social media books Archives - Page 2 of 4

Social Media Book List: Community 101 and The Digital Handshake

October 20, 2010 by teresa

A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

Iâm Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors by managing their book promotion and publicity. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting two books; one author I am currently working with ‘Community 101′ by Robyn Tippins and Miranda Marquit and one book on the social media Amazon list ‘the Digital Handshake’ by Paul Chaney.

The books I discuss in the Social Media Book List Series will cover a range of topics such as social media, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘Community 101’

by Robyn Tippins and Miranda Marquit

“Finding and connecting with the right people is part of the social gluethat hold personal and professional relationships together on the Internet. Robyn and Miranda go through a detailed process of identifying, establishing and building an online presence by combining various strategies and tools to enhance your success.”
~Andrew Wee, Blogger and Business Consultant
WhoIsAndrewWee.com

“Robyn and Miranda have simplified online communities in a way that any business owner can understand. Community 101 is filled with gems to help your community thrive in the online space.”
~Tamar Weinberg, Techipedia.com

Few great tips from this book about building an online community:

1. Use straight talk.
Tell it like it is.
Teresa Tidbit–>yes, authenticity is key with online communications.

2. Use your community members for positive change.
Invent ways for your community to be more involved and use their
information to improve your product and website.
Teresa Tidbit–>Get people involved in something bigger than themselves.

3. Visibility.
Get out there. Be seen.
Teresa Tidbit–>Again, no one knows you are online unless you are really involved.

4. Tweak.
Be willing to change things to better suit the needs of your community.
Teresa Tidbit–>Flexibility and compromise, the cornerstones to any relationship, even an online one.

5. Remember the Golden Rule.
Think about how you want to be treatedâthen treat your community members the same way.
Teresa Tidbit–>Think before you put something out there. Focus on resolutions, not the issue.

About the Book*:
Making an online community that grows and survives isnât easy. It takes planning, vision and dedication. Most companies arenât prepared to invest the time and manpower it takes to make it happen, and when their communities fail to prosper, they blame it on chance.

But chance doesnât play a part in whether or not you respond to your communityâs needs. Successful online communities donât just happen, but with proper care and feeding your company can build a community that surpasses all of your expectations. If you are kind to the people who make up your community, youâll gain a sold-out customer base and your business will be the beneficiary of increased sales, increased loyalty and increased customer satisfaction. This book isnât intended to tell you what a community is, it will explain what a company can gain from a great online community and it will give you the education and tools you need to make it happen.

This book is for anyone who wants to build a fantastic online community. From Product Mangers to Executives, from Entrepreneurs to Evangelists, anyone can make their companyâs community thrive. Community management isnât about trickery or contests, but about treating your communityâs members as if they matter to you. After reading this book, you have no excuse not to build your own thriving online community.

About Robyn Tippins*:
Robyn Tippins is a community advocate with over 10 years experience in the social media space. From her early days marketing her own small business using forums and email lists, to blogging, podcasting, vlogging and video game immersion, sheâs often used social networking to engage and communicate. In her current role, Robyn oversees the community aspect of the external developers on the Yahoo! Developer Network.

Robyn has blogged for blog networks and corporations, podcasted for small and large businesses, worked closely with social networking sites, and advised Fortune 500 companies on social media and community. Her early podcasts featured some of the webâs most interesting and well-known Web 2.0 experts in fields such as VoIP, Technology, Open Source, Marketing, Social Networking, Video Games and Blogging.

About Miranda Marquit*
Miranda Marquit is a professional blogger and freelance writer working from home. She has five years experience in the blogging and social media space, mainly providing content and support for corporate blogs. Miranda understands the importance of blogging and social media in online marketing and community building, and enjoys interacting and networking via the Internet.

In addition to professional blogging, Miranda is a freelance writer with a Journalism degree. Her work has appeared in national magazines and on news Web sites. She is also a columnist for her local newspaper. Miranda enjoys reading, music, travel, and the outdoors. Her favorite activities involve using her hobbies as a way to spend time with her husband and their six-year-old son. Miranda lives with her family in Logan, Utah.

You can purchase a copy of ‘Community 101’ online at Amazon or on the publisher site, Happy About.
*courtesy of book website and Amazon

Next, I would like to introduce you to a book on the social media list on Amazon and on my reading list is ‘The Digital Handshake’.

The Digital Handshake: Seven Proven Strategies to Grown your Business using Social Media

by Paul Chaney

One Amazon reviewer

stated:
“I really enjoyed reading “The Digital Handshake” and learned quite a bit about how to use Social Media to grow my business. I’ve read other books about Social Media before but they were geared toward corporations and very large businesses. I found there to be much more information that was relevant to my small business. This book not only gave me specific ideas about how to use social media for marketing my small business, but also taught me more about the nuts and bolts of each medium so that I can better understand how to create content.”

About the Book*:

Practical applications for using social media to boost your business

Even today’s most successful businesses are seeing shrinking returns on their advertising and marketing dollars. The Digital Handshake explains why advertising and marketing are losing their effectiveness and how to solve the problem using social media to corral elusive consumers. It explains the best practical business applications in current use and how you can use them to ramp up your business.

Using case studies gleaned from real businesses, author Paul Chaney shows you how companies both large and small that can tap social media to mitigate market changes and reap valuable business benefit in the real world.

* Explains how you can use social media to grow your business and connect with consumers
* Author Paul Chaney is a leading authority on blogging and social media
* Covers practical, effective business applications for blogging, social networking, online video, microblogging and much more
* Shows how to design a comprehensive marketing strategy using traditional and new media platforms

Today’s technology can either undermine your marketing efforts or enhance them. The Digital Handshake helps you make sure the Internet grows your business for the long run.

