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If you’re like me, sometimes the recurring advice, prominent in the “blogosphere”, that companies really need to have “conversations” with their customers becomes exceedingly cloying. Don’t fear, Nicholas Carr is here:

Conversation isn’t king. Good products and services at fair prices are king - always were, always will be. Which would you rather do business with - a company that delivers great goods but has no interest in buttonholing you into some pathetic excuse for “a conversation,” or a company that sells you crap but is great at conversing? Well, duh.

The last we thing we need is companies getting in touch publicly with their inner suckiness. Just give me something I want to buy and shut the hell up. I have enough friends.

Here’s a thought experiment: as you pay your monthly bills, consider how many of the vendors you really want to have a prolonged conversation with.