Customer Reviews

33 Million People in the Room: How to Create, Influence, and Run a Successful Business with Social Networking

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I highly recommend this book to anybody trying to get their head around the concepts of social networking and why it may be relevant to you.

This book really clarified in my mind, why it is so important to put yourself out there and make growing your network part of your daily ritual along with eating a healthy breakfast and exercise. In all three cases, the benefits may not immediately felt, but over time the payback is indisputable!

Each chapter contains important lessons of how to leverage the tools that now exist so that you can establish and grow your brand online. The story of how Gary Vernechuck, a 22 year old, transformed his parent's wine business from $2 million a year to $45 million a year and became a mini-celebrity in the process is a lesson that can be applied by both individuals and corporations.

In today's down economy, creating a rich network of people that you can tap into is more important than ever before. Need a job? Need a recipe? Need advice on where to stay in the south of France? The more people who know you directly relates to the more people who can help you achieve your goals whatever they may be. It worked for Obama (he tapped into the social networking to raise huge amounts of campaign funds), it can work for you too.

The tools that Juliette gives you in this book can easily be applied by anyone regardless of your field. These are the ingredients you need to know in order to become a 'mini-celebrity'.

The book is both a practical guide for anyone looking to carve out a niche online and get their brand noticed.

Wanted to review this soon as I finished, but I was so chock full of ideas that I just had to start implementing them as soon as possible.

Safe to say that I'm a newbie to all this but her stories certainly served as an inspiration! The book helped stimulate me, and gave me ideas about how to proceed on promoting my small biz on Facebook. It also taught me how not to be overwhelmed. It gave me a sense of freedom. I now have fun with Facebook and look forward to seeing where this journey will take me - and my biz!

While much of this thin volume focuses on advice as to how to develop and maintain one's online social media persona, I found the introductory discussion of networking useful as well, namely: "...In business, it's not just about WHAT you know. It's also about WHO you know and how well you use those relationships." For example, "socially well-connected CEOs [are] more likely to make more money...are far less likley to be fired for poor performance, and [are] more likely ...to find new and solid employment when shown the door."

I enjoyed the thoughtful discussion of the role and influence of information flow on corporate and social organizations -- specifically, how companies are influenced by the social connections of its employees and how the information they have access to serves as a competitive advantage within their "universe," that helps them to make better policy decisions, better investments in human and material capital, and to use these advantages to improve the bottom line.

The author, Juliette Powell, who promotes herself as a "social media expert," contends that the more an organization hires highly networked employees, the better chance it has of being at the center of its network -- or "universe" -- and, thus access to information that leverages their competitive position.

Discusses the impact of hiring, firing or losing through death, highly connected board members, making the point that "connected people are hubs of information [with]...enormous impact on both the inner workings of a company and how other firms perceive the company." Of particular interest is the finding of a study of 30,000 executives in 2,000 firms tracked from 2000-2006, that "when highly connected people die, so to do the connections between their companies" in the universe that the company operates in.

Follows with a case study of how Gary Vayerchuk used social media to brand and increase market share of his wine business. Using the idea that: "content is King, distribution is Queen, and marketing, along with business development are the Aces in the hole," he participates in online wine forums, chasing fans and spreading his brand through online community building. Follows with face-to-face emotional bonding and contends that "because you are putting out great content and you are building brand awareness, you will find money and money will find you."

Good book to read on a trip when and if you have time to think about implications for one's own organization. Recommended for college, university and public library collections.

R. Neil Scott
Middle Tennessee State University

This book looks at one aspect of the Web 2.0 revolution: social networks, and almost succeeds, given its scope and length. Its scope is neither too expansive nor overly ambitious. It uses anecdotes to illustrate useful principles of how to succeed using the power of social networks. It does not aim to dissect web 2.0 startups, whether business or consumer focused, nor analyze the success behind web 2.0 successes as Flickr, YouTube, etc... And it certainly steers completely away from the technological underpinnings of web 2.0

This is a short book. Can be read cover to cover in less than two hours, with time for a coffee break. The chapters are short, to the point of reading more like sound-bites than containing anything in-depth. But, the anecdotes illustrating each chapter are interesting and pertinent.