About Paul Chaney*:

Paul Chaney is Internet marketing director for Bizzuka, a Web design, content management and Internet marketing company based in Lafayette, LA.

Prior to joining Bizzuka Paul was co-founder of Blogging Systems, a blog software company that significantly impacted the real estate industry by encouraging Realtors to adopt blogging as a marketing strategy. He is the co-author of Realty Blogging: Build your Brand and Outsmart Your Competition, which similarly impacted the industry and which was the first blogging book to target a specific industry vertical.

Paul serves as president of the International Blogging and New Media Association (IBNMA), an organization dedicated to advancing the growth of blogging, podcasting and social media as an industry. He sits on the board of advisors for the Women’s Wisdom Network, the Social Media Marketing Institute, and SmartBrief on Social Media.

He is a feature writer for Practical Ecommerce magazine on the use of social media for marketing purposes and blogs for MarketingProfs Daily Fix blog. Paul has led numerous blog and social media workshops and seminars, including the first ever such seminar to be held in Asia. He has also blogged professionally with Weblogs, Inc., as well as with Allbusiness.com.

Paul has served as Technical Editor on a number of For Dummies series books related to blogs and Internet marketing, and was contributing writer on Buzz Marketing with Blogs For Dummies, published by Wiley.

*courtesy of book website and Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Digital Handshake’ on Amazon.

I truly hope you will check out these books and please comment and let me know your thoughts on them.

Social Media Book List: If I’m So Smart, Where did All My Money Go and Blog Marketing

October 13, 2010 by teresa

A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

Iâm Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors by managing their book promotion and publicity. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting two books; one author I am currently working with ‘If I’m So Smart, Where did All My Money Go>’ by Doug Warshauer and one book on the social media Amazon list ‘Blog Marketing: The Revolutionary New Way to Increase Sales, Build Your Brand, and Get Exceptional Results’ by Jeremy Wright.

‘If I’m So Smart, Where Did all My Money Go?’

by Doug Warshauer

Book Review by Kirkus Review—-
A realistic, detailed guide to planning for your financial future.

Warshauer was a small business forecaster by trade, skilled at incorporating the myriad of financial factors that make up the universe of a small company and projecting their expenses and profitability. In a burst of insight, he decided to apply those same methods on a more intimate scale. He has thus come up with an excellent set of guidelines in the hopes of ensuring a stable financial future for individuals and families.

The planâfive big steps composed of 18 smaller stepsâis very sensible, and each bears Warshauerâs hallmark: accounting for the different life goals that each person or family will have. He begins by explaining how much of our net income should be saved, spent on homes and auto, and even spent on clothing. He provides a numerical guideline for each area, insisting that if spending in one category goes up, it must drop in other areas.

These short-term goals segue into long-term planning, such as the decision to save for public school versus private, and how to understand how much each family will need for retirement. These insights take the book one step deeper than the average financial-planning instructional. The book is also unique in that Warshauer presents the rules for financial success in the form of a story. Joe, one of the main protagonists, is a generic young adult who spends more than heâs earning, and thus decides to attend one of the authorâs financial seminars.

Other characters include single mothers and young parents. The fiction structure is loose, basically just a tool to help the author dispense his financial rules in a way that keeps readers engaged. Naturally, the dialogue itself tends to get tedious, as seminar attendees ask dry questions about finance, but on the whole itâs more readable than a strictly nonfiction manual.

A helpful introductory guide to financial planning for singles and families looking to get the most out of their money.

About the Book*:

How do you achieve a balanced financial life and lasting wealth?

Conventional advice does not teach people how to balance conflicting demands from living expenses, credit cards bills, mortgages, college funds, and retirement investments. Finally, there is a book that does.

“If I’m So Smart, Where Did All My Money Go?” is an engaging look at ten diverse characters who each face different financial challenges. In this story of a personal finance seminar, you will meet the following people:

* Joe, a 23 year-old college graduate who already finds himself with $20,000 of credit card debt, and wonders if he has done permanent damage to his financial future,
* Eric and Sally, a couple in their 30s who bought a home at the peak of the market and who fear they could lose all of their equity,
* Andrea, a 40ish single mother whose living expenses make saving for college and retirement seem an impossible dream,
* Mitchell, a 55 year-old with two children on the verge of college, who wonders how he will ever be able to retire.

They, and others, each learn how to best achieve their own personal objectives: how to save and invest money for cars, homes, college, and retirement.

By following these examples, you will learn how to apply the lessons to your own life. After reading this story you will have learned:

* Exactly how much YOU need to save for your Home, College, and Retirement
* How to prioritize YOUR savings goals
* Exactly how much YOU can afford to spend on everything: your house, your car, food, clothing, and entertainment
* Which debt YOU should pay off and which you should keep
* Whether YOU should buy a home or rent one
* When YOU should invest in stocks and when to choose safer investments

You will learn to balance each of your financial objectives in order to achieve all of them. Most important, you will develop a level of confidence in your financial future that you never imagined possible.

About Doug Warshauer*:

Doug Warshauer is the founder of Kessler Warshauer Ventures, a highly successful private equity investment firm. He developed the techniques presented in this book by modeling the prospects of hundreds of businesses. Here, for the first time ever, he makes these techniques available to families to help them better manage their money. Doug holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, an MA from New York University, and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in the Chicago area. Follow along each week with Dougâs financial strategies or ask him a question on his blog, www.DougWarshauer.com.

