Interesting post by Kevin Kelly who believe the drivers in today’s emerging economy can be distilled into the statement: Where ever attention flows, money will follow. It’s an interesting idea which is hard to negate, as can be evidenced by new giants like Googe, Amazon and eBay. Here’s an interesting section:

New things that don’t work or serve no purpose are quickly weeded out of the system. But the fact that something does work or is helpful is no longer sufficient for success. Good, useful stuff is now the minimum standard. I might even make the argument that great stuff is the minimum. Now anything that lasts has to also maintain our attention.

And when it wins our attention, money will follow. Money is one way we acknowledge our attention. We “want” something — an intense form of attention — and we use money to fulfill this attention. Using the product or service is a continuation of that attention. Recommending it others is a further extension of that attention.

bbgm likens this to Peter Druckers take on innovation, but I think a closer line can be drawn to Seth Godin‘s “Be Remarkable” mantra. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling ball bearings or you’re a satellite internet provider or just looking to become the world’s most influential geek, attracting and maintaining attention can be the key to your success.