My Top 5 Books for 2009

When you see the list of my top five books for 2009 you’re bound to notice a pattern. I’ve had a bit of a one-track-mind this year. Most of 2009 I studied online communities, technology and social media.

I don’t know exactly how many books I’ve read this year, but many of them have been on similar subjects. I immersed myself in podcasts (more on that in a few days), courses (both online and live) and especially books — as I endeavoured to learn and implement as much as possible about the changing online landscape. My goal: To master the ability to connect and work with my online community of business women – and to use what I learn as I implement the new information to pass on to the community skills and tools that they can use to run their businesses better.

Now… for the list.  If you’re working on building an online community, want to better communicate within your social networks, want practical ways to build your social capital, then I recommend these titles.

I’ve included Amazon links below so you can read up further on the books. Dear Australian Readers: Don’t write to tell me I should order from Aussie retailers – I’m yet to find Aussie bookstores that satisfy my book needs, who delivery quickly and inexpensively and who have the books that I need, when I need them.

The Whuffie Factor – Tara Hunt

After hearing Tara Hunt speak at the South by South West festival in Austin I ordered this book (which was released in July). It’s about how to build your social capital. The author offers a no-nonsense guild to how what grows and what diminishes your online reputation and how to educate and empower your connection. (Here’s a post I wrote about this book when it was first released.)

Trust Agents – Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation and Earn Trust - Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

This one is terrific. The authors describe trust and the most important currency today. I’ve listed to the audio book (which is read by both authors) and am yet to devour the printed version. How to build trust, maintain a good reputation, build relationships online, what breaks trust and what empowers trust.

Free – the Future of a RadicalPrice - Chris Anderson

In the digital marketplace, the most effective price is no price at all, argues Anderson (The Long Tail). Great examples of companies using ‘free’ to build big businesses. The concept can be a hard one to accept and to see the application in you own business, even harder BUT get it and you can transform an industry and your business.

Crowdsourcing – Why the Power of the Crowd is Driving the Future of Business - Jeff Howe

How is collaboration (and the ease by which you can crowdsource using socialmedia) changing the face of business and product/business development? How to harness the power of the crowd. Great examples.

Facebook for Dummies - Leah Pearlman and Carolyn Abram

I love the “Dummies” books. I’ve purchased a number of the social media/tech titles (including ones on Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, SEO, You Tube, Blogging) because they are easy to follow and the authors walk you through many aspects of using social media tools or both business and personal outcomes. In this one you’ll learn how to optimise your profile, promote your business, create a business page – it touches the main aspects you need to master to get results with Facebook.

140 Characters: A style guide for the short form - Dom Sagolla

I haven’t yet finished this one but it’s definitely already worthy of being on this list. As relevant for status updates in Facebook and LinkedIn, the book covers basic grammar, creating your own style, writing for best effect using Twitter and other short-form vehicles.

If you have any book recommendations you’d like to share, I’d be happy to hear from you.

AUDIO VS PRINT BOOKS

I’ve been an audio book listener of a couple of years, but more so this year partly because I don’t want to wait (I can start the book now – I don’t need to wait to get the physical copy) and partly because of convenience (I can consume the material when I’m walking or driving).

These days I buy most books in both audio and printed version. The audio gets listened to pretty quickly. The printed version ends up more like a workbook with highlights, post-it notes stuck through it and as an easy to follow reference for implementation of the principles contained in the book.

To Kindle or Not to Kindle?

I haven’t bought a Kindle yet. I have the iphone app version of it and may get one (but I’m yet to be convinced of the extra benefits…. Right now I’m using my iphone to read/listen to the vook Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk (get the vook in the Apple Apps store). The iphone is plenty big enough for me to read on. Also, with the Apple tablet (hopefully) not too far away, I’ll be interested to see if that creeps into the same territory as Kindle.

Best wishes,

Suzi

Additional Resources

Tara Hunt on Twitter

Chris Brogan on Twitter

Chris Anderson on Twitter

South by South West Festival (I’m going. Hope you’ll be there too.)

Day 27 – 30 Days of Networking: What I’m reading may interest you. #30DNet

I’m a book lover. I consume books (many at the same time) both in print and audio books. My bedside table and bookshelves are full of yet-to-be-read books. It’s my little fetish and I don’t mind telling you. If Amazon had frequent-flyer points I’d be a Platinum member!

What may be surprising to you is that books have been a source of networking opportunities for me. I’ve connected with people (online and offline) through books, the reading of them and also by commenting about them openly.

When I was living in the US, friends and I would get together in person a couple of times a year and study a business book together. The core group would bring along others that we thought may be interested.  We’d read, debrief, share our points of view but mainly discuss the author’s point of view. I made good new friends and contacts this way.