You can purchase a copy of ‘If I’m So Smart, Where did All My Money Go?’ online at Amazon or on his website, Doug Warshauer.
*courtesy of book website and Amazon

A book on the social media list on Amazon is ‘It’s Not Just Who You Know’ by Tommy Spaulding.

Blog Marketing

“Blogs will soon become a staple in the information diet of every serious businessperson . . . . Blogs offer an accelerated and efficient approach to acquiring and understanding the kind of information all of us need to make business decisions.”
— John Battelle, Business 2.0

About the Book*:

With an exclusive look inside Google, Disney, Yahoo, IBM, and others, this book shows how your company can use blogs to raise its visibility and transform internal communications

All companies, large and small, know that reaching customers directly and influencing–and being influenced by–them is essential to success. Blog Marketing shows marketing and PR professionals as well small business owners how to do just that without spending a lot of money. Readers will learn how to tap into the power of blogs to create a direct line of communication with customers, raise the company’s visibility, and position their organizations as industry thought leaders.

In Blog Marketing, leading blogging consultant Jeremy Wright explains how and why companies of all types blog and reveals strategies for effectively interacting with customers. Youâll find out how authentic feedback from customers can lead to potential new marketing strategies, innovative new product ideas, and new concepts that will completely transform your business.

Get an exclusive look at some phenomenally successful companies currently taking advantage of blogs including Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Google, Disney, General Motors, and others, and find out how you can reap the rewards in your own organization.

Blog Marketing is filled with real-world examples of how blogging can

* Extend company branding
* Create positive experiences with your customers
* Provide real feedback on your company and its products
* Transform the way your company does business
* Simplify a variety of project management tasks
* Impact the bottom line

The business world is undergoing profound changes, redefining marketing, public relations, and customer communications. If you arenât inviting this change into your own business–and keep in mind, your competitors are–then the writing is on the wall. No matter what your business, blogging is essential to your success, both now and in the future.

About Jeremy Wright*:

Jeremy Wright is an author and business consultant with a passion for blogging, communications, time management, and anything else that makes people’s lives easier. He has spoken at dozens of conferences and worked with a wide range of companies — from Fortune 500s to home-based businesses — to understand the power of blogging and online marketing. His blog, Ensight.org, is read by more than 250,000 people every month.

*courtesy of book website and Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘Blog Marketing’ on Amazon.

I truly hope you will check out these books and please comment and let me know your thoughts on them.

Social Media Book List: Scrappy Women in Business and The Social Media Bible

September 29, 2010 by teresa

A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

Iâm Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors to help manage their online book promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting I book that I am working with Kimberly Weifling, the author of ‘Scrappy Women in Business’ (along with her co-authors, Julie Abrams, Carole Amos, Eldette Davie, Mai-Huong Le, Hannah Kain, Sue Lebeck, Terrie Mui, Pat Obuchowski, Yuko Shibata, Nathalie Udo, and Betty Jo Waxman) and the other book I have had on my reading list, ‘The Social Media Bible’ by Lon Safko.

‘Scrappy Women in Business: Living Proof that Bending the Rules isn’t Breaking the Law’

by Kimberly Weifling

Scrappy Women in Business book, inspiration for women in business

Excerpt from ‘Scrappy Women in Business’:

Each chapter of this book is one women’s fascinating perspective on what it means to be a Scrappy Woman in Business, and all of them are teeming with personal insights and practical tips to encourage you on your journey toward your own goals and dreams. Each of these women has traveled a very different road, but they all ended up in the “Scrappy Women in Business Hall of Fame” because they are ordinary people who created extraordinary results through sheer determination, willpower, and scrappiness. They could have easily thrown in the towel at any point and led easier (albeit far more boring!) lives. But they didn’t. They kept going! By doing so, they demonstrated in eleven beautiful ways what’s possible when you refuse to be “realistic.”

Three Magic Wishes by Kimberly Weifling
1. It is my sincere hope that this book will ignite a flame inside of you that leaves you restless to discover what you’re capable of.
2. I further hope that, after reading, you think to yourself, “Hey, if they can do it, so can I!”
3. Finally, and most importantly, I hope that you will take action with the intention of making a positive difference not only in your life, but for this planet.

Story of Scrappy Woman and co-author Hannah Kein:

I was actually gainfully employed until 1997. Some of my jobs were like a Dilbert cartoon, and I figured: “Why not change my role in the cartoon?” Refusing to change my hairdo, I became the
non-pointy-haired boss when I founded ALOM in 1997. My team and I have grown this company to become a leading global supply chain company headquartered in Fremont, California.

Prior to founding ALOM in 1997, I held various management and executive positions, with a wide range of experience in the packaging industry dating back to 1990. I earned three university degrees (B.S. in political science, M.S. in communications, and M.B.A. in marketing), and I’m a frequent lecturer and speaker, and a published author of a popular textbook on market analysis, now in its fourth edition. It is by now outdated, and it is in Danish, so don’t rush to buy it, but it was fun to write a textbook that was mandatory. And, no, I did not include any convoluted formulas to make future generations suffer like I did. My unwavering focus is on customer delight and quality.

This focus led to a successful ISO certification for ALOM within a year of starting the business and has fostered long-term business relationships. I have extensive international management experience including many plane trips and bad airline meals, and am involved in numerous governmental and educational agencies and business groups (read: constantly in meetings). I’m a board member of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and Women’s Initiative Silicon Valley, a nonprofit organization. I believe in giving back to the community. I have been so blessed by supportive men and women surrounding me and encouraging me with awards, such as 2009 Enterprising Woman of the Year. Thank you, all!

