Posts tagged books
March 15, 2010 · Filed under Posts · Tagged books, business, communications, social media, sxsw
Most people would agree that the Groundswell is here in full force. And while many organizations embraced it, there is still some resistance – fear, perhaps – from companies afraid to leave their comfort zone and cede control.
According to Charlene Li, social technologies are no longer ‘an alien race’ ; that bright shiny object to gawk at. But in order to adapt to the changing landscape, businesses will need to move from command and control to a culture of sharing. She calls this approach Open Leadership (the subject for her forthcoming book). The SXSW hashtag is: #openleadership.
Li contends open leadership can only happen when people have the confidence and humility to give up the need for control, yet still remain in command. It’s based on a fresh and more transparent approach to relationships and requires that new structures/processes be put in place.
She suggested five ways companies can become more open:
- Align openness with strategic goals. Start with a plan and select goals where being open and social can have an impact.
- Understand the upside. What’s the value of a relationship and can you quantify that in business terms? Right now, that’s still a challenge to measure.
- Consider a new formula for customer lifetime value (CLV). The old formula is: CLV = value of purchase – cost of acquisition. The new formula could be: CLV = value of purchase – cost of acquisition + value of new customers from referrals + value of insights + support +customer ideas.
- Develop open leadership. Leaders should be realist-optimists, who combine an openness to change with a strategic understanding of what needs to be done to make it work. Risk can be managed with ‘sandbox covenants’; a process for sharing with clear rules of engagement.
- Embrace failure. Keep a failure file in order to learn from your mistakes and move on.
March 11, 2010 · Filed under Posts · Tagged blogging, books, ideas, social media, trends
Every once in a while you read a book with such fresh ideas, clarity, crisp writing and aha moments that it literally jumps off the page.
I recently had that experience with Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky.
For anyone who hasn’t read the book, it’s an essential text that examines social networks from a historical, theoretical and practical perspective; seamlessly interweaving present and past. The author provides a context to better understand the ch-ch-changes unfolding all around us.
Shirky, a consultant and adjunct professor in the graduate Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU, has a deep grasp of social media and a straightforward way of articulating complex ideas. He contends we’re in the midst of a communications revolution, akin to the creation of Gutenberg’s printing press. And because we’re enmeshed in it, no one can predict exactly where we’re heading and what new developments we will see. As an example, he cites the publishing industry and the fact that when the printing press was invented, few could predict it would spawn a bookselling industry and portability of shared knowledge – the parallels with smart phones are not hard to see.
He also talks about professions like journalism and how they’re based on a scarcity of resources. This makes sense. Not too long ago (last year?), all journalists were specialists in their field, employed by media companies (another scarce resource) to present and interpret news. Along comes social networking and all of a sudden anyone can report news – and does. We’re not talking about quality or talent or editorial integrity – just the act of reporting.
According to Shirky, the ‘management’ function of the industry has changed. In the past, editors would hear about a story and send a reporter to cover it. These days, it’s hard to find breaking news that citizen journalists haven’t uncovered because they happen to be there and have the technology at hand.
These are just a few of the topics Clay Shirky covers in a book that’s hard to put down, poses questions and challenges us to imagine the future that’s just around the corner.
January 13, 2010 · Filed under Posts · Tagged books, Martin Waxman, social media
When I worked in publishing, new releases were very important, of course. But of almost equal importance was the backlist – those books that had already been published and had built awareness, an audience, a niche.
If your title moved to the active backlist, you could say it took on a life of its own. It had staying power.
Now that I’ve written a blog for three years – and many people have done it for longer than that – it struck me how little attention we pay to a blogger’s backlist – those entries that were posted last week, last month, last year or more. Because in blogs they’re moved to archives – and we all know how often we visit an archive.
I think that’s a real shame because many (OK some) older posts are probably as relevant now as they were the day they were published. Unfortunately, social media’s immediacy pushes things to the bottom of the heap faster.
So here’s what I’d like to suggest.
