ConvoTrack

FIR Reviews

Reviews of books dealing with PR and online communications

Monday, August 02, 2010

FIR Cut: Facetime opens door to iPhone porn

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Posted by neville on 08/02 at 11:23 AM
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Thursday, July 15, 2010

FIR Book Review: Open Leadership by Charlene Li

imageOpen Leadership: How Social Technology Can Trasform the Way You Lead is the new book by Charlene Li, founder of The Altimeter Group and co-author of Groundswell.

FIR co-host Shel Holtz and TWI Surveys president Ryan Williams set out to produce a short review of Charlene’s book, but the conversation turned into a longer discussion of leadership. Given that Ryan earned his Master’s Degree in leadership, the review explores various leadership theories and how Charlene has applied them in the book.

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Open Leadership, by Charlene Li
Publisher: Jossey-Bass (a Wiley imprint)
Hardcover: 311 pages
Published May 2010
ISBN-10:0470597267
ISBN-13: 978-0470597262

Purchase at Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or Amazon UK.

FIR on Friendfeed
Share your comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for future shows, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at fircomments@gmail.com; call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To stay informed about occasional FIR events (eg, FIR Live), sign up for FIR Update email news.

This FIR Book Review is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by shel on 07/15 at 10:59 AM
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Monday, June 07, 2010

FIR Book Review - Delivering Happiness: June 7, 2010

imageDelivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose is the new book by Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos.com. A combination of memoir, essays, business lessons, inspiration and a bit of zen, the book recounts the road taken by Zappos.com from unlikely online shoe outlet to billion-dollar business and Amazon.com acquisition target.

The book focuses on Hsieh’s unwavering commitment to a culture of service supported by a commitment to openness. Combined with charm and wit, this quick and easy read is inspirational if not a guide to embracing the same practices for your own business.

In this FIR Book Review, FIR co-host Shel Holtz offers an overview of the book and its strengths as one man’s journey to cultural enlightenment.

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Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh
Publisher: Business Plus
Hardcover: 258 pages
Published June 2010
ISBN-10: 0446563048
ISBN-13: 978-0446563048

Purchase at Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or Amazon UK.

FIR on Friendfeed
Share your comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for future shows, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at fircomments@gmail.com; call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To stay informed about occasional FIR events (eg, FIR Live), sign up for FIR Update email news.

This FIR Book Review is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by shel on 06/07 at 03:16 AM
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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

FIR Book Review - Groundswell: July 2, 2008

Groundswell is the highly-anticipated book by Forrester Research vice presidents and principal analysts Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. Subtitled “Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies,” the book seeks to show organizations how to tap into the power of customers connecting with one another.

The book includes 25 case studies from around the world. Focused almost entirely on customers and marketing, the book is supported by a considerable amount of data produced by Forrester’s research efforts.

In this FIR Book Review, FIR co-host Shel Holtz and TWI Surveys President Ryan Williams discuss their take on the new book, addressing their misgivings and ultimately recommending Groundswell.

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About our Co-Reviewer

Ryan Williams is President of TWI Surveys Inc. He specializes in behavioural and organizational research. He has ten years of experience with corporate, government and not-for-profit clients. Ryan recently completed his MA in Leadership studies at Trinity Western University. His thesis is explored the use of surveys as a leadership strategy and tool. He has spoken internationally, nationally and at local Universities and Colleges.

He has received a number of awards for his client work. In 2004 he was recognized by the International Public Relations Institute with their Golden Ruler Award of Excellence for Measurement 2005. Ryan has won three International Association of Business Communicators’ Gold Quill Awards, the most recent being in 2007 for the benchmarking and tracking the effectiveness of a series of leadership town hall meeting with employees at Suncor Energy.

Groundswell, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
Publisher: Harvard Business Press
Hardcover: 224 pages
Published May 2008
ISBN-10: 1422125009
ISBN-13: 978-1422125007

Purchase at Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or Amazon UK.

FIR on Friendfeed
Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future reviews, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at fircomments@gmail.com; call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Book Review is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Posted by shel on 07/02 at 11:22 AM
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Sunday, April 20, 2008

FIR Book Review - Measuring Public Relationships: 04/20/08

imageThe issue of measurement arises over and over again in the world of public relations. A new book, Measuring Public Relationships, provides a roadmap for both upfront benchmarking and measurement to assess the impact of organizational communications.

Written by Katie Delahaye Paine, Measuring Public Relationships covers everything from the reasons to measure to the tools, outlines the steps required for measurement of any kind of communication, then applies them to each major constituent audience PR is typically tasked with addressing.

FIR co-host Shel Holtz provides an overview of the book in this review.

download for immediate release podcast

Download the review here (MP3, 5.5MB, 12:08 minutes), or sign up for the FIR Book Reviews RSS feed to get it and future reviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio or iTunes, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.

Listen to this podcast now:

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Podsafe intro music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Measuring Public Relationships by Katie Delahaye Paine
Publisher: KDPaine & Partners, LLC
Paperback, 204 pages
Published in December 2007
ISBN-13: 978-0978989903
Available online now from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and other outlets.

Posted by shel on 04/20 at 11:53 AM
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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

FIR Book Review - WordPress for Dummies: November 27, 2007

WordPress for DummiesOne of the most popular platforms for creating and managing a blog is WordPress. From its origins in 2003, WordPress has grown to be the largest self-hosted blogging tool in the world, used on hundreds of thousands of sites and seen by tens of millions of people every day.

A new book, WordPress For Dummies, has just been published, with explanations in plain English about WordPress and how to use it.

Written by Lisa Sabin-Wilson, WordPress for Dummies covers blogging basics, choosing a hosting solution or setting up a host, developing blog content, syndicating blog posts with RSS, launching a specialized blog (including podcasting, photoblogging, mobile blogging, and videoblogging), and even earning revenue. It includes help on every aspect of installing and using WordPress, illustrations from real-world WordPress blogs, step-by-step tutorials on key topics, and insights from bloggers who use WordPress.

FIR co-host Neville Hobson and FIR correspondent Dan York discuss their take on the new book, looking at various aspects of the overall content, and concluding with their recommendation about the book.

download for immediate release podcast

Download the review here (MP3, 12.6MB, 27mins 37 secs), or sign up for the FIR Book Reviews RSS feed to get it and future reviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio or iTunes, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.

Listen to this podcast now:

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Podsafe intro music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

WordPress for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Paperback, 384 pages
Published in November 2007
ISBN: 978-0-470-14946-1
Available online now from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and other outlets.

Posted by neville on 11/27 at 10:55 AM
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Monday, August 27, 2007

FIR Book Review: Killer Web Content

imageIn this edition of For Immediate Release book reviews, Kurt Sorensen reviews Killer Web Content by Gerry McGovern.

The book, according to the Amazon listing, “provides the strategies and practical techniques you need to get the very best out of your web content. The book helps readers to: provide visitors to their website with the right content at the right time, write compelling web content that users respond to and want more of, make sure their website has the best possible chance of getting into the first page of search results, and understand the benefits of blogs, RSS, and e-mail newsletters.”

Kurt Sorensen, an FIR listener, contributed the book review. Kurt is a Denmark-based professional who manages IntraTeam.

download for immediate release podcast

Download the 6:34-minute book review here (MP3, 3Mb), or sign up for the FIR Reviews RSS feed to get it and future reviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.

Listen to this podcast now:

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future reviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

Podsafe intro/outro music - On A Podcast Intrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Killer Web Content by Gerry McGovern
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Paperback, 224 pages
Published in September 2007
ISBN: 071367704X
Available now from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and other outlets.

Posted by shel on 08/27 at 11:18 AM
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