You can read more about Hannah and her dad and her gut instinct through the pages of ‘Scrappy Women in Business’.

A bit about Scrappy woman and co-author Pat Obuchowski:

I believe that when you own your own company you can give yourself any title you want. I am the CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer) of inVisionaria and a Scrappy Businesswoman whose passion is to coach other Scrappy women (or Scrappy wannabes) to be Scrappy leaders in our world. We need them. I have a long bio because I’ve lived a full life, but it’s not written on this page. You can read it all in my story. My life escape is DUIâDancing Under the Influence (of loud music)âwhile driving my convertible with the top down and my trusted dog, Maggie, at my side.

You can read more about Pat and her desire to be a nun at a young age and then a teacher and then a journalist and then a…. through the pages of ‘Scrappy Women in Business’

And then there is Scrappy Women and co-author Eldette Davie:

After graduating with a diploma in marketing, I joined a computer company and found what I liked doing mostâbeing around computers. My sins include time in blue chip companies, “Big 5” consulting houses, and work in presales and business consulting in Europe and Africa. I thrive on learning new things, and I’m intrigued by metaphysics and the concept of world connectedness.

I am passionate about all things outdoorsyâphotography, sport (the more extreme the better), my family (especially my four-footed children), and music you can listen to without going deaf. I dislike more than words could express: injustice, dishonesty, thoughtlessness, and prejudice. At the moment, I’m a program manager for the largest technology-only consulting house in South Africa, working on a project that is making me go grey. (As a result, I dye my hair!) I can’t tell you how valuable Scrappiness has been in my life, never more than in my current challenges.

You can read more about Eldette and her journey in the army and and how she discovered her passion for computers through the pages of ‘Scrappy Women in Business’.

And there are the amazing and inspirational stories of the other truly scrappy women, Julie Abrams, Carole Amos, Mai-Huong Le, Sue Lebeck, Terrie Mui, Yuko Shibata, Nathalie Udo, and Betty Jo Waxman.

About the Book:
Although some people make it look easy, the reality is that the path to success is often convoluted and messy. It’s tempting to believe that the professionals surrounding us somehow have their act completely together while we lurch fitfully onward, but the real story is often much more complicated and chaotic. This refreshingly honest book provides welcome reassurance for every businesswoman who’s ever wondered, “Is it me, or has the whole rest of the company gone nuts?!” Each chapter is a fascinating description of one woman’s unlikely journey, and every story is teeming with personal insights and practical tips to encourage you along the way toward your own goals and dreams.

The human side of each achiever comes alive as she shares her challenges, choices and achievements in a “just between us” tone that educates as it entertains.

You can purchase a copy of ‘Scrappy Women in Business’ online at ThinkAha Books or on Amazon.

*I have received a complimentary copy of ‘Scrappy Women in Business’ by the author as this book mention is part of a virtual book tour I am conducting.

A book on my reading list that I have had the pleasure to read is ‘The Social Media Bible’ .

The Social Media Bible

“Social media and customer care are rapidly coming together. This Second Edition is a must-read for any professional who wants to stay on top of this rapidly changing topic. From the basics to long-term social media strategy, this is the only resource book to have on your desk.”
âScott Ross, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, NCO Group, INC.

“Lon Safko is a serial technologist who really understands social media and is also blessed with the gift of being a great com-municator. His book deftly takes you from ‘Social Media 101’ all the way to PhD status in a format that is easy to browse, informative, and powerful.”
âTom Asher, Director, Consumer Relations, North America, Levi Strauss & Co.

About the Book:
The Social Media Bible, Second Edition (www.TSMB2.com) is the most comprehensive resource that transforms the way corporate, small business, and non-profit companies use social media to reach their desired audiences with power messages and efficiency. In this Second Edition, each of the three parts – Tactics, Tools, and Strategies – have been updated to reflect the most current social media trends.

* Covers all major new software applications, including features and benefits, in detail
* Lists more than 120 companies integral to the social media industry with updated data, products, services, and links
* Includes advanced topics like measuring social media return on investment (ROI) and how to develop and implement the Five Steps to Social Media Success strategy plan
* Includes dozens of social media ROI case studies
* Author is a widely acknowledged social media authority with numerous media appearances and speaking engagements

The Social Media Bible, Second Edition gives you a fully up-to-date toolbox to revamp your marketing strategy and create new opportunities for growth.

About the Author:
Lon Safko is a remarkably creative person. He is the creator of the “First Computer To Save A Human Life”. That computer, along with 18 other inventions and more than 30,000 of Lon’s papers, are in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. He has created numerous hardware and software solutions for the physically challenged, developed the first CAD software for civil engineers, designed the archetypes for the Apple Newton & Microsoft’s Bob Operating Systems, and is also responsible for those handy little Tool-Tips help-balloon pop-ups!

Lon is the founder of eleven successful companies, including Paper Models, Inc., which developed Three-Dimensional Internet Advertising for business, promotions, and education, for which Lon holds two patents and a third pending.

Lon been recognized for his creativity with such prestigious awards as; The Westinghouse Entrepreneur of the Year, Arizona Innovation Network’s Innovator of the Year, The Arizona Software Association’s Entrepreneur of the Year, twice nominated for the Ernst & Young / Inc. Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year, The Public Relations Society of America’s, Edward Bernays, Mark of Excellence Award, and nominated as a Fellow of the nation’s Computer History Museum. Lon has also been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, PC Novice, Inc. Magazine, and Popular Science Magazines just to name a few. Lon was recently selected by the Smithsonian institution to represent “The American Inventor” at their annual conference.