This book won't give you anything substantial or authoritative on web 2.0, but it's better than some of the garbage out there. Read it, and keep reading on.
I would recommend these two books also:
Designing for the Social Web (Voices That Matter)
The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture

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Different aspects of social networks are covered in each chapter. Therefore, chapter 2 is a brief overview of different social networks out there, like hi5, orkut, linkedin, facebook, myspace, twitter, and bebo.

Chapter 3 takes two social networks, LinkedIn and Facebook, and talks the reader through using these two similar yet different networks, followed by an ending paragraph on privacy. "While LinkedIn is interested in what you worked on last year, Facebook is more interested in where you're going this afternoon. It focuses on ongoing activities, and the redesigned site puts actionable updates--such as renewing your status, posting a photo, or sharing a link--front and center on your profile." Common sense advice is proferred on the issue of privacy, and with the continual flaps over privacy, be it Facebook or Google or some other vendor, it is useful to note that Ch3 ends with this sage advice: "Just use common sense and remember that social networks are all about communicating, and, as with any method of communication, that means keeping some things private and making other things public. The real interest in social networking lies not in what you choose to hide but what you choose to display."

Chapters 4, 5, and 6 essentially use examples of individuals to describe three aspects of social networks and how to succeed in using these networks: Johnny Chung Lee as a microcelebrity, Gary Vaynerchuk on the need for authenticity, and the (in)famous Sarah Lacy, with her very public fiasco of an interview of Facebook founder Zuckerbook, to highlight the need to take into account feedback loops that exist and how to benefit or recover from setbacks, or to leverage your passion for something you believe in. Johnny Chung Lee is a truly remarkable example of a microcelebrity, who hacked the Wii remote, Wiimote, posted about it and other hacks on YouTube, attracted 10 million hits on his (YouTube) channel, and got invited to TED, where his talk rose to become one of the Top 10 TED talks online!! The author's advice on authenticity? "When looking to start your own blog, vlog, or Web site, pick a topic that you not only know about, but one that you truly care about as well. Personal passion is contagious, and users will appreciate and reflect your own excitement."

So what about Sarah Lacy?
"Sarah Lacy is the kind of reporter whose stories are featured on the cover of Businessweek. Knowledgeable, hard hitting, and direct, Sarah, Aka Valleygirl, was set to interview mark Zuckerberg, the 23-year-old founder and ceo of facebook and one of the subjects of her book Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0"

"... when Mark Zuckerberg, 50 minutes into the one-hour interview and clearly irked by Lacy's unrelenting commentary and her revealing insider information, leaned over and said "I'm waiting for you to ask a question!," the audience responded with more than just a wave of laughter: They broadcast hundreds of complaints and snarky comments in real-time via mobile networking tool Twitter. Rallying behind Zuckerberg and encouraged by the camaraderie of their Twitter-based objections, the audience began to openly and unabashedly heckle Lacy."

So is (momentary) incompetence bad? No. Far from it.
"Despite the battering she had taken, that fateful--and painful--exchange boosted online pre-sales of Lacy's book that week by a factor of a thousand."

Sarah Lacy's response? A rationalization that went something like "...my annual income has more than tripled.... If the price to pay for that is getting mass attacked a few times a year, sadly, it's just the price."". Sadly, it seems like a classic case of confirmation bias. Someone should hand a copy of Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts to Ms Lacy as a reading exercise.

Chapter 7 is all about converting social capital into financial capital. "If financial capital can be summarized as "money" and social capital can be summarized as "friends," then cultural capital can be summarized as "influence."
Chapter 8 will appeal the most to many readers, as it attempts to analyze Barack Obama's internet campaign, and the three key factors (according to the book) behind its success.