A few yeas ago, the Australian Businesswomen’s Network held evening book studies for is members on Michael Gerber’s The E Myth and Jim Collins’ Good to Great.  While valuable these events were only available to those who could make it along on the night of the event. With the advent of social media and social networking (and because my ‘tribe’ is spread across the country), I have decided to host online book discussions on books that I think my clients (women in business) will enjoy. They start soon – and I’ll Tweet you when we launch.

Now… books and your network.

Education has been a connector for me and I find that I’m drawn to connect with others who share an interest in the same subjects. That’s in part what keeps me attending seminars and trainings all over the world. (Of course these events also provide face-to-face networking opportunities.)

Could you do the same with your clients? Could you instigate discussion about a book that is in line with your message or your business?

MY VERSION OF SPEED ‘READING’

Right now I’m re-listening to and re-reading Tim Ferris’s 4 Hour Work Week. Don’t think me a psycho but my weekend consisted of:

• Read a couple of chapters
• Jump in car to run errands and listen to a few chapters on iphone
• Back home and lunch in the sun while reading more chapters
• Walk the dog and listen to a few more more chapters

It sure helped me get through the book quickly – and, since I was rereading it, what I found was that I was hearing/reading things that I’d totally missed first time around. And, as you can see above, one of my tweets about the book was Retweeted. Andrea retweeting spread my message to her network.

TODAY’S TASK

Recommend a book to your followers/friends/contacts. Tweet the details of a book you’re reading that those that follow you may find of interest. Start a discussion. Remember to use #30DNet in your tweet.

Recession Proof Your Life – A new book shows you how

Recession Proof Your Life is a new book by Lynelle Johnson. I was invited to (and accepted the invitation to) contribute to the chapter called “Preparing Your Business for Tough Times” in which I recount the experience of doing business in the USA  during the weeks following the tragedy of 911. Doing business was not a priority (not when thousands had lost their lives) but it was a necessity for my business and many other small businesses.

Recession-Proof Your Life helps you plan for those inevitable downturns, and give you the knowledge that you need to get through them. Packed with tips and real-life examples, this comprehensive ‘how-to’ guide offers practical measures you can take to prepare your career, finances, investments, relationships and business for a recession —  and to capitalise on the recovery.

The book covers:

• bulletproof your job
• manage your career
• deal with stress at work and in your relationships
• prosper financially
• keep your business afloat.

It’s available in good bookstores around Australia.

Improve your social capital, influence and make whuffie

One of my favourite presentations at South by South West was called Making Whuffie – Raising Social Capital in Online Communities, presented by Tara Hunt.

According to Tara whuffie is social capital, connections (both strong and weak) and influence, amongst other things. (Ok, that’s the super short version… and probably doesn’t do her topic justice.)

Whuffie is your reputation. It’s a score (that can go up and down) on your relationships and is the new order of connecting with your community.

Her new book (The Whuffie Factor) is out on 21 April. I’ve preordered mine… and am chomping to get my hands on it and share it with my own community.

A couple of question that Tara posed:

1. Are your connections to your community strong or weak?
2. Regardless how many friends you have on Facebook or Twitter… how connected are you to those people?
3. If your whuffie score is high the recommendations you make will be seen as credible. How high is your whuffie score?

Some tips for making whuffie:

•    Creating whuffie takes time and building trust.
•    It involves listening (rather than broadcasting)
•    It includes taking feedback on board
•    Become a part of the community you serve (not as a voyeur, not to sell anyone anything and give them a reason to give a damn
•    Create amazing customer experiences
•    Embrace the chaos (SD: I love this one cause it challenges my need for order!!!) In the book she gives you great ways to embrace the chaos including this one… “Stop moving and look around you until you see everything clearly.” (this to me means Be Present!)
•    Find your higher purpose

Being whuffie-rich makes sense. Everyone wins.

I am really looking forward to the book.







Are you fighting reality or really creating something new?

Are you trying to improve on something, to make it just that little bit better, or a lot better?

Are you trying to be a better marketer, write a better brochure, improve on a system, or do something better than your competition?

For some reason, quotes by the scientist/futurist R. Buckminster Fuller have popped up in my reality a few times lately.  Most recently, 2 days ago, he was quoted in an article I was reading.  Today, while listening to the audio book version of Crowd Sourcing I heard this quote of his:

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
R. Buckminster Fuller

So, I’m following my gut (though I’m not exactly sure what my gut is saying). I’m stopping to explore what he’s saying.

Many of us (me included) mostly create our future from trying to improve on what is there.

What if instead what we created was something so radical that it made the existing model obsolete?

Barrack Obama interview One of Jay Leno’s career highlights. What’s yours?

The other night Jay Leno ended his interview with Barack Obama by saying:

“This has been one of the best nights of my life.”

No doubt, being the first host to have a sitting president on your show was a career highlight for Jay Leno.

And understandably so. It was a solid interview where both men ‘held their own’, had friendly conversation and engaged the viewers.

Jay Leno has hosted The Tonight Show since 1992.  And, while I’m sure he’s had many career highlights – I was really happy for him to have had this highlight – especially as he moves towards the end of this gig as Today Show host.

