Second Life: The Official Guide Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book was a major disappointment.
There is very little How TO info in the book if you are not planning to create objects and try to make money in the sim. If you are just a visitor who wants a pleasant time sightseeing and chatting with others, then this book will disappoint.
A large part of the book is a tribute to selected SL residents who have made money in the sim. Nice for them, but who else cares?
Another chapter describes interesting specific locations in SL. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the sites are obsolete and gone.
Even if you are interested in learning scripting language to try to sell products in SL, there have got to be better instructional manuals out there than this.
When I had real HowTo questions, the answer was rarely found in the book.
I truly felt I had wasted my money in purchasing this book. You can learn as much useful info at the initial Help Islands and inworld tutorials once you enter SL.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Second Life: The Official Guide

Click here for more information about Second Life: The Official Guide

Read More...

SocialCorp: Social Media Goes Corporate Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Joel Postman argues persuasively that the new "basic business skills" now requires a basic understanding of social media and the ability to use social networks correctly, alongside presentation skills and the ability to create and understand an Excel spreadsheet.
SocialCorp provides several starting places for organizations that want to create social media initiatives specifically for each audience and to engage them on their terms, in a way that is relevant to them. A progressive, forward-thinking company adopts social media 'in a way that accomplishes strategic business and communications objectives without compromising the company's primary obligations as a corporation,' he says.
For example, Dell, Zappos, IBM, and Procter & Gamble are among companies using social media to reshape their relationships with their audiences. Dell's IdeaStorm functions as a full-blown customer engagement program and a catalyst for change in the company's products and services.
Organizations can monitor conversations using social media to learn, day-by-day, how their brand is performing, where the company is strong, and where there's work to do. The organization can join in the conversation and influence the brand for the better.
Social media strategy isn't that complex, Postman says, but it does require a synthesis of traditional thinking, creativity, understanding of new tools and etiquette, and the willingness to take some chances.

Click Here to see more reviews about: SocialCorp: Social Media Goes Corporate

This book will help companies of all sizes develop and implement a strategy to become a SocialCorp, a company that has adopted social media intelligently and effectively, in a way that does not compromise the company's primary obligations as a corporation. While the conversational and engagement values of social media are well understood, many social media theorists often overlook the realities faced by the large corporation, like accountability to shareholders and regulators, and how these factors cannot be overlooked in corporate social media adoption. Using case studies and analysis of available social media tools, and proven corporate social media strategies, the book will help corporate communicators understand the new communications landscape, the power of social media, and how to adopt it intelligently in a corporate environment.

Click here for more information about SocialCorp: Social Media Goes Corporate

Read More...

The New Language of Marketing 2.0: How to Use ANGELS to Energize Your Market Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought three books on web 2.0 and social marketing. This was the worst of the three.
First it repeats things over and over, as in the book is 400 plus pages and it could easily have covered what she had s original in about 100 pages, many chapters started of with or stated basically the same thought in different words.
The up side is if you are part of a large corporation it can offer some good insights.
The downside if you are a small company or individual marketer, it's not going to help all that much. Yes some of the big corporation case studies can be transferred to a small company but again between the repetitious nature of the book, cute little acronyms it tries to put forth and lack of scalability the books overall isn't useful.
I was and am very surprised so many people in these reviews feels she *gets it* or that the book is filled with great information. For me it usn't at all enlightening except for a few points. Most of it was information that other books cover in much better detail and with much better understanding.


Click Here to see more reviews about: The New Language of Marketing 2.0: How to Use ANGELS to Energize Your Market