Bloggers – Go back and carefully reflect on which posts truly stand the test of time. (Likely fewer than you think.) Then republish some of your greatest hits. But don’t use this as excuse to be lazy.
And readers, when you have a few minutes – I know, who has any extra time? – why not dig a little deeper and have a look at a blogger’s past (entries, that is).
I’m sure you’ll find a few gems. And when you do, I hope you’ll share them.
January 11, 2010 · Filed under Posts · Tagged books, business, ideas, Martin Waxman, media, social media
Normally, the question we’d ask is: what are you reading? As in content you’ll hopefully share. And, of course, that’s key.
But with the recent announcement that Canada’s largest newspaper chain put itself in bankruptcy protection and with all the drastic changes to MSM in the past year or so, I wonder if media, and publishers in general, should also be asking the question: how.
It’s common knowledge we’re in a state of print transition. And, while it’s certainly a different order of magnitude, it reminds me of the switch from professional typesetters to DIY typesetting on computers. There’s a large empty building on Dupont Street in Toronto that stands as a somewhat bleak monument to that change.
But while it took down an industry, it didn’t alter the fact that we need (and enjoy) text.
It’s human nature to like and stay loyal to the familiar ways of doing things: poring over the morning paper, appreciating the visual textures of magazines, the pleasure of reading a book that seems to be speaking directly to you.
I love to do all of these. But more important is the fact that I just plain love to read.
These days I almost never read the print edition of a newspaper for news anymore – I get that from different sources, mostly online. But I do read the paper for more in-depth stories, opinion and because I don’t yet have a reader that I can take to the kitchen table (it’s on my list…).
I think media and publishers have to take some big chances, accept that the printed page has faded and act accordingly. Only then will they be able to start thinking creatively about the ‘how’; as in how are they going to provide us with a fresh and innovative way to read, share and engage with their content. And yes, make some money, too.
They need to get out of their comfort zone; we need to get out of ours.
December 30, 2009 · Filed under Posts · Tagged blogging, books, business, marketing, Martin Waxman, PR, social media
This holiday, it feels like I’ve been treated to my fiction wish list with new books by two of my favourite authors, Kurt Vonnegut and Philip Roth. Roth’s is The Humbling, a short novel about acting and dying (literally); and Vonnegut’s is Look at the Birdie, a collection of early unpublished stories that very much ring true today. I’ve read one book and am halfway through the other and wish neither would end.
And speaking of books (now there’s a segue), I thought this is a good time to highlight and recommend a few social media reads that stood out for me in 2009. All three books offer insights on the lay of the social landscape and its growing importance to business.
They are (in no particular order):
SocialCorp by Joel Postman – I reviewed the book when it first came out and feel it’s a great starting point for any organization seeking a strategic approach to becoming more social. The writing is smart and crisp. Of particular interest are the case studies and Joel’s approach to ethics and transparency.
Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel – I finally met Mitch in person this year (having been a reader/listener for a long time) and thoroughly enjoyed his book. Again, it’s aimed at businesses who want to enter the social arena and is filled with ideas, tips and real-world examples. His writing is sharp and knowledgeable. And he’s managed to capture the essence of his engaging speaking voice in print (not an easy thing to do).
Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff – This isn’t a new book, but it stands the test of accelerated time (in this case about two years). It’s a researchers approach to social media, technographics and the marketplace. But while it’s filled with data, it’s anything but academic and offers practical approaches to getting started: listen (first ) and then engage the people you’re trying to reach (both inside and outside an organization).
One other non-fiction book that stood out for me is Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. It’s written in his inimitable conversational style and has some wonderful stories about why some people succeed and others don’t; looking beyond raw talent and taking other, often surprising, factors into account.
By the way, I read all of these in the old fashioned print format. I’ve yet to get an e-reader, but now that Kindle’s available in Canada, that’s something I’ll probably try.
Do you have any other titles to add?
May 14, 2009 · Filed under Posts · Tagged books
You don’t know me (nor I you). But I am one of your legions of readers; and have been for many years. I think it’s safe to say that your fiction has helped shape and deepen my understanding of the human condition.
