Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business
by Larry Weber
List Price:
Our Price: $13.67
You Save: $11.28 (45%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Compare Prices for Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business
Book Summary Information
Author: Larry WeberEdition: Hardcover
Published: 2007-06-22
ISBN: 0470124172
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business
Book Review: General information for "dinosaurs" still not sold on Web 2.0...
Summary: 2 Stars
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 was. 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.
Summary of Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business
Praise for Marketing to the Social Web"Weber understands that the world is going digital and that competitive advantage will accrue to those who understand the transformation. CEOs should heed this transformation and learn from Weber's insights how to navigate this new landscape to fully maximize their business opportunities."
-Mark Fuller, Chairman, Monitor Group
"Consumers are using technology to grab power from companies, the media, and the government. Marketing to the Social Web succinctly outlines how institutions can survive and win in this chaotic new world, and lays out the revised rules of engagement-ignore them at your peril."
-George F. Colony, CEO, Forrester Research, Inc.
"Larry has brought pragmatic and useful recommendations to help brand builders manage the complexity of social interaction in a digital age. I was pleased to read a book that actually suggests how to do something with social networks, instead of just ponder them."
-David Kenny, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Digitas Inc.
"Where's the allure of social 2.0? Brands can talk . . . customers talk louder! Digital influence has arrived."
-Jeff Taylor, CEO, Eons and Founder of Monster.com
"Larry Weber provides a simple and effective roadmap of the new customer information highway. Marketing to the Social Web is a valuable tool that will give everyone the confidence and know-how to compete in this fast-growing marketplace of ideas."
-Steve Harris, Vice President, Global Communications, General Motors Corporation
"As all lines and boundaries are washed away by the Web, Weber describes how to become part of the sea versus the sand."
-Nicholas Negroponte, Chairman, One Laptop per Child
General Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Key Online Skills for the Savvy Writer
Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing, or How to Publish Books for Profit with Print on Demand by Lightning Source and Book Marketing on Amazon.comby Aaron Shepard
Shepard Publications; Published: 2007-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.00
Blog Your Book to the Topby Nancy Hendrickson, Brenda George
Green Pony Press, Inc.; Green Pony Press, Inc.; Published: 2008-01-31; Kindle Edition; eBooks
Best price: $23.96
Price in other shops:
Online Marketing Heroes: Interviews with 25 Successful Online Marketing Gurusby Michael Miller
Wiley; Published: 2008-03-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.20
Price in other shops:
Sell Your Book on Amazon: The Book Marketing COACH Reveals Top-Secret "How-to" Tips Guaranteed to Increase Sales for Print-on-Demand and Self-Publishing Writersby Brent Sampson
Outskirts Press; Published: 2007-03-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.45
Price in other shops:
Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Dayby Dave Evans
Sybex; Published: 2008-10-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.79
Price in other shops:
The Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Marketing: Pay Per Click Advertising Secrets Revealedby Bruce C. Brown
Atlantic Publishing Company (FL); Published: 2007-06-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.47
Price in other shops:
Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Businessby Larry Weber
Wiley; Published: 2007-06-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.33
Price in other shops:
Web Analytics: An Hour a Dayby Avinash Kaushik
Sybex; Published: 2007-06-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.28
Price in other shops:
ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Incomeby Darren Rowse, Chris Garrett
Wiley; Published: 2008-05-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.13
Price in other shops:
Blogging Quick & Easy: A Planned Approach to Blogging Successby Tom Masters
Orion Wellspring, Inc.; Published: 2007-08-10; Perfect Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.95
Similar Books and other products
Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversionsby Tim Ash
Sybex; Published: 2008-01-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.05
Price in other shops:
Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide: Business thinking and strategies behind successful Web 2.0 implementations.by Amy Shuen
O'Reilly Media, Inc.; Published: 2008-04-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.00
Price in other shops:
Now Is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneursby Geoff Livingston, Brian Solis
Bartleby Pr; Published: 2007-11-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.87
Price in other shops:
Plug Your Business! Marketing on MySpace, YouTube, blogs and podcasts and other Web 2.0 social networksby Steve Weber
Weber Books; Published: 2007-07-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.05
Price in other shops:
Web Analytics: An Hour a Dayby Avinash Kaushik
Sybex; Published: 2007-06-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.28
Price in other shops:
Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talkingby Andy Sernovitz
Kaplan Business; Published: 2006-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.95
Price in other shops:
Smart Start-Ups: How Entrepreneurs and Corporations Can Profit by Starting Online Communitiesby David Silver
Wiley; Published: 2007-05-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.87
Price in other shops:
Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologiesby Charlene Li, Josh Bernoff
Harvard Business School Press; Published: 2008-04-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.00
Price in other shops:
The New Influencers: A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Mediaby Paul Gillin
Quill Driver Books; Published: 2007-04-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.55
Price in other shops:
The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directlyby David Meerman Scott
Wiley; Published: 2007-06-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.44
Price in other shops: