The book is ok. If you read this thinking that you are going to get real insights on how and why things go viral, you're not. The reason that I gave iThe book is ok. If you read this thinking that you are going to get real insights on how and why things go viral, you're not. The reason that I gave it 3 stars and not less is because despite this, the book is still pretty interesting and entertaining. Just don't think you're going to come out the other end with a deeper understanding of virality.
Rather than write my own review, and because I'm lazy, I'm going to quote someone else's review from Amazon.com. This guy pretty much nailed it on the head:
.... "Contrary to the title of the book, this book offers NO insight what so ever on viral marketing. It offers neither an anchoring framework as in "The Long Tail" by Chris Anderson nor witty / penetrating analysis as in most articles in The Economist.
Without all the gossipy & anecdotal stories, this books will be 30 pages at max. Examples given (Hotmail, Ning) are so over done in terms of unnecessary contextual details (e.g. Ning's founder once dating Marc Andreassen, TMI on Hotmail and Microsoft negotiation) that I felt like reading a newly created business section from National Enquirer.
I still managed to read 2/3 of the book hoping for some insight and found none. If the book was titled "Viral Marketing Success Stories: Hidden Factoids", I would not have been disappointed but probably never bought it either."
I would disagree with that review on the following points: - the book would be more than 30 pages. Maybe 100. Maybe. - I thought the information on the M$/Hotmail negotiations was pretty interesting and well worth reading. Later on in the last 3rd of the book the author similarly described the process of eBay buying PayPal. That was equally as interesting....more
I listened to the audio book of this on my way to and from work every day for a couple of days. My recollection of everything isn't 100% (I was, at tiI listened to the audio book of this on my way to and from work every day for a couple of days. My recollection of everything isn't 100% (I was, at times, distracted by traffic).
Quick background: Thiel was a co-founder of PyPal, and founder of the VC firm that gave Facebook it's first round of VC capital. He is also the founder Palantir, a "big data" analysis firm.
The book was excellent. I do plan on listening to it at least once more. I would like to pick up on things that I missed, and reinforce the rest.
A few of the highlights and general concepts discussed in the book: - You have to grow exponentially - In order to do that you need to be essentially a monopoly - In order to do that you are better off starting in a small market and dominating it, growing market by market, and moving into adjacent markets (and that could mean geographic markets or selling markets like Facebook, and Facebook messenger). - Competition is bad because it erodes profits
I don't really agree with that last one. Competition tends to foster innovation (depending on the market, obviously), which is good for the consumer, and leads to things like Moore's law of computing, and consumer choice. If competition is eroding your profits, then you might not have an innovative product. Definitely not a "One." The principle of Zero to One is that if you innovate and create something new, you are going from Zero to One. If you just copy others, then you are simply going from some fraction of One to another fraction of One. Real innovation takes you from Zero to One, and allows you to dominate a marketplace. If competition is eroding your profits, then you are at a fraction of One, and not One.
He also contradicts himself in a few places (copy others and improve on their ideas he says. Then he says that copying others won't get you to One. To get there you need true innovation).
But still that does not diminish what he is really saying nor the value of this book. The book is different from most other business books that I have read. Most of them I wouldn't even dream of reading a second time. This one I know I will listen to once more, if not a few times more. It is a different kind of business book.
I really enjoyed it and though it was very insightful. Plus it gave me some validation in that apparently I'm not the only one who thinks that Malcom Gladwell is full of shit!...more
Lets start this off with the fact that I've been in the Internet Security business for close to 20 years, to provide some background.
First the good: ThLets start this off with the fact that I've been in the Internet Security business for close to 20 years, to provide some background.
First the good: The book gives you the history of Facebook, and a lot of the trials that they went through, how Zuckerberg got the idea, how it grew, etc. It could have done so in a lot less time. The depth that it went into was better than I had expected, at least once you got to the second half (good detail in the first half, but those details were to be expected. Some of the details in the second half could have been left out, and I am glad that they were not). Overall the book is decent, if you survive the first half.
The bad: At the risk of sounding harsh, in the first 8 or so chapters, I could swear I could hear the author (I listened to the audiobook) getting an erection every time he mentioned Zuckerberg and his computer skills. Every other mention of Zuckerberg's name comes with the superlative "genius" or "hacker" or even one time, "Mega-hacker." The book is littered with gems that make you want to throw up a little in your mouth like "in the world of websites and computers, he was the KING" (this was in reference to his coding and hacking skills, not to his business success)
I came VERY close to just not finishing the book half-way through, but decided to stick with it.
Pretty much everyone in the book was a GENIUS. One of the Winklevoss twins knew some heavy metal riffs on the guitar. Therefore the author referred to him as a guitar GENIUS. SMH
At one point, when Zuckerberg was logged into one of the dorm sites to download student pictures the author likened him to James Bond. Ugh. When he was done and put his laptop back in his bag the author imagined the James Bond theme playing as he left the building. He then likened Zuckerberg's mega hacking genius skillz to "a cryptographer hunched over in a cave, trying to break Nazi encryption codes. " No. Not even close. I'm just waiting for him to describe Zuckerberg cooking some Top Ramen noodles as "culinary GENIUS akin to Julia Childs's skill with authentic French cuisine."
