Tribal Tuesday

Lately, I've been thinking about what tribes I belong to and which ones I consider to be successful.  But first, a little explanation on what a tribe is.

To quote Seth Godin: "a tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. For millions of years, humans have joined tribes, be they religious, ethnic, political, or even musical...it's our nature.

Now the internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. All those blogs and social networking sites are helping existing tribes get bigger and enabling new tribes to be born - groups of ten or ten million who are about their iPhones, or a political campaign, or a new way to fight global warming."

Now, I'd like to share with you a tribe that has actually done exactly what a successful tribe is supposed to do: increase awareness, interest, enthusiasm, and most importantly - connect members with others in a beneficial way to keep the cause or mission of the tribe going.

Since we all need to eat, and more so, because eating can be one of life's finest pleasures, food tribes have always existed.  But some food tribes have existed in more robust form and have lasted.  Take for example, powerhouses like Julia Child and her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  Julia took a stance on eating in America and cultivated a following with her passion and humbleness.  Her book drove followers, and so did her TV show. She was trusted and she grew a lasting tribe.

Next, I think of other cooking rockstars, and how they have driven a following - Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, and Giada De Laurentiis.  But what I also see is that to be a trusted food leader, you don't need to have your own cookbook or series on the Food Network.  You can simply be a trusted blogger.

Hello Food bloggers.

Unlike food websites like epicurious.com and allrecipes.com, the opinions and successes/failures of food bloggers are not anonymous.  Once you get to know the tastes, and likings of a food blogger, they become a trusted friend. Your hear about the good, the bad, and the ugly.  And most of the successful ones that I have seen are pretty darn honest, as their reputation is everything.

And once they generate loyalty, other passionate foodies or simply those wanting to try something new and take a leap in drive their success.  Everyone benefits and a tribe is born.

What tribes are you part of?  And why do you think they have succeeded or failed?