More on collaborative consumption, business as sharing

I posted a review of What's Mine is Yours a few days ago, and used it to substantiate my declaration of "Co-" as buzzword number 6 for the year. Then along comes an email from a friend saying this:

 "This sounds a lot like the book you just blogged about, no?  What’s going on here?" and referring to Seth Godin's post about a new book called Mesh. Here's what Seth had to say:

"The Mesh is here (don't miss it)

My friend Lisa Gansky has a new book out today. ....

I hope you'll buy a copy right now. It's that important and that valuable.

Gansky has written the most insightful book about new economy business models since The Long Tail, and if you're not facile in understanding and working with the key concept behind this book, it's going to cost you time and trouble.

In short, the Mesh outlines how sharing resources and information creates an entirely new class of commerce. When you travel to another city, you don't buy a house. You stay in a hotel. A hotel, because it allows hundreds of people a year to share a single room, is a mesh business.

The thing is, the web has created thousands (probably more) of these businesses in areas you have never thought about. Zipcar, sure, and Netflix. But in all sorts of nooks and crannies as well. Lisa's online directory already lists thousands of these companies. Existing companies need to know about this, job seekers should be attracted to it, and for entrepreneurs, it really is a new frontier."

I haven't read The Mesh (though I will if the author/publisher sends me a review copy).

As to my friend's question - well, what can I say - you know I'm right about a buzz concept when not just one, but two books, come out about the idea within a week of each other.