When the author doesn't have the details, he just makes them up (to be fair in the preface he mentions this and does give full disclosure). But the things he makes up are ridiculous. Apparently at Harvard, it's a "thing" for some student to try to have sex "in the stacks" (in the school library). While Zuckerberg is in there downloading pictures from the school's computers, the author describes "we can only imagine a couple, hiding in the stacks" and then goes on to desribe them having sex like he is some romance novelist (OK, he stops short of them actually having sex in his fantasy, but COMPLETELY unnecessarily sets this totally fictitious scene).
Another gem: "the ethernet cable fell out of his bag, still attached to his laptop and the other end swinging like a pendulum; his expert hands deftly sweeping up the cable and plugging it in." WOW. That is truly awful. I plug in cables. I guess I must have "expert hands." You know, like the 5 year old kid next door that knows how to plug things in too.
See what I mean? The author has a total man-crush on Zuckerberg.
There is a decent story here, and at times it is both informative and entertaing. That is if you can get past the first half of the book and ignore and fight past the fantasies and the over-indulgent, poor writing style....more
Lets get this out of the way... Lessig is a Democrat and was an Obama supporter in the 08 campaign. He was, however, disspointed with Obama's failure Lets get this out of the way... Lessig is a Democrat and was an Obama supporter in the 08 campaign. He was, however, disspointed with Obama's failure to follow through on a lot of the "change" promises that never materialized (IOW, no catering to special interests, etc.). The book, however, is fair and neutral, and is critical of policies on BOTH sides of the aisle.
He not only covers a lot of the major issues of the day (healthcare, the stock market/wall street/financial collapse, campaign finance, Citizens United, the tax code, and more), he does so in an even-handed way and discusses in an easy to understand manor the problems, how and why they came about, and potential solutions to these problems.
To put it simply, this is a book that everyone in politics should read, regardless of your ideology, and it would behoove EVERYONE in Congress to read it as well. Of all the similar books that I have read so far, this one is the most evenhanded, logically thought out, and presents real, viable solutions, even if they may not be THE solution. If you want to understand how our congress works, and why their first priority is themselves (as in re-election and special interests), then party policies, and then their constituency, then this is the book to read. Highly recommended for anyone interested in politics and how our political system is inherently broken, and an insight on how Congress truly "works."...more
Well, it's more than one lesson, but a great treatise on the forgotten man in economics, how government meddling (tarriffs, taxes) disrupts markets, eWell, it's more than one lesson, but a great treatise on the forgotten man in economics, how government meddling (tarriffs, taxes) disrupts markets, etc., etc. The hidden consequences (that no one thinks about) of our economic decisions. A classic fora reason....more
A great deal. I got the 14(?) disc audio book from about $7 at my local B&N. Overall it's a great review on the war and how we came about the ConstituA great deal. I got the 14(?) disc audio book from about $7 at my local B&N. Overall it's a great review on the war and how we came about the Constitution. There is an entire disc devoted to the slavery issue, and why it wasn't in the Constitution. In all of the discussions (Washington and Jefferson wanted to abolish slavery in the Constitution, even though they had slaves. They were, however, hypocrites on the issue as they both owned slaves), the author did forget to mention that the Founding Fathers needed the states to ratify the Constitution, and in order for it to become the founding document of the new Republic, they needed at least 1 Southern state to ratify the Constitution, which would not have happened had slavery been abolished, so they kicked the can down the street for another 19 or so years, having compromised in that they abolished the importation of more slaves, and the slave trade within certain states (this much was mentioned). I would also like to have seen a further discussion of the Separation of Church and State issue by delving into the Danbury Papers, and most importantly, discussing WHY (they came from a time when governments oppressed certain religions and were, in effect, controlled by others in a manner - the fathers believed in EQUALITY of religious beliefs, and wanted the government out of religion completely - too many people simply do not understand this). I would have also liked to have seen at the end a greater discussion of the Federalist and Anti-Federalists and how they influenced political parties in the immediate and future political landscape.
Other than these issues, the book was really great, and easily worth the price. A great and otherwise very well detailed overview....more
I would have given it 4 stars if I had kids. But I don't. I like Jim Gaffigan and was hoping that there was more to this book. I knew there would be sI would have given it 4 stars if I had kids. But I don't. I like Jim Gaffigan and was hoping that there was more to this book. I knew there would be stuff about parenting in here, but I didn't think that that was ALL that the book would be about. His humor is great throughout, but not having kids the book left me wanting more, or rather different....more
Its an interesting, engaging book, a look into how CDBaby started. There are definitely lessons to be learned here.
But like a few of these types of boIts an interesting, engaging book, a look into how CDBaby started. There are definitely lessons to be learned here.
But like a few of these types of books that I heave read recently, the author seems to believe that his experiences and his approach are the only way. His conundrum with his employees' healthcare plan I could see coming a mile away.