A couple of things came into focus for me watching this show:

PRACTISING YOUR CRAFT
Jay Leno has ‘practised’ on many guests before this interview. He’s been honing his skills for thousands of hours. He’s interviewed the biggest names, he’s a masterful interviewer and he was as ready as anyone could be to host this interview.

Assuming we still have many thousands of hours left on the planet… what skills/vision for our lives do we want to spend time mastering?

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

In his newest book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell explains that studies have also shown that excellence at a complex task requires a minimum level of practice, and experts have settled on 10,000 hours as the magic number for true expertise.

Outliers: The Story of Success


I started to think about my career highlights – and while I’m sure the best is yet to come for me – there are a number that stand out for me already. (Will save those for another post!).

My notes to self:

• What am I practising?
• What have I put thousands of hours into becoming a master at?
• What am I (or do I want to) put time and energy into today that will influence my future career and life highlights?

My favourite Twitter and Facebook Books

My main social networking activity happens on Facebook and Twitter right now.

So, I thought I’d share here my favourite books on these subjects.

All these titles are available from Amazon and if you choose the slowest/cheapest delivery I tend to find that they over delivery – and that it doesn’t take as long as they tell you it will. Unfortunately probably only one or two will be available at local Australian bookstores, so amazon is still my main source.

Twitter Power

Facebook For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online

twitter means business: how microblogging can help or hurt your company

Facebook Marketing: Leverage Social Media to Grow Your Business

You may also be able to get some of these as audiobooks from iTunes or audible.com

Enjoy! Suzi

Nine of my favourite books

I am a reader. I have never got just one book ‘on the go’ and (sometimes to my detriment) I tend to start and stop, sometimes picking up books weeks and months after I started them. And many times, not finishing them.

I’m not beating-up on myself though. I take what I can from what I read and try and implement it as I go.

And, anyway, who said that books need to be finished? Sometimes the happy ending is in the 2nd chapter… so there is no need to read further.

(Oh, did I mention I hardly ever read fiction? It’s all self-help and business/marketing books with a most recent influx of books on social media and social networking).

Seriously, books have been a major part of my education (though funnily enough not while at school) and in a recent past life my partner and I were the publishers and distributors in Australia and NZ of the Rich Dad series of books by Robert Kiyosaki.

Thought I’d share just a tiny sample of my faves! Now.. this is just a small sampling (I think at last count I had over 1000 books – I kid you not) and I’ll add more to this site as I read them and feel they are worth recommending.

You’ll see that a number of Rich Dad books featured… Though I’m on longer involved in promoting the brand, the books made a big difference to my financial and business education and I highly recommend them.

Have you read any on my list? Let me know if you liked them too?

Rich Dad Poor Dad: Why this book changed my life

Yesterday I posted a note about the books that made the most difference to marketer Seth Godin (as told to the Sun-Herald newspaper). Today I want to share with you the book that most changed my life.

Now, I’m an avid reader with bookshelves overflowing with great business and personal-development books. There is hardly a novel in sight (except for any bought while on vacation). And, I have had the pleasure of meeting a lot of authors and speakers through my career.

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.

Now, the book has sold move 20 million copies around the world, Robert was a household name in Australia through the early part of this decade and the book sat on the New York Times bestseller list for 5 years.

In fact a business that I owned from 1998-2008 (Rich Dad Australia) published over 1.2million copies of the Rich Dad books here in Australia and in New Zealand.

So, I know the book (and the Rich Dad material) pretty well.

What was life-changing for me was that I knew nothing about how money and investing really worked (nor did I think I wanted to know) but what happened when I read the book is that my paradigm around what was possible for myself changed and my partner PJ and I began to put in place the fundamental principles of the book (as well as attending seminars around the world to better understand how investing works).

Robert Kiyosaki once said to me: “You know the problem with you*. You’re not money-focused, you’re mission-focused”. What he (lovingly) meant was that money would never be the driver for me in life – a mission, a purpose – that is what would drive me.

And he was right in that while financial freedom is very important to me – it’s come from study and learning, implementing, making mistakes and trying again – and I continue to encourage (especially women) to get some education about money and investing – what really matters to me is that I’m living a life that I love, doing what I love and making a difference where it matters to me.

Robert and Kim Kiyosaki were great mentors to both me and PJ for a long time. I’m forever grateful for what I learned from them. If you haven’t yet read Rich Dad Poor Dad then make it one that is a must for you for 2009.

Twitter – what is it? A new book puts this social networking tool in black and white.

If you’re up on your social networking then you’ll know that Twitter is just one of the many tools for staying ’social’ and being a part of the social networking scene. I recently read this (only?) book on Twitter. It’s called Twitter Revolution.

Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online. Great guide to why Twitter has become so popular so quickly and what you can do about it, learning how you can use this tool to your advantage today. Good resources, tools and references.

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