I recently finished reading
Indignation, your latest novel, and I just wanted to thank you. For being so eloquent and witty, for posing the essential (existential?) questions, for screaming our insecurities into the night and for showing us how a small community can be a microcosm for the rest of the world.
Your book tells the story of a smart young man from Newark who comes of age in the 1950s. He ventures from his cloistered Jewish-centric hometown to college in the blandly-dangerous Midwest because he desires to escape his family’s narrow beliefs; he wants to be worldly and craves mainstream acceptance. Yet despite his best attempts to be himself, to excel academically, circumstances cause him to make choices that lead to an unfortunate path.
There are few artistic events I look forward to more than one of your books. You never fail to challenge my curiosity, spark an intellectual debate, entertain and make me laugh (and cry) at life’s unavoidable triumphs, mistakes and yes, indignities.
March 15, 2009 · Filed under Posts · Tagged blogging, books, PR, social media, Twitter, working
Nearly every day, I’m asked about social media and how businesses can jump into the fray. Lately, I’ve been referring people who want to learn more to SocialCorp – Social Media Goes Corporate, a great new book by Joel Postman.
Joel is a former corporate speechwriter, PR practitioner and consultant who recently joined Intridea. I first met Joel when he led a session on social media for Counselors Academy and found him to be knowledgeable, witty and somewhat skeptical; an early adopter with a balanced view.
All of this comes through in his book, which is clearly written and, unlike the blogosphere, well organized and thought out.
Joel begins by offering his definition of a ‘SocialCorp’ and then goes on to discuss what it takes to become one. In chapters filled with case studies and examples, he provides a strategic overview of the tools, talks about the impact on brands and audiences and offers a perspective on ethics (they haven’t changed) and measurement (it has).
He believes it’s most important for organizations to articulate their business goals and then develop a communications plan that incorporates the relevant web 2.0 tools that will help to achieve them.
Two highlights: a social media readiness quiz that quickly gives you a snapshot of where you/your organization stand (you can try it online here) and a useful glossary.
I’d highly recommend this book for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of the business of being ‘social’.
February 16, 2009 · Filed under Posts · Tagged books, Toronto
I first met Bobby Rotenberg around the time he launched T.O. magazine, an upstart, edgy city publication I had the pleasure of writing for, a long time ago. Since then, I’ve bumped into him from time to time and reconnected when we found out our kids go to the same school.
He mentioned that he’d written a novel (his first), slated to come out in early March 2009 and offered to send me a copy.
So when Old City Hall arrived, I read it right away. The book is a stylish, witty page-turner. Crime fiction that centre’s on Canada’s best known, craggy talk radio host. It starts when Kevin (I want to say Peter) Brace confesses to murdering his wife in their luxury condo, and then says nothing more. With its sharp twists and turns, you’re taken on an investigative journey that surprises and entertains. The characters play against stereotype – Jewish homicide officer, lawyer turned cop, new Canadian crown attorney – and offer a new perspective on the formerly bland and conservative safe haven Toronto used to be.
The prose is stylish, the dialogue fresh and the cast are a quirky and believable mix of the people you’d see living and working in Toronto today; a reflection of our coming-into-its-own metropolis.
Bobby has combined his love of T.O. (i.e. the magazine) with his work as a criminal lawyer to offer both a superb story, and a wry commentary on the city and its foibles; its inner workings; what makes it tick.
And that is an extra gift.
Look for Old City Hall in March at your local bookseller or online here.
November 19, 2008 · Filed under Posts · Tagged blogging, books, gift blog, Martin Waxman, PR, social media
Joel Postman’s new book, SocialCorp: Social Media Goes Corporate will be released in December. I’m looking forward to reading/reviewing it.
It promises to feature case studies, a critical approach and examples of how organizations can develop an intelligent and relevant online strategy – that works for them. I’m sure it will be written in Joel’s crisp, witty style.
In the meantime, if you’re interested in finding out if your company is ready to jump into the social media fray try Joel’s 20 question quiz and see where you land.