Lon is an author of remarkable breadth, writing six innovative books, which have shown corporations how to train managers to think creatively, detailed the secrets of launching a successful on-line business, offered advice to new homeowners on reducing building costs, and related amazing stories about the serendipity of life. His latest book with John Wiley & Sons “The Social Media Bible,” unlocks the mysteries of the hottest new Internet wave, Social Media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for business. This book is transforming corporate, government, and non-profit marketing strategies and how they use these new media to reach their desired audiences with powerful messages and efficiency.

Lon is a professional speaker, wowing audiences in a hundred cities nationwide with his insights into innovation, creativity, and how to be a successful entrepreneur / intrapreneur in this global digital age. Said one executive of First American Title Insurance, “This is the best presentation I’ve been to in 25 years.” Teledyne said Lon’s presentations are “Informative and entertaining, packed with useful information.” And the U.S. Postal Service called Lon “Inspiring and Motivational.”

Lon also privately coaches Fortune 1,000 companies on harnessing Innovative Thinking and social media strategies to create higher productivity and profits. Lon’s presentations are personalized to help corporate, government, and non-profit executives improve their operations and performance by capturing the innovative potential now wasted or overlooked. As Lon says, “When you see your world in a different perspective, you see new ways to do everything!” Lon Safko sees the world in a new way every day.
*this information was provided by Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Social Media Bible’ on Amazon.

I truly hope you will check out these books and please comment and let me know your thoughts on them.

Social Media Book List: #SPORTStweet and The Power of Less

September 22, 2010 by teresa

A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

Iâm Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors to help manage their online book promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting I book that I am working with the author and football legend, Ronnie Lott, co-author of ‘#SPORTStweet’ and the other book I have had on my reading list, ‘The Power of Less’ Leo Babauta.

‘#SPORTStweet: What I learned from Coaches about Sports and Life’

by Ronnie Lott and Keith Potter

#SPORTStweet: book from Ronnie Lott and Keith Potter

âRonnie is a winner in life. You will learn, as I have, about what it means to be a role model, proud parent, and the hardest working person to better your team. Winning is his life and he embodies greatness.â
Baron Davis, Star NBA Point Guard

âThis book is a fun read and Ronnie touches on great points!â
Marcus Allen, Heisman Trophy Winner and NFL Hall of Fame Member

Here are a few inspirational and motivational tweets from ‘#SPORTStweet’I would like to share with you:

#6: Racial diversity always means something. Think about your teammates; really appreciate each other, and even your difference

#19 You want assistants who own your basic values; but dare to hire people who are strong where you are weak.

#47 Itâs possible to be the toughest guy on the field and the nicest guy off the field. If you need evidence, look at Merlin Olsen.

#59 When we lost, Coach Robinson always said that it was his fault, not ours. âI didnât do enough to get you ready.â Thatâs leadership.

About the Book:
In ‘#SPORTStweet: What I Learned from Coaches About Sports and Life’, football legend Ronnie Lott has thrown open the doors to the secrets that made him the toughest defensive back of all time and unearths his driving motivations in short, readable profiles from his days before, during, and after the NFL.

Get behind the scenes to see the synergy between Lott, Montana, and Rice, and sneak a taste of the coaching geniuses that made the 49ers and the USC Trojans iconic sports dynasties. Get personal with Ronnie as he reflects on life and relationships and get pumped up by his inspirational words.

âIf you can just get in the periphery of greatness,â writes Lott, âsome of it is bound to rub off on you.â This book gets you close to a champion. It shows you the heart of greatnessâthe heart behind the hit!

#SPORTStweet is a treasure-trove for every athlete, coach, student, teacher, and parent. After reading this book, sport-lovers of every age will be inspired, informed, entertained, and even changed by the influence of Ronnieâs brief but power-packed words. Like a hit from Ronnie Lott, this book will get your attention.

#SPORTStweet is part of the THINKaha series whose 100-page books contain 140 well-thought-out quotes (tweets/ahas).

About the Authors:

The name Ronnie Lott screams toughness and excellence. As a ten-time Pro Bowl selection and a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Ronnie is one of the most respected figures in professional sports. Add his four Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers to what was arguably his best season, leading the NFL in interceptions with the Oakland Raiders, and youâve heard only part of the story.

Off the field, Lott is known as a tireless advocate for children. His nonprofit, All Stars Helping Kids, has raised millions of dollars to improve the lives of at-risk young people. Even more, Ronnie is a coach and catalyst for other athletes who have a heart for making their communities a better place.

Keith Potter is an author, faith-coach and inspirational speaker, committed to empowering champions, rejuvenating marriages and revitalizing organizations. After leading and launching non-profit enterprises for twenty-five years, Potter understands the passions, principles and priorities that mobilize people for both goodness and greatness. As the creative force behind the nonprofit The Champion Project, Keith Potter coaches leadership teams and emerging leaders internationally. He is the consummate teacher, catalyst, and friend to influencers in numerous fields.

You can purchase a copy of ‘#SPORTStweet’ online at ThinkAha Books.

*I have received a complimentary copy of #SPORTStweet by the author as this book mention is part of a virtual book tour I am conducting.

A book on my reading list that I have had the pleasure to read is ‘The Power of Less’ .

The Power of Less by Leo Babauta

With being someone whose life does revolve around the internet, I know all to well, the influence the web has on my life and the lives around me. And that is one of the reason why this book interested me. With being so able to connect with people so easily, it is good to find the balance (or at least our own definition of balance) in our lives with living more simple the way it works for us.