One size does NOT fit all. His business grew almost by accident, or rather by word of mouth. That doesn't mean that its going to happen that way for you or anyone else, but the author seems to think so. I know he is just telling his tale, but it sure seems that he is simultaneously telling you "how to do it" as well. These 40 lessons should all be taken with a grain of salt.
There is some good advice in the book, but don;t take any of it for gospel. It is simply 1 man's experience in the business world, not everyone's. He hasn't stumbled upon some formula for success. But if you read the book simply as a tale of how HE started, and how CDBaby got started and how it set itself apart, it is a decent, entertaining read. I particularly enjoyed the section on dealing with Apple and Steve Jobs, and Derek did well by his company and customers by sticking to his guns....more
So this book is for the budding entrepreneur, the seasoned business owner, or even managers and up at corporations (only because a lot of the suggestiSo this book is for the budding entrepreneur, the seasoned business owner, or even managers and up at corporations (only because a lot of the suggestions made in the book are not something that a non-manager in a big corp. can institute).
What I liked was that there was no fluff. The book is like a bullet list of things to do, and not to do. Common sense advice that has long been lost. It's a quick and easy read that will simultaneously have you saying to yourself "Duh! THat's what I thought all along" and "Why don't any of my 'superiors' have any clue about this stuff?"
It really starts with small things having to do with business plans (much of which I don't actually agree with - it all depends upon the audience - if it is for yourself, fine. But if you are at a point where you are seeking investors, the advice is not so great), how for to look ahead (ditto) to things like why meetings are a waste of time most of the time and how they disrupt the flow of productivity to how to best utilize your resources, and not get caught up in things like hiring "superstars" just because they are available. Hire and do what you need, not what you want.
I would say that 85% of the advice is good, common sense advice - you may find yourself writing some things down as reminders), while the other 15% is really dependent upon your business type and situation. The author does read his advice almost as if all of his audience works in or is planning a small startup.
Either way, this book should be required reading for entrepreneurs as well as anyone in big business management or higher (and esp. for those in big business!). And more books, business and otherwise should be written in this no-nonsense, no fluff, just the facts manner, IMHO....more
This 3 stars are for the audiobook. If you are going to get this, get the audio book. It has updated info (even though now some of it is again outdateThis 3 stars are for the audiobook. If you are going to get this, get the audio book. It has updated info (even though now some of it is again outdated) and he often goes off-script, which I wish more audio books would do. It is read by the author. Some may not like his hyper-ness, but I think it helps convey his enthusiasm.
So the idea of the book is to show how the use of social marketing can greatly benefit your business, and how it and the Internet can act as "great equalizers" of sorts. It kinda does that. Or at least it can get you excited about the potential that these mediums hold for the expansion or marketing of your business. There is great advice about being yourself, you don't have to make videos that look like you own $100k worth of equipment, or spend $10k on a web designer, etc. I think it does an adequate job of getting the reader hyped up to start exploring and utilizing these tools.
Where the book falls apart for me is the "tweet it and they will come" mentality. For example, he talks about how important it can be to tweet to get your message out, or upload videos onto your own YouTube channel. But there is no information on how to get people to actually view them on YouTube or follow you on twitter. He basically states, follow your passion, be yourself, and create passionate, unique content and over time your following will come to you.
Unfortuantely, while that certainly happens to some, for 99% of the people out there it doesn't work that way. I've seen phenominal videos on youtube as far as content, etc. goes, and it has like 100 views. How do you stand out from the crowd? How do you draw people to YOUR video out of tens of thousands of similar ones? What makes one video better than another? How do you publicize this other than on your blog? How do you get people to see your tweets? How do you get them to retweet or follow you? How do you use hashtags for better exposure?
NONE of these questions are answered, or even really addressed. The "use it and the followers will come" just doesn't hold water. He talks about working a lot and hard to get where you want to be, but it's not just working hard that gets you somewhere. It's working on the right things. Again, he never touches that.
If you don't understand how social media can even really be used to increase your business or your band or hobby or whatever, this book will fill your head with ideas of social media glory, and that's not a bad thing. As far as how to REALLY get it done, well, it's not here....more
A really fascinating book. It starts off a little slow - the first example with the dog Reebok seems to get bogged down into too many details, but aftA really fascinating book. It starts off a little slow - the first example with the dog Reebok seems to get bogged down into too many details, but after that it picks up. The discussions of sociopathy, how it comes to be (mixture of genetics and environment), warning signs, characteristics, as well as numerous examples of sociopathy in the real world never get dull.
I should note that none of the examples really deal with the typical bloodlust sociopaths such as Timothy McVeigh, extremist terrorists, or mass murderers, as we can all ID those quite easily. The book focuses on the more quiet, seemingly normal sociopaths that we unknowingly encounter all the time in everyday life (after all, 1 in 25 people is a sociopath). The business person that screws over his colleagues without a second thought in order to get ahead, the doctor that victimizes her patients to get back at someone else, etc.
The book is a quick, easy read. No degree in psychology is required to understand what is being discussed here, and the examples were interesting enough that I wished that there were a few more....more
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