October 15, 2008 · Filed under Posts · Tagged books, Canada, communications, Martin Waxman, PR
Watching the Canadian election results last night was mildly frustrating (and a bit dull). And ending up with essentially the same House we had before the vote was called is a strong message from ‘the people’ to politicians of all stripes – no matter how they may try to ‘spin’ it.
From a communications perspective, it offers all parties a potential opportunity to win back the electorate, rebuild their reputations and credibility, and create a vision for our country. But they need to begin from the ground up.
Here’s what I would suggest:
- Define yourself and what you stand for; and please make it intelligent, meaningful and heartfelt
- Show us you have integrity; start small and keep it up to demonstrate you’re serious
- Be honest, transparent and believable when you’re delivering your messages
- Not everyone is a leader; choose someone who can speak to and to inspire both individuals and large crowds
- It’s OK to answer questions directly, even if you say you don’t have a response just yet
- Start telling your story; not selling it
- It’s all about relationships; not opponent-bashing or trading favours
In the meantime, if you want to read about a reluctant, yet idealistic politician in a satire that may be a bit too prescient, try Terry Fallis’s hilarious Leacock award winning novel, The Best Laid Plans.
May 11, 2008 · Filed under Posts · Tagged books, ideas
Every once in a while, I’ll come across one.
Like the opening to Garrison Keillor’s hilarious novel Pontoon, which I’m currently reading:
“Evelyn was an insomniac, so when they say she died in her sleep, you had to question that.”
It’s an exquisite piece of writing; funny, smart, a little mind-bending and right to the point.
It’s the latest in Keillor’s ‘Lake Wobegon’ series of novels, which present life in Midwestern small-town America like no one else. Besides, where else can you read about goings-on in Bemidji, Fargo-Moorhead, St. Cloud and of course the longed-for mecca that is Minneapolis?
April 28, 2008 · Filed under Posts · Tagged books, ideas
I recently finished reading Philip Roth’s superb novel, Exit Ghost, the latest (and final?) Zukerman story. Nathan Zukerman, by the way, is Roth’s literary alter ego; a fictional author whose life has mirrored that of his creator’s. Or has it?
And what can you say about a Roth book that Roth himself doesn’t say better in his writing? How do you communicate his inimitable sense of style and the way in which his characters take on a life of their own? Should you paraphrase? Quote passages? What would you leave out? What essentials would you miss?
And the questions… Roth poses and answers so many questions that his fiction feels almost Talmudic in scope (including, in this case, some student acolytes).
Roth’s writing is entertaining, funny, rigorous. and completely and unabashedly original. He’s in a class unto himself (which, I would imagine might be a bit lonely at times).
If you haven’t read anything by Roth, I urge you to do so; if you have, read more.
April 5, 2008 · Filed under Posts · Tagged books, ideas, PR
I read that the peace symbol turns 50 this year and was a bit taken aback by the news (it didn’t look a day over 40 to me).
Actually, I always thought the icon was a U.S. anti-Vietnam war invention and was surprised to find out it was created in 1958 by Gerald Holtorn, a British textile designer. He developed it for an anti-nuclear rally in the U.K. and based it on a stylized version of the semaphore letters for ‘N’ and ‘D’ – representing nuclear disarmament.
I did a search and noticed a lot has been written on the anniversary recently. The items started in February but most of the coverage (MSM and social) happened in the last week or so. A little more digging revealed the widespread interest is the result of a PR effort for a new National Geogaphic book entitled, Peace: The Biography of a Symbol by Ken Kolsbun and Michael Sweeny.
Having done book publicity in the past, I have to admire how the PR folks took the publisher’s story (‘new book on peace symbol’) and made it bigger and more relevant by tying it to an iconic anniversary. In the process they did what I always tried to do: get the coverage off the book pages.
They successfully generated much wider awareness for and interest in the title. Hopefully, this will translate into sales.