About the Book:
With the arrival of the 21st century we have encountered a mental and material explosion in the Western world: we have near-unlimited information at our fingertips, we can have children who are healthy and safe, and we have wealth and possessions beyond what most of the world can dream of. Yet we are more stressed than we have ever been: the majority of us are profoundly unhappy. Though we are surrounded by what we want, our desire to keep and still get more creates a pressure that we cannot tolerate. But the flipside of our society is that we can choose what to accept, and what not to accept: what to keep, and what to lose, joyfully and consciously. With this handbook of simplicity, Leo Babauta shows us why less is powerful, the difference between what you want and what you need, and how to clear out what you don’t.

About the Author:

Leo Babauta is the author of several motivational books and the creator and blogger at Zen Habits, a Top 100 blog with 130,000 subscribers â one of the top productivity and simplicity blogs on the Internet. It was recently named one of the Top 25 blogs by TIME magazine.

Babauta is considered by many to be one of the leading experts on productivity and simplicity, and has also written the top-selling productivity e-book in history: Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System. It has sold thousands of copies and has reached tens of thousands of readers.

Babauta is a former journalist and freelance writer of 18 years, a husband and father of six children, and lives on the island of Guam where he leads a very simple life.

He started Zen Habits to chronicle and share what heâs learned in his life transformation that started in 2005.

*this information was provided by Amazon
*I also received a complimentary copy of this book to offer a book mention/review on Successful Blog. However, my —> (my comments) are mine solely and I was not compensated for these.

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Power of Less’ on Amazon.

I truly hope you will check out these books and please comment and let me know your thoughts on them.

Social Media Book List: Competing for Global Dominance and The New Social Learning

September 15, 2010 by teresa

A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

Iâm Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors to help manage their online book promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting I book that I am working with the author, Jack Katz, author of ‘Competing for Global Dominance’ and the other book I have had on my reading list, ‘The New Social Learning’ by Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner.

‘Competing for Global Dominance: Survival in a Changing World’

by Jack Katz

“Jack Katz has the rare ability to look out over the horizon and see the future that is bearing down on all of us. His vision of globalization and the survival of corporations and individuals is startling and compelling
âanother outlook for those wishing to compete in global markets.”
Aviad Kamara, President, Israel Operations: Sagent Management
and Founder of HiTechCare

“Jack Katz presents a comprehensive guide for businesses that are either contemplating entering the U.S. market or have already begun the process. In his book he lays out the foundational legal, cultural, and financial strategies for success. Too often foreign businesses do not appreciate how much time and money can be lost without a comprehensive guide like this showing them the way. I highly recommend this book to my clientsâboth domestic and international.”
Michael Moradzadeh Esq., Rimon Law Group

Here are a few more powerful experts from ‘Competing for Global Dominance’ I would like to share with you:

Page 9 – “Today, thanks tomodern technology, for the first time in human history the world marketplace is open 24/7. The “sun never sets” on the world market. For the entrepreneur, the entire world is now
within reach in ways that weren’t possible a few years ago.”
—> (Teresa Thoughts)So true, the opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and gain new clients from any part of the world is well within reach in today’s society and being able to be communicate and “compete” is a great skill to have in this market.

Page 11 – “For companies to become successful in their target markets they will need to identify and appreciate the differences of their diverse consumers.”
—>(Teresa Thoughts) Ideal point to make. Knowing your target market and what they need and want is another key ingredient to be successful to all businesses.

Page 43 -To compete with the world’s best companies requires foreign manufacturers to design and produce quality products incorporating the latest in technology with the leanest supply chain and
manufacturing principles. It also means promoting the uniqueness of your product. Vying for recognition against numerous competitors, you need to differentiate yourself by your country or history.
—>(Teresa Thoughts) No matter whether your company is based in the US or in another country, staying on top of the trend, new products and latest technology is key in staying competitive in most industries.

Page 57 – Products become exceptional when a consumer is impressed but they don’t expect to be.
—>(Teresa Thoughts) Perfect point to emphasis—-create a product or service that is not expected. See what is out there and find a way to make it new, updated and/ or better.

About the Book:
‘Competing for Global Dominance’ sets the stage for a new paradigm required for growth of the globalized market in the 21st century and outlines the issues that entrepreneurs and businesses will face as they compete for survival in a world marketplace no longer hindered by time and distance.

As the Silicon Valley success model moves into its adolescence and transforms its methodology more into using social and business networking as demonstrated on web sites of Facebook, YouTube, LinkIn, LinkSV, Twitter, Ecademy where groups of individuals and businesses from around the world can meet, communicate and collaborate together to expand their influence and market share by developing new ways of doing business. But before this can be effectively accomplished, a new approach needs to be established for how to compete, grow and survive in this new globalized environment. Many governments, educational and private organizations have tried to duplicate the success of Silicon Valley with limited degrees of success, most without really understanding the new dynamics of global competition and how to enter new markets.

This book shows the thought leadership from a practitioners viewpoint who works with entrepreneurs and companies from around the world to position them for survival and expansion in the new world of globalization.

About the Author:

Jack S. Katz, is identified as one of the ten top people to know by Technology Decisions Magazine, Jack is noted for his knowledge and delivery of accurate high technology and business solutions that have had a dramatic impact on the bottom line of global companies.

With over three decades of Information Systems Management, Marketing and Business Development experience in such diverse industries as Retail, Healthcare, Financial Services, and Information Technology, Jack is an internationally recognized author, speaker and business technology expert.

