Executive Summary:
The book would be more appropriately entitled: "An introduction to Web 2.0" There is very little marketing advice, and the information in this book might have been cutting edge in 2002-3 but in 2008, it would only appeal to beginners, or non-tech oriented people.If you don't know what a "Blog" is, then this book is for you.If you do know what a blog is, I would go elsewhere.
Full Review:
I have read about a dozen books on marketing/advertising/community building on the web.Perhaps I didn't realize the scope of this book.First, if you are reading a review for what this book is about, you are probably more technologically advanced than anything this book has to offer...(IE: The "Social Web" as he puts it, Or Web 2.0,can affect hearts and minds.For example, you are reading this review before purchasing this book for some insight.)
To me it seemed as if the book was written for very large company's marketers who are 60+ years of age and are not familiar with the internet, or at best don't think there has been any evolution of the internet in the past 14+ years since it has gone commercial.I don't mean to be rude, but this book really seemed like something that would have had an impact and would have been interesting in about 2001.The fact that this book was written and released in the last year honestly amazed me, as I was certain that it was just re-released based on the material.
To be slightly more specific, the book concentrates heavily on not trying to hurt the ego's of marketers who have not been keeping up with the Internet by saying "Some of your old marketing knowledge is still useful." a bit too often. While true, it just seemed a bit overboard.Another quick example of the target market is that the book took about 4-5 pages in describing what a blog is. This is all well and good for an "Intro" book, but it is indicitive of the audience this book was meant for.I found this book too generic to be useful.It lacked specifics, strong case examples, adequate statistics, etc.If you are 60+ years of age and really aren't aware of what social communities are, or message boards, or online reviews of products (Oh the irony), I would recommend this book.Also, if you don't believe that having an online voice is relevant in today's global market, and are looking for a strong case to show you why it is, I would recommend this book.If you have ever participated on a message board, read a blog, posted/read an online review, etc...this book won't tell you anything that you don't already know.
However, if you are looking for effective ways to market to the "Social Web" AKA Web 2.0 by the rest of the world, go elsewhere.This book is too generic to be useful IMHO.I gave this book two stars instead of one because it was well written, and unlike EVERY other marketing book I have ever read, it didn't remind you to go to the author's website every other page (In fact, I don't even remember him naming his website in the book, which is to be applauded, as you can tell this info was legitimately designed to help the reader, not just another marketing tool by the author as many marketing books are). Also if you do want a BEGINNERS' book to what Web 2.0 is, this would be tough to beat.The author puts everything in non-techie terms, and is very thorough at explaining some of the core/basic concepts of Web 2.0.
BOTTOM LINE:
The people who could best be helped with a book like this are intelligent people who don't keep up with technology, but know the basics.I found this more as an introduction to what Web 2.0 was than a "How to" book which is what I believed the book to be about based on the title.
If you are looking for valuable "How to market to the Social Web" info, this book will GREATLY disappoint you.
Product DescriptionAn updated and expanded Second Edition of the popular guide to social media for the business communityMarketers must look to the Web for new ways of finding customers and communicating with them, rather than at them. From Facebook and YouTube to blogs and Twitter-ing, social media on the Internet is the most promising new way to reach customers. Marketing to the Social Web, Second Edition helps marketers and their companies understand how to engage customers, build customer communities, and maximize profits in a time of marketing confusion. Author and social media guru Larry Weber describes newly available tools and platforms, and shows you how to apply them to see immediate results and growth.
Rather than broadcast messages to audiences, savvy marketers should encourage participation in social networks to which people want to belong, where dialogue with customers, and between customers, can flourish. in Networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and even Flickr are the perfect forums for this dialog; this book shows you how to tap into this new media.
In addition to the tools and tactics that made Marketing to the Social Web a critical hit among marketers, this second edition includes three entirely new chapters that cover recent changes in the field. These new chapters describe how Facebook will monetize its business and one day surpass Google; how companies can measure the influence and effectiveness of their social media campaigns; and how marketing to mobile social media will grow into an effective practice in the near future.
Marketing must reach out into new forms, media, and models. Marketing to the Social Web, Second Edition presents an exceptional opportunity to use these new tools and models to reach new markets, even in today's fragmented media environment.
Larry Weber has spent the last three decades building global communications companies, including Weber Shandwick Worldwide and the W2 Group. He is also the founder and Chairman of the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange, the nation's largest interactive advocate association.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business (Hardcover)
Since I contributed to this book, I shouldn't rate it. However, I would like to encourage Mac developers to purchase the book to garner further interest from publishers to release more Mac specific programming books. In addition, I would like to inform readers that an error exists in the Project Builder version of the source code that comes with the book. If you load any of the project files on the CD-ROM and try to compile them, the build will fail. This is because the file InfoPlist.strings is not on the CD-ROM with the source code files. Fortunately, the author has a small download to fix the problem. Visit his site for instructions...
