I'm a social-network-a-holic. Okay, there, I said it. So when I was sent to a brilliant YouTube video on social media I was blown away. This video clearly explained the phenomena in a way that I, who am constantly using social media, didn't quite get.
Some facts:
- Social media has overtaken porn as the number one activity on the web
- One out of eight couples married last year met via social media
- It took 50 years for radio to reach 50 million users — the Internet took four
- Facebook added 100 million users in less than nine months.
It's clear that social media is here to stay. How does that affect us? Our lives? Our businesses?
Socialnomics, by Erik Qualman, does a good job of showing how this medium is changing our lives. I had the pleasure of interviewing him last month to go over his observations. (If you want to hear the podcast, it can be found on my Yada Yada site) The fact that I could find Erik and get him to agree to an interview in itself is a testament to the medium.
I asked him how he could write a book on a medium that is changing daily. How could a book on social media be written that would still be relevant in just a few short months?
He pointed out that he has released the book on the Kindle, Amazon's digital book format. One thing Erik stressed was with the digital format of the Kindle — he could easily update the book and it would be updated on all the Kindle copies. This in itself is a new concept. Could you imagine if authors from earlier times could just change or update a finished work?
I personally love the feel of a real book. If you've ever been to my office or house, you'll see bookshelves in every room but a lot of the books I have are outdated. Even with that, I have been considering purchasing a Kindle. It's a bit of a hard sell for me because of my love of physical books and the pricing of the Kindle. Even with that, I'm considering it. It'd be great to be able to have a good portion of my book collection with me when I travel. The sheer convenience of having so much on a 10-oz device, probably will make it worth the switch. Some things like physics don't change, but business and software books do become outdated quickly, so having digital books as a concept makes a lot of sense.
Article comments
1 - Dave Freedman
You earn a commission through Amazon Associates when someone buys the book you are reviewing, right? (I don't see any disclosure on your site.) How can your review be unbiased when you have an incentive to promote the book?
I read the book, and I think it's superficial and specious. It lacks any real deep insight.
2 - Laura Betterly
Actually Dave, I don't get any commission for my reviews here on Amazon. My business is marketing and I review what I do because I like to write.
Sorry you don't like the book but you know what they say about opinions--everybody has one.
3 - Erik Qualman
Laura:
Thanks for the kind review and I'm glad you enjoyed the book! Dave, sorry that you didn't enjoy the book, maybe some information on my blog will provide the depth and insight you are looking for - if not let me know!
Happy Holidays to all!!
Best,
Erik Qualman
Author of Socialnomics
4 - JDPineCoffin
Actually Laura, the difference between your opinion and Dave's opinion is that Dave offers a reason to hold his opinion (making it infinitely more valuable).
My own opinion is more in line with Dave's. You'll find my reasons here.