Jack co-founded Red Hill Partners International, LLC a premier market-entry company which works with emerging companies to define, develop and expand their products and services worldwide. He has previously held senior level management positions with Cisco Systems, Sun Microsystems, Providian Financial Services, Blue Shield of California, and Safeway, Inc.

You can purchase a copy of ‘#Competing for Global Dominance’ online at ThinkAha Books.
*I have received a complimentary copy of Competing for Global Dominance by the author as this book mention is part of a virtual book tour I am conducting. However, my comments (highlighted by —>) are my own solely and I have not gotten compensated for those.

A book on my reading list that I have had the pleasure to read (a little bit and eager to read more), ‘The New Social Learning’ by Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner.

The New Social Learning

by Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner

Here are a few gems I found within this insightful book on social media:

This book starts off with The New Social Learning Playground Rules (here are just a few rules):

1) No loitering in the playground areas. The value is in participation and engagement.
—> SO TRUE! Value comes in with social media with two areas—participation (you must be a part of the networks you are a part of or be sure you are adding value to the conversations)

2) The playground is for people of all ages.
–>Yes, within the social network you can be 20 or 80..and you can enjoy the wonderful benefits of being a part of the conversations and connections.

3) Only people interested in having influence are allowed on the premises.
—> It is good to remember when you are involved in social media, to remember you are there to engage, inspire and support others.

Another gem (page 38)—
“Because online communities are not constrained by the need for anyone’s physical presence, we have greater flexibility with our ability to join, learn, and congregate with people who have similar interests no matter their location.”
—>To me this is the great GLORY of social media!

Another helpful nugget (page 81)
“For busy people who need to find ways to manage their attention stream, micro sharing seems just little enough to not seem like a burden. It’s akin to writing a paper or a blog without the time commitment. It’s sufficiently lightweight to fit into the spaces between the critical work people do.”
—>Yes, I agree that micro blogging, such as Twitter, allows people to share their expertise with people in small bits, however, I do feel that it is a piece in between where blogging and marketing goes.

Additional tidbit (page 110)
“To support keeping information current, create systems that support updates and contributions from many people who are affected or who have additional perspectives–where the group can capture, organize, share and use it’s emerging and dynamic knowledge.”
—> Share, share and share—-offer tips, ideas and support to others by using social media tools that can help you get the message out there. (i.e. I use HootSuite to organize my social media accounts).

About the Book:
Most business books on social media have focused exclusively on using it as a marketing tool. Many employers see it as simply a workplace distraction. But social media has the potential to revolutionize workplace learning. People have always learned best from one anotherâsocial media enables this to happen unrestricted by physical location and in all kinds of extraordinarily creative ways. The New Social Learning is the most authoritative guide available to leveraging these powerful new technologies.

Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner explain why social media is the ideal solution to some of the most pressing educational challenges organizations face today, such as a widely dispersed workforce and striking differences in learning styles, particularly across genera-tions. They definitively answer common objections to using social media as a training tool and show how to win over even the most resistant employees. Then, using examples from a wide range of organizationsâincluding Deloitte & Touche, IBM, TELUS, and even the CIAâBingham and Conner help readers sort through the dizzying array of technological options available and decide when and how to use each one to achieve key strategic goals.

Social media technologiesâeverything from 140-character âmicrosharingâ messages to media-rich online communities to complete virtual environments and moreâenable people to connect, collaborate, and innovate on levels never before dreamed of. They make learning dramatically more dynamic, stimulating, enjoyable, and effective. This greatly anticipated book helps organizations create a contemporary learning strategy that is as timely as it is transformative.

About the Author(s):

Tony Bingham is President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), the world’s largest professional association dedicated to the training and development field. ASTD is focused on helping members lead talent management, build their business skills, understand the impact of social media on informal learning, close skills gaps, and connect their work to the strategic priorities of business.

Marcia Conner Partner with Altimeter Group, works with leaders every day to bridge the gap between the promise of collaborative technologies and the practice of putting them into action. She aligns digital strategy with corporate culture, engaging people and invigorating the value chain across an organization. Former Vice President and Information Futurist at PeopleSoft and Worldwide Manager at Microsoft, she now advises corporations, writes the popular Fast Company column “Learn at All Levels,” and is a Fellow at the Darden School of Business. Follow her on Twitter @marciamarcia.
*this information was provided by Amazon
*I also received a complimentary copy of this book to offer a book mention/review on Successful Blog. However, my —> (my comments) are mine solely and I was not compensated for these.

You can purchase a copy of ‘The New Social Learning’on Amazon.

I truly hope you will check out these books and please comment and let me know your thoughts on them.

Social Media Book List: #COACHINGtweet and Twitter for Dummies

September 8, 2010 by teresa

A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

Iâm Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors to help manage their online book promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting one book written by an author I am working with “#COACHINGtweet’ by Sterling Lanier and the other book I have on my reading list, ‘Twitter for Dummies’ by Laura Fitton, Michael Gruen and Leslie Poston. The books I discuss in the Social Media Book List Series will cover a range of topics such as social media, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, networking, writing, self development and inspiration.

‘#COACHINGtweet: 140 Bite Sized Insights on making a difference through coaching’

by Sterling Lanier

“When you have strong passion for âWHY,â âHOWâ emerges clearly from the shadows.”

Now this was stated in the book under a label called, Being a Coach, even before the first tweet…and you know, it is so true. Think about it…if there is a positive reason why you wish to do something, the next thing that pops into your head will be, how will I do it?

Here are a few more powerful tweets from ‘#COACHINGtweet’ I would like to share with you:

#4 A great coach has a huge heart, enormous ears, and a tiny mouth.
—>I love this because it is so true and it goes right along with the next week I highlighted.

