The Tao of the Borg

Michael Spence’s comment on yesterday’s post got me thinking.

Specifically, that one of the keys to success with ebooks is to use the strategy of the Borg.

The Borg, for those of you unfamiliar with STAR TREK, are one of the series’ villains, a race of half-organic, half-machine creatures linked in a hive mind. The Borg desire perfection, and to attain that perfection, they have conquered large swathes of the galaxy, “assimilating” various civilizations they encounter by forcibly integrating them into the Borg hive mind. The net result of this is that the Borg can use the technology of their conquered civilizations as their own…and that any form of attack on a Borg drone tends to only work until the hive mind analyzes the threat and develops a countermeasure.

An ebook publisher needs to always be on the look for new techniques, new methods, and new tools, just as the Borg assimilate new technology. Additionally, you also need to learn from mistakes. I have made a lot of mistakes in the last two years, but I have learned from them, just as the Borg adapt to new forms of attack. The Borg never, ever stop or relent, and this is a good attitude for an ebook publisher. Setbacks are merely instances to be analyzed and adapted against, with the tools to avoid future setbacks of that nature assimilated.

The advantages of this approach are clear. When the Borg first show up, the Enterprise crew basically says “Ha ha! Pasty dorks in space cubes!” and Worf blows up a third of their ship. Another glorious victory for the Enterprise!

But the Borg adapt…and two years later they almost destroy the Federation. So while I don’t suggest you emulate the Borg in the whole destroyer-of-worlds department, we can learn from their tenacity and techniques.

-JM