Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, & technology book reviews, plus social, political, & economic commentary
I strolled into my favorite Austin Starbucks recently and noticed a startling sight. Every person standing in line or sitting at tables simultaneously had their head down as if in group prayer. All at the same moment were staring at their smartphones. I pulled out my own phone, dramatically flipped it open, held it aloft, … Continue reading Will “Smart” Device Dependence Make You Increasingly Dumb?
Present Yourself: Using SlideShare to Grow Your Business Kit Seeborg and Andrea Meyer (O’Reilly – paperback, Kindle) “Huh? Sorry. What did you just say?” Welcome to our “always on” culture, where almost nobody pays full attention to anything anymore. Instead, we have “continuous partial attention.” For example, people habitually, nervously, or irritatingly mess with handheld … Continue reading Present Yourself: Using SlideShare to Grow Your Business – #business #bookreview
Developing with Google+ Jennifer Murphy (O’Reilly/Google Press, paperback – Kindle) Ready to integrate Google+ with an existing website? Eager to build your own Google+ social application? This well-written and nicely illustrated how-to guide can get you started. Jennifer Murphy’s new book shows you, step by step, how to become “comfortable digging into Google+” and its … Continue reading Developing with Google+ –A handy how-to guide for working with the Google+ Platform – #programming #bookreview
The Connected Company Dave Gray, with Thomas Vander Wal (O’Reilly, hardback – Kindle) If you buy only one business management book this year, make it this one. It’s that good, and definitely timely. Whether your organization chart stretches across continents or consists of just you, your smart phone and your computer, you can learn important … Continue reading The Connected Company – Restructure now or die in today’s hyperconnected economy – #bookreview
The Data Journalism Handbook: How Journalists Can Use Data to Improve the News Edited by Jonathan Gray, Liliana Bounegru, and Lucy Chambers (O’Reilly, paperback – Kindle) Arise, ye downtrodden, unemployed newspaper and magazine writers and editors yearning to be working again as journalists. Data journalism apparently is hiring. Data journalism? I didn’t know, either, until … Continue reading The Data Journalism Handbook – Get new skills for a new career that’s actually in demand – #bookreview
The Art of Community: Building the New Age of Participation, 2nd Edition Jono Bacon (O’Reilly, paperback, list price $39.99; Kindle edition, list price $34.99) Whether you work for a large firm or operate a one-person shop built around an online presence, you should check out this newly updated guidebook on now to build, maintain and … Continue reading The Art of Community, 2nd Edition – Creating online success in the social economy – #bookreview
Nook Tablet: The Missing Manual By Preston Gralla (O’Reilly, paperback, list price $19.99; Kindle edition, list price $15.99) Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Tablet and NOOK Color are stylish and powerful portable devices that blend the functions of e-reader and computer. They have many useful features, but they aren’t shipped with a detailed user manual. (B … Continue reading NOOK Tablet: The Missing Manual (for NOOK Color, too) – #bookreview #in
#tweetsmart: 25 Twitter Projects to Help You Build Your Community By J.S. McDougall (O’Reilly, paperback, list price $19.99; Kindle edition, list price $9.99) Okay, you’ve finally ventured onto Twitter. Or, maybe you’ve been tweeting a while and now wonder what else you can do with 140 characters besides report that you have just brushed your … Continue reading #tweetsmart: 25 Twitter Projects to Help You Build Your Community – #bookreview
Google+: The Missing Manual By Kevin Purdy (O’Reilly, paperback, list price $14.99; Kindle edition, list price $11.99) I believe too much social media can rot the brain and waste many good hours of our lives. So, after I opened a Google+ account (mostly out of curiosity) a few weeks ago, I promptly let it sit unused. I wasn’t sure … Continue reading Google+: The Missing Manual – #bookreview
The New Rules of Marketing & PR (3rd Edition) How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases & Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly By David Meerman Scott (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., paperback, list price $19.95; Kindle edition, list price $19.95) More than a quarter million copies of this book … Continue reading The New Rules of Marketing & PR – More how-to from David Meerman Scott – #bookreview
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