Computer & Internet Books Store

When I saw the title I thought it was one of those simple “how to” books, but reading it was really dry.

It’d be great as a college textbook on the topic, because it looked like a big thesis paper for a graduate degree turned into a book, rather than a consumer/reader friendly read.

Social Networking, in my opinion, is a very simple tool that anyone can use for both personal and business purposes. Granted, this book was written for business use, but if you’re a business owner or manger/leader who is looking for a book that will help you quickly gain skills in the application of social networking, this book is not for you. It isn’t a quick and easy “how to” book.
Rating: 2 / 5

I really hesitated clicking for this book because I was worried it would be a 2 or 3 star book review (and I hate to write those) but my work sometimes takes me into the halls of some of the world’s luminaries in this field and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something important or some super fresh insight. The only thing that made me click was that it was a Wharton book and I’d just gotten a Wharton book on Crossing the Energy Divide: Moving from Fossil Fuel Dependence to a Clean-Energy Future which I thought was very good. Sadly, this book didn’t hit the mark with me.

First of all this is a book that comes out of the corridors of IBM: its author is an IBMer manager who works within their social networking group.

That said, it’s a decent primer on the topic of building of social networks. Bear in mind that the true luminaries for building social networks do not come out of IBM but rather Microsoft’s XBOX 360, Yahoo, Facebook, MySpace, Amazon, eBay, etc.

It’s a thin book, 156 pages – from a very reputable publishing house (Wharton) but that’s to be expected with the backing of IBM. Took me an hour total to plow through (yes it’s short, big print, graphics, etc).

I do have an issue with the work though – it talks of member rewards programs and recruiting champions as means of gaining engagement (but these are small things that come up in a standard brainstorming session – not luminary insight for creating an engaging and dynamic social networking experience that I’d expect from a Wharton backed book. If I mentioned these things to my clients, they’d nod politely and never invite me back) — I work with clients in this space and I guess I expected more — I wanted to be blown away with unique and novel ideas and I wasn’t (hence why I gave it lost stars).

Overall, I thought it was a decent primer for someone who knows nothing about the space. Just be aware, there are luminaries out there. I’m writing this review on the website of one such luminary (Bezos) and 30 minutes with him would very likely be more englightening than this book on the topic of social networking. I also believe that a couple of good discussions with a good sociology professor would be well worth more (my old college sociology professor comes to mind).

Overall, I think that Mr. Shah is probably an engineer and this book would have been far far better if:

a) Mr. Shah had shared author credit with a professor of sociology from Wharton and written something truly illuminating (there is little to no mention of how culture affects social network creation or any of the nitty gritty topics of sociology, economics, incentives, group behavior etc);

b) if he’d perhaps given more attention to some real case studies like Amazon, XBox, Twitter, Facebook, etc (what was in this book was too shallow to be called true case studies and they didn’t cover the major players in the industry).

c) if he’d highlighted some specific IBM engagement with eBay or some other client that could really help propell this book forward with at least one giant win that could establish Mr. Shah as a giant in the field.

Maybe I’m just a tough judge in this space. Decent primer but don’t expect much more.

VINE NOTE:

See, now I regret having ordered the book. This is the beauty and curse of Vine. This book was provided to me for free. If I had purchased this at some store, I would never ever have reviewed this book at Amazon because I wouldn’t want to share any negative view of Mr. Shah’s work (he did good work but I expected more). However, because I got it from Vine, I was forced to review it and forced to give it a less than stellar grade.

If I had browsed some bookstore and seen this book, I would’ve never bought it but on Amazon it’s a bit harder — but you get the review.

I’VE SAID IT A FEW TIMES:

This is a decent primer but don’t expect a blueprint and don’t expect to walk away enlightened. Maybe Mr. Shah reserves his really luminary stuff for the brainstorming sessions.

A LESSON IN SOCIAL NETWORKING:

This was a very hard review for me to write – I really don’t like to write less than 5 star reviews. If I gave it 5 stars (which I couldn’t), I’d probably pick up some helpful votes. If I’d slammed the work (which I didn’t think it deserved), I would’ve gotten some helpful votes. With the forced lukewarm review, I’ll probably get a bunch of nonhelpful votes and that’s going to be the real painful part of having ordered this book and being forced to review it.

In any case – I hope the review helps everyone and that I wasn’t off the mark or too harsh of a reviewer.
Rating: 3 / 5

Social Networking for Business: Choosing the Right Tools and Resources to Fit Your Needs

Definitely, a social network is where the people are…that’s where your business (large or small) should have a Powerful presence, as well — and wouldn’t it be nice to know the rules and have the right tools.

Footnote heavy and a lot of Big name-dropping, Social Networking for Business: Choosing the Right Tools and Resources to Fit Your Needs is an impressive little book packed to overflowing with valuable advice (that is not about to go stale anytime soon) on categorically conducting business on modern social networks. Makes for a much-reached-for, desktop reference, guide as well. Highly Recommended! –Katharena Eiermann, 2010
Rating: 5 / 5