February 19, 2008 · Filed under Posts · Tagged blogging, books, ideas, social media
A couple of days ago I tried an experiment: I wanted to avoid reading email, blogs and all and sundry tidbits on the internet for 24 hours – to get a respite from the constant online activity. Instead I would go ‘old fashioned’ and spend the day reading magazines or a book.
But I soon found there was something or other I wanted to retrieve from a website. And I was getting more anxious not looking at my BB than if I checked it. (You know, maybe catching a furtive glance at the locked screen. Finding out the time and then casually noticing I had six emails… That’s not too many to ignore, I reasoned. But what if one’s important and I have to read it… now?)
You get the picture.
I decided that my forced abstenance was causing me more tension than simply being plugged in.
And you know what? When I did reconnect, there was nothing earth-shattering awaiting me. But neither did I feel a surge of guilt for breaking down.
The truth is I really do like being connected. I like the social part of social media. And I like knowing about things early (before they appear in MSM).
Of course, there’s always a tradeoff between time spent reading online and time spent reading magazines or books.
The point for me is, it’s not a matter of shutting one thing off (or out). It’s a matter of deciding for myself what I think is the best way to spend my reading time. And sometimes that’s a really hard choice.
November 25, 2007 · Filed under Posts · Tagged books, Canada, ideas, Toronto, TV, Winnipeg
Sometimes it feels like Canada is decidedly second tier. By that I mean there are often cool new products launched in the U.S. that aren’t readily available on our side of the border. We hear about them, read about them, see what they do. We covet them but just don’t have the access.
Today’s Toronto Star lists several of these technologies including: the iPhone, Kindle, Amazon’s book reader which I really want to try, and streamed TV series.
Intellectual property negotiations aside, this is somewhat of a nostalgic situation for me.
Growing up in pre-cable Winnipeg, there was a time when we were relegated to three television stations, CBC, CTV and KCND (really just a transmitter in Pembina, North Dakota that was loosely affiliated with ABC and later switched to CKND, our Global station).
So while we heard about lots of great shows, and especially ‘The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson’, we couldn’t actually watch them unless we ventured to the U.S. or to one of our larger metropolises (Montreal, Toronto) that had the actual stations in closer proximity.
We were even late getting some movies. The Exorcist, for example, opened in Winnipeg a couple of months after its Christmas release, but long after the infamous head-turning scene had been written about ‘ad nauseum’.
And really, it’s this second tierism that made me want to leave Winnipeg in the first place. I dreamed of living at the centre of all things new.
So here I am happily ensconced in the country’s largest city and I find I’m in a similar situation with regards to certain tech gadgets. Only this time, I have no great exit strategy.
And I wonder if waiting a little longer for things is simply part of our national heritage and makes us a little more patient, more cautions, more reflective…Makes us Canadian.
Go Bombers go…
October 8, 2007 · Filed under Posts · Tagged blogging, books, disclosure, media, PR
I’ve decided to convert my past blog headlines to CP style (i.e. sentence case). It’s a bit of an edit, so I’m going to do it a few entries at a time.
July 23, 2007 · Filed under Posts · Tagged blogging, books
I just stumbled on Jack Kapica’s witty Weblish post. In it he mentions the Lulu Blooker Prize (I hadn’t heard of it before), awarded annually to blogs that transform themselves into into books, er blooks, from a program you can get on the Lulu site. The business was created by Red Hat co-founder Bob Young.
I was curious, checked it out and it’s actually quite ingenious. You can publish text (fiction, non-fiction), comics, illustrated coffee table books, calendars. And they promote it on the site.
However, as someone who has written two books the old fashioned way, I wonder if there’s any merit in doing the reverse and trying to turn hard copies into a blog (or should I say blok)?
May 12, 2007 · Filed under Posts · Tagged blogging, books, social media
I finally finished The Cluetrain Manifesto. And about two-thirds of the way in, I just wanted to get off. As far as I was concerned, that train had run out of steam long before that. (OK Thomas, the rail puns have stopped.)
The book was repetitive and frustrating. The authors infused the prose with way too many cutesy metaphors (‘storm Fort Business’) which felt like a forced attempt to be edgy and cool.
