all, an economy of despair.
m.
May 24, 2008 at 1:25 am
diesel
That second diagram is HILARIOUS!!! Oh man, I gotta go check some Godel out of the library.
May 24, 2008 at 5:27 pm
May
Your original Venn diagram stated that:
- there are some people who only read books. They do not read blogs, they do not buy books written by bloggers;
- there are some people who only read blogs. They do not read books, they do not buy books written by bloggers;
- there are some people who buy books written by bloggers but they do not read neither books nor blogs. Apparently they just buy those books (without reading them);
- there are other people who read both books and blogs;
- there are other people who read books and buy bloggers’ books;
- those who read blogs do not buy bloggers’ books. Never.
May 25, 2008 at 11:58 am
Rob MacD
Wow. Talk about missing the joke. Your diagram is both funnier and I think more accurate. I think you are awesome, but have I bought your book? I rest my case.
The comment thread at Gawker quickly brings to mind Eddie Izzard’s routine about Venn diagrams:
Who was Venn and his diagrams? Was he the most boring child ever? (upper middle class accent) “Father, I have my foot in your bedroom and also in the hallway. As you can see from my diagram I am not only in the bedroom, I am also in the hallway.” “Venn, fuck off out of this house!” “All right, father. But I am outside of the house but my hand is in the window and my foot is in a grapefruit…”
May 25, 2008 at 6:18 pm
O Bloody Hell
Actually, the really funny thing is that *his* Venn diagram is incorrect, too.
It makes the presumption that everyone who reads a book by a blogger reads blogs, which is entirely unfounded as a presumption.
The actual Venn diagram, to be specific, would have the smallest circle fully inside the biggest (people who read books by bloggers are a subset of people who read books, rather obviously — which is what he was whining about).
But that smallest circle should *intersect*, not be fully contained in, the mid-sized circle “people who read blogs”.
While the overlap there is probably substantial, I am sure that, for every book out there written by a blogger, there are others who read it because of the review on Amazon.com, or because a friend who does read blogs bought it for them as a gift, or because they read the cover blurb at the bookstore — all of them people who may well *not* read blogs.
If you’re going to correct someone, you ought to make damned sure you’re right yourself when you’re doing it.
If I see fit to be so obnoxious as to correct someone’s spelling or grammar (it takes the right kind of provocation) in comments, you can damned sure bet I carefully vette the resultant post beforehand for both spelling and grammar.
And yes, I get the joke. ;o)
May 26, 2008 at 3:21 am
Mark
Methinks it is time for a Venn diagram showing the relationships between people who read and visit internet humour sites and those who get it whilst doing so.
May 26, 2008 at 7:58 am
Mark A. Rayner
In MisterWankerty’s defense, he was visiting Gawker when he saw my diagram, yet one would think the title would be a clue…
May 27, 2008 at 9:05 pm
alejna
Your diagram is much better. And yeah, waaaay funnier.
Although, I admit that I find your choice of font slightly unsettling. (That font reminds me of something, but I can’t place it. What is it? And why do I have vague 70s associations?)