"Marketing has entered a new era of rapid advance. Those unwilling to experiment with new combinations of traditional and internet marketing will be left behind."—Chris Trimble, Adjunct Associate Professor of Business Administration, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and Coauthor, Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators: From Idea to Execution"It's no secret that business has been changing dramatically over the last decade. To succeed in this rapidly changing environment, businesses must adapt their marketing strategies accordingly—The New Language of Marketing 2.0 provides practical, proven, and prescient tools to do exactly that."—Dr. Steve Moxey, Research Fellow, High-Tech Marketing, Manchester Business School"Most U.S. marketers mistakenly think 'going global' is just a matter of translating your promotional materials into different languages and widening your media buys. Packed with real-life examples, this new book amply demonstrates that successful global marketing is actually all about local marketing. Learn how to give a local spin within each regional marketplace for global success."—Anne Holland, Founder, MarketingSherpa IncUse ANGELS and Web 2.0 Marketing to Drive Powerful, Quantifiable ResultsFor every marketer, strategist, executive, and entrepreneurToday, marketers have an array of radically new Web 2.0-based techniques at their disposal: viral marketing, social networking, virtual worlds, widgets, Web communities, blogs, podcasts, and next-generation search, to name just a few. Now, leading IBM marketing innovator Sandy Carter introduces ANGELS, a start-to-finish framework for choosing the right Web 2.0 marketing tools—and using them to maximize revenue and profitability.Carter demonstrates winning Web 2.0 marketing at work through 54 brand-new case studies: organizations ranging from Staples to Harley Davidson, Coca-Cola to Mentos, Nortel to IBM itself. You'll discover powerful new ways to market brands and products in both B2B and B2C markets...integrate Web 2.0, experiential, and conventional marketing...maximize synergies between global and local marketing...gain more value from influencers, and more.Includes information, case studies, and working examples for next generation marketing strategies such as:• Social networks with virtual environments, including Second Life• Online communities including Facebook• Viral Marketing and eNurturing• Serious Gaming• Widgets• Wikis• Blogging, including Twitter• RSS• Podcasting• VideocastingWhether you're a marketing professional, Web specialist, strategist, executive, or entrepreneur, this book will help you drive immense, quantifiable value from Web 2.0 technologies—now, and for years to come.Sandy Carter's breakthrough ANGELS approach, a step-by-step framework for success: Analyze and ensure strong market understanding Nail the relevant strategy and story Go to Market Plan Energize the channel and community Leads and revenue Scream!!! Don't forget the Technology!BONUS Content Available Online:Additional chapters, case studies, examples, and resources are available on the book companion site, ibmpressbooks.com/angels.==================================Table of ContentsIntroductionA: Analyze Here, There, and EverywhereChapter 1: Listening and Analyzing in the Global WorldChapter 2: Segmentation in Action: The Nortel CaseChapter 3: Globalization: Lenovo, Google, Unilever, and IBMN: Nail the StrategyChapter 4: Fish Where the Fish Are and Use the Right BaitChapter 5: Relevance and Roles: Forrester ResearchChapter 6: Lightly Branded: EepyBird, The Coca-Cola Company, and MentosChapter 7: Corporate Social Responsibility: IBM's Project Green and Marks & SpencerG: Go-to-MarketChapter 8: Break Through the NoiseChapter 9: Influencer Value: The IBM Case StudyE: Energize the Ecosystem and MarketChapter 10: The New VesselsChapter 11: Energize the Channel with Communities: OMG, Adobe and Rubicon Consulting, and Harley-DavidsonChapter 12: Virtual Environments: The Coca-Cola Company and IBMChapter 13: Widgets: The Use of Widgets at IBMChapter 14: Blogs: Midwest Airlines and IBMChapter 15: Serious Gaming: IBM's Innov8L: Leads and RevenueChapter 16: Show Me the Money: A Discussion with Google, the Marketing Leadership Council, and MarketingNPVChapter 17: Innovation, Engagement, and Business Results: adidas Group, ConAgra Foods, and TellabsChapter 18: Marketing Dashboards: IBM CognosS: Scream Through TechnologyChapter 19: Screaming World ChangesChapter 20: Technology Matters: IBM, Staples, Dell, and MyVirtualModelPutting It All TogetherChapter 21: End-to-End Example: IBM WebSphere and the SOA Agenda, Prolifics, and Ascendant TechnologyChapter 22: The Top 10 Don'ts and the Marketing Organization of the FutureThe following materials can be found on the companion Web site at ibmpressbooks com/angels:Online 1: Relationship and Word of Mouth: RackspaceOnline 2: Personal BrandingOnline 3: National Environmental Policy Act

Click here for more information about The New Language of Marketing 2.0: How to Use ANGELS to Energize Your Market

Read More...

Being Virtual: Who You Really Are Online (Science Museum TechKnow Series) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Davey Winder's book manages to do something that most books on the same subject as his do not: He's very personal. Even confessional. The title of Chapter One -- Identity Crisis - sums up not just the theme of the book, but what seems to have been a driving theme in the life of Winder. Having gone from a killer career Sports manager, to a home-bound, wheelchair bound web junkie, Winder's makes the strongest case for the credibility of a digital selfhood. The best part is that he introduces the disabilities factor, which is usually only allowed a footnote in most digital reporting. In fact, I would strongly recommend this book to any organization that works with the disabilities community that has a lending library program. Aside from Winder's own accounts, there are other anecdotal stories in here of disabled persons reinventing themselves or simply recreating themselves, as is -- wheelchair and all -- in the virtual landscape. The back-story of each anecdote is poignant and well told. All of them extremely personal.
Not all of the stories of are from persons with disabilities. The others are from self-seeking souls looking for the right vehicle for self expression, which they find online.
The personal touch of the book is well balanced with an informing narrative that qualifies the book as a primer for Second Life and other Virtual World platforms. The cover of the book speaks to this element and, unfortunately, only this element. If I were to judge the book by the cover, which I initially did, the autobiographical element was not something I expected to encounter within these pages. They appeared almost as easter-eggs that wanted to be found. In that sense, the book cover is the only liability.
I'm not sure what the mood is these days on Second Life. But Winder's presents the best argument so far that this is more than just mere novelty.
[...]

Click Here to see more reviews about: Being Virtual: Who You Really Are Online (Science Museum TechKnow Series)

Thanks to the Internet, it has never been so easy to become the person of your wildest dreams. Immersive 3D worlds such as Second Life and THERE.com provide an escape route from the ordinary, into a virtual world where you have the power to mould your life in any way you please. Forget about walking, wheelchair users can fly. Pensioners wipe away the pains of age, discovering youthful exuberance and making young friends once more. No wonder it has become harder than ever to honestly answer the question: who am I?
In Being Virtual, Davey Winder looks at how an increasing number of us are living part-real, part-virtual lives, and how it affects who we are. He looks at the opportunities and dangers that a virtual identity offers us, how we juggle our real and online lives, and what happens when one spills over into the other… He uses his own personal experiences to bring the issues to life, and backs them up with the real-life stories of others and testimony from the experts. Along the way, he looks at some fascinating questions such as:
Are you a virtual liar?

Click here for more information about Being Virtual: Who You Really Are Online (Science Museum TechKnow Series)

Read More...