#14 Listen like you want to be listened to.
—> This can be easier stated than done, right? However, it can make such a difference in your life with those around you.

#28 âNeuroscientists tell us that people do not resist change. They resist what they perceive as a threat to what they know.â
—–>I agree with this as well. I am currently struggling with a deadline my publisher has set for me to write my book in about 3 months. Now, I asked myself, why do you wish to do this? I wish to write the book because I believe it will help other people. So then the how comes up. And I have questioned if I should attempt to do this because it is a change for me. But I can do it if I just put my mind to it and get it doen. However, the fear comes into places because I am fearing what I don’t know….can I really do it? Sure I can. I just don’t need to focus on the fear of not getting it done. Just focus on the getting it done.

#48 Wake up. Dress up. Show up.
—>You have already started a great day. So don’t allow it to go to waste by not doing anything. Get dressed and show up to your day.

About the Book:
Mentor…teacher…guide…friend…a coach is all of these, and more. Sterling Lanier, author of ‘#COACHING tweet’, has decades of experience coaching CEOs and CEOs-in-the-wings, and knows that coaching is no secret or magical process. Rather it is the art of inspiring, encouraging and motivating people through active listening, by asking thoughtful and thought-provoking questions and helping to set ambitious but realistic goals and action plans. It is a journey of self discovery, as much for the coach as for the person being coached.

In the corporate world, a typical ‘coaching’ session consists of an annual manager or supervisor soliloquy in which the employee receives ‘a mound of criticism sandwiched between two thin slices of praise.’ Instead, as Sterling shares with us, coaching should consist of a series of frequent dialogs between employee and manager on the employee’s goals, action plans, measurement milestones, alignment to corporate direction, and resources needed for improvement.

In ‘#COACHING tweet’, Sterling has distilled his practical experience into bite-sized insights on the power, practices and sheer joy of coaching. Individual sections cover coaching philosophy–coaching from the heart and being fully present in the moment–and coaching practices, which reveal the tools of the trade, including such subtleties as ensuring non-judgmental listening and peeling back the layers so that clients voice the hidden issues.

About the Author:
Sterling Lanier is a CEO Group Chair for Vistage International, the worldâs leading CEO membership
organization. He helps CEOs become better leaders, make better decisions, and achieve better results through leading monthly meetings, peer group interactions, individual coaching sessions, and expert speaker workshops. Sterling has more than thirty years of CEO leadership and management accomplishments in specialty retailing, manufacturing, software, and fi nancial services. Sterling became a Vistage Chair in 2000 and leads three Vistage groups. Sterling is the author of âEating Your Way Through Tuscany & Umbriaâ and âStorie Italiane: A Student Reader with Parallel English Text.â

You can purchase a copy of ‘#COACHINGtweet’ online at ThinkAha Books.
*I have received a complimentary copy of #COACHINGtweet by the author as this book mention is part of a virtual book tour I am conducting. However, my comments (highlighted by —>) are my own solely and I have not gotten compensated for those.

A book on my reading list that I have not had the pleasure to read yet is, ‘Twitter for Dummies’ by Laura Fitton, Michael Gruen and Leslie Poston.

Twitter for Dummies

by Laura Fitton, Michael Gruen and Leslie Poston

About the Book:

A fully updated guide to the how and why of using Twitter

The fastest-growing social network utility sports new features, and theyâre all covered in this how-to guide from a leading Twitter marketing consultant. Nearly 20 million people are tweeting on Twitter, and this book shows you how to join them and why you should. Youâll learn the nuts and bolts of using Twitter, how to make good connections, and how it can benefit your life and your business.

* Twitter is the fastest-growing of the social networking tools; this book gets you up to speed on the basics as well as how Twitter can enrich your life and boost your business
* Explains how to sign up, find friends and people you want to follow, make the most of shortcuts, use popular Twitter tools, and Twitter on the go
* Discusses how Twitter can be used for business, fundraising, and maintaining contact with people who share common goals

About the Author(s):

Laura Fitton: Laura â@Pistachioâ Fitton is leading the charge of sussing out intelligent and productive business uses of emergent technologies like Twitter, where she is read by thousands of community members. The fi rst to publish a white paper on âEnterprise Microsharingâ (popularly called âInternal Twitterâ), she also writes for and runs the TouchBase blog and is an early beta tester of Seesmic and Qik. She relaunched Pistachio Consulting in September 2008 to connect businesses to new ideas and innovations using all the tools of microsharing. Pistachio comprises the TouchBase blog (covering business use of microsharing), the TouchBase Link Blog (stream of Twitter and microsharing articles for businesspeople, wherever they are published), and serves clients like Johnson & Johnson, Ford Motor Corporation, PeopleBrowsr, The Sister Project, Transplant-1, and CommuNteligence.

Michael E. Gruen: Michael E. Gruen has earned signifi cant respect in the corporate sphere and within the startup community as a trusted advisor since 2003. In many cases, he has fulfi lled the role of interim Chief Operations/Chief Technical Officer with several organizations in need of innovative leadership during crucial developmental periods. In 2006â2007, Michael briefl y joined Morgan Stanley as an Analyst. Currently, Michael is CFO/COO at NOM, a Digital Services Agency, and the CEO of a new healthcare startup.

Leslie Poston: Leslie Poston is passionate about helping people and businesses fi nd their way to success via technology. As a writer, she has more than 200 ebooks and books in her repertoire and several more in development.
*this information was provided by Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘Twitter for Dummies’ online at Amazon website.

I truly hope you will check out these books and please comment and let me know your thoughts on them.