Snake Oil Review

but social media is a bubble

Of course social media is a bubble. But it’s the industry, not the technology, that’s the bubble. Those in the industry that are sick of social media are probably sick of their own reflection; we have to stop talking about social media as a thing wholly its own and instead talk of it as a reality of modern personal and professional life.

At this year’s SXSW, everyone seemed to be bored by most of the panels (and most were about social media) – because social media is boring. But that’s important, because now we can stop lecturing about social media and start innovating on social technologies and their applications.

Bud Caddell

DEAR ERIC SCHMIDT, PRIVACY IS NOT DEAD. KTXBY.

No matter how many times a privileged straight white male technology executive pronounces the death of privacy, Privacy Is Not Dead. People of all ages care deeply about privacy. And they care just as much about privacy online as they do offline. But what privacy means may not be what you think.

Fundamentally, privacy is about having control over how information flows. It’s about being able to understand the social setting in order to behave appropriately. To do so, people must trust their interpretation of the context, including the people in the room and the architecture that defines the setting. When they feel as though control has been taken away from them or when they lack the control they need to do the right thing, they scream privacy foul.

Danah Boyd

Sunday Salon: Do you fall for the hype?

I know that I said previously that it is only when bloggers come together and form a collective force that we have any true impact in the reading world.  But I also don’t like the feeling that publicists or publishers can herd us like sheep and have us read and review books just because they want us to.  I don’t like that artificial hype can be created around a book solely by a blog tour being arranged, that hits you over the head with the book over and over again, dozens of times in the same week.

I am sure that blog tours are very successful.  Obviously, they must be, if so many exist.  But when does it get to be too much?  Is it fair to throw the same book at people multiple times in the hopes that it will stick?  That maybe next time I go to the store, I’ll think, “Wow, I’ve seen about twenty blog posts about this book in the past week, so it must be good and I should buy it”?  I resent that implication- that if I hear the name of a book often enough, I’ll go and read it.  That I will fall for the hype generated not by the book or the story itself, but by a marketing ploy to put the book in front of my eyes.

B O O K L U S T

Want to be a legitimate social media guru? Read these five books and ignore all of the rest.

The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual
by Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, David Weinberger

CLUETRAIN has aged very well over the past 10 years, and remains a must-read for anyone involved in new media, no matter their level of experience. More philosophical and psychological than business how-to, it will appeal to anyone who suspects the Internet is more than just another advertising medium.

Now Is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs
by Geoff Livingston

NOW IS GONE fulfills its stated mission of being a primer on new media for key decision-makers, making it a perfect resource to pass along to executives who simply don’t “get” it when it comes to marketing, traditional or social. Livingston never talks down to the reader — something many new media evangelists are guilty of — and he keeps things relatively high-level and practical with case studies spotlighting specific initiatives, covering the most important fundamentals in the second and third chapters, “New Media Ready?” and “Building a New Media Effort”.

Any executive should appreciate the mix of personal insights complemented by commentary and experiences from the variety of industry professionals quoted and interviewed; that he consistently ties everything back to fundamental strategic planning and return on investment is the real clincher.

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
by Charlene Li, Josh Bernoff

Solid info and insights, coupled with clear (if sometimes incomplete) case studies make GROUNDSWELL ideal for the C-Suite skeptic and those trying to influence their embrace of socialization. Basically, the “groundswell” is Water Cooler 2.0 — people using technology to share their thoughts and opinions about products and services they love and loathe — and GROUNDSWELL makes a smart, practical case for listening, tapping, embracing and empowering that groundswell for the best competitive advantage of all: a passionate customer.”

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us
by Seth Godin

“Just do it.”  Or, as Gandhi put it, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

That, in a nutshell, is the primary message of TRIBES, Seth Godin’s masterful mini-manifesto on what it takes to be a leader and why YOU should be the one to take the lead. If you’re already a leader, you’ll recognize yourself in these pages and find comfort in the examples of others like you. If you think you’re not leadership material, you may be surprised to realize that you most certainly could be.

Alternatively, if you only THINK you’re a leader but are really just a manager, I hope you have thick skin and can accept constructive criticism, because in a lot of ways, this book is especially for you.

You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto
by Jaron Lanier

YOU ARE NOT A GADGET is the 21st Century’s AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH, shining a bright light on the dark side of Web 2.0, “open culture” and the dehumanizing effects of technology for technology’s sake. Jaron Lanier is a thought-provoking genius and his manifesto is a must-read, especially for my digitally minded publishing colleagues.

Snake Oil shading and coloring by opacity

“If the people who make the decisions are the people who will also bear the consequences of those decisions, perhaps better decisions will result.”
–John Abrams, The Company We Keep

Social media “gurus” and tech fetishists beware. We’re watching you.

Stay tuned…