Sure it had an interesting premise and it set the stage for the blogosphere. But there was just too much ‘I think it’s so groovy now that people are finally getting together…’ type of sentimentality. (Which, I might add, was wonderful in that song but not in this book.)
And OK, I get the thesis: markets are conversations.
This sounded quite reasonable the first few times I read it, but they kept ramming it down my (or any reader’s) throat. To the point where it became clichéd and stale really fast.
From where I blog, I don’t think markets are conversations at all.
In a very literal sense markets are places. Places we go to buy and sell things. (What a pastime!) It’s an exchange, yes, of goods and services in the broadest sense of the words. But let’s call it what it is and not get all pretentious about it.
People go to markets. People have conversations. Conversations are things people have at markets. (With apologies to Dick and Jane.)
Person, place, thing. Different concepts that work together, complement each other and give reading, writing and yes, conversations style, substance and pizzazz. But they’re not interchangeable, not the same at all.
Sounds like basic grammar to me.
April 12, 2007 · Filed under Posts · Tagged books
Novelist Kurt Vonnegut, the ‘son and grandson of architects’, was born in Indianapolis on November 11, 1922 (Veterans Day in the U.S., Poppy Day in Canada). I read that he died in New York City on April 11, 2007 – last night.
That made me sad.
I didn’t know Kurt Vonnegut personally, though I, (like millions of his readers, I suppose) felt like I did. His short fiction, novels, plays and collections of essays opened my mind to new worlds, new ideas, new ways of thinking, new forms of humanity. He made a turn of the phrase delicious to read. He was bitterly funny, ironic, honest, smart as a whip and a truly original voice. And what stories!
I started reading his books in high school and have read and re-read them (many more than once). I remember the sheer joy I experienced when I heard about or stumbled across a new (or new to me) Vonnegut book. Whenever this happened, I felt like a kid on a roller coaster, about to embark on the ride of my life.
And it always was.
It was Vonnegut’s novels that inspired me to write. That shaped my approach to life. That taught me I could start a sentence with ‘and’.
He was a remarkable human being who will live on through his work.
Let me remember Kurt Vonnegut by quoting one of Bokonon’s Calypsos (from Cat’s Cradle):
‘Oh a sleeping drunkard up in Central Park
And a lion hunter in the jungle dark
And a Chinese dentist and a British queen all fit together in the same machine
Nice, nice, very nice
Nice, nice, very nice
Nice, nice very nice
So many people in the same device…’
So we are. So it goes.
Thank you, Kurt Vonnegut. And rest in peace. To borrow from Slaughterhouse Five, ‘Poo-tee-weet?’
March 21, 2007 · Filed under Posts · Tagged blogging, books, PR, social media
Back from vacation. Still cold (with snow) in Toronto even though tomorrow is technically spring.
I’ve been writing this blog since January and I wanna tell ya (as a Catskill’s comic might segue), there’s gonna be a few changes ‘round here.
First off, you’ll notice a slightly altered name (I’m adding ‘PR’) and a new subtitle. Why? I’m listening to advice from Robert Scoble and Shel Israel’s Naked Conversations Chapter 11, page 171 ‘Tip #1: Search engine results’.
I want ‘em.
I’m an optimist who’s hoping to become an optimizer.
Also (from reading the book), the blog is going to become a little more focused (hence the subtitle) but hopefully somewhat looser too: less columnistic and more just plain me.
If you haven’t read Naked Conversations and are interested in blogging, I’d suggest you pick up a copy. It’s an invaluable reference, both eye opening and slightly maddening. I loved reading about all the inter-connections and linky-ness (Tip #9), but wasn’t as crazy about the vigilante-esque aspects of citizens on a rampage. That reminded me of the group with the ice cream truck and flyers chasing after Griffin Dunne’s character in Martin Scorcese’s After Hours. Funny to watch. Not so funny if you’re the one being cornered and they won’t let you tell your side of the story.
I’m keeping to my 500 word maximum.
Adding more blogs.
The signature sign-off is gone.