OK, so this book won't give you anything substantial or authoritative on web 2.0, but it's better than some of the garbage out there. At under two hours, the investment it requires is a trifle. Read the book, go on, pick it up, read it, be done with it, and keep reading on.

If Jerry and I go to our community coffee house for a networking breakfast and each of us has 25 contact names in our Blackberry, we would have as Juliette Powell so brilliantly puts it "33 million people in the room" That is the number of potential relationships available through our modest network of 25 people each. Adding just one person to our exchange can create the potential relationships of almost 1/6 of the world population. Social capital--who you know and the power of those relationships is a recent phenomenon that is dramatically transforming how business is run. The world is flat and we all are competing on our adaptability--how quickly can we get versed in the new economy and leverage tools available.
Powell is a map maker providing direction and longitude and latitude for as she says, "how to create, influence, and run a successful business with social networking." She shares some of the most popular sites, back stories on Wikipedia and the Obama campaign, and has become the Anne Landers of proper social media etiquette. It is hard to believe that Facebook has more users than the United States has people. It is hard to believe that people are getting hired and fired based on what appears on Google. It is amazing that one person who has a bad experience with a company can write a blog and literally cause the business to go bankrupt.
For individuals, the greatest message is to be incredibly thoughtful of every communication you post. These posts are going to be your legacy. You almost have to reverse engineer your vision of yourself and make sure that every choice, every word, every message is aligned with that vision. You will absolutely be judged by your participation, the groups you join, and the language you use.
For companies, the greatest message is that social media is a double edged sword. One side allows you to get deeper data on potential hires, and ability to penetrate the social networks of your employees. The intangible asset of human capital is becoming much easier to make tangible and to bottom line. The side of the blade that cuts is that you are forced to pay even more attention to the customer experience and also the employee engagement process. Customers have more power to impact your brand reputation. You will be judged more harshly on every interaction and responsiveness. If you are not prepared to pay more attention to social media--you are going to miss critical research on your customer's voice and also the 1440 minutes they are spending when they are not purchasing from you. As far as employee engagement, if you don't create great employee Ambassadors your brand reputation may be tarnished because of angry or frustrated employees. The exponential repercussions
of bad experiences both internal and external are accelerated because of immediacy and virality of social media.
I was at an event recently and a prominent CEO of a manufacturing company was asked, "Do you have a social media strategy?" The person responded, "No, haven't thought of if. Doesn't seem relevant in our market." I Federal Expressed this book to that CEO with a clear message, "Rethink your social media strategy."

I heard about this book from a friend and thought it'd be a snore or redundant. But it makes the case of something I've implicitly known for awhile: Success not only depends on the quality of the person, but it also depends on the quality of his/her contacts. You could have a potential hire that rates a 7 and a less-qualified 6 who comes with a "personal recommendation" from someone you know. 95% of the time, the 6 will be hired. Given that logic, the more people you know, the more attractive you are.
Juliette's book brings to one table the confusing mass of social networks and will take the clueless to knowledgeable and the knowledgeable to expert. Fine book and fun to read. And even though I've never met the author, I think she'd be one you'd love to sit next to on a cross-country flight. Good stuff

Juliette Powell's book is a breath of fresh air in a new surge of books on social networking. This is my 5th book on the subject this month and easily the most informative. I was especially liked her call for ethics and authenticity and it's importance in the success of any business using the internet for marketing purposes. I will reference this book often as I navigate the sometimes intimidating world of the social network. Thanks Juliette!

I've been reading 33 Million for over a week and it's gotten me to think deeply about the problems in employing Social Media along with the success stories of those who have been or are successful in it.

I found the book easy to read with a mixture of material that's easy and difficult to grasp at the same time - and the book has yielded a few blog posts at Webmetricsguru.com, some of my best work, I think.

This book fills a gap needed between the hype of social media and the action of putting a social media campaign in place.

I look forward to having several lively discussions on the topics within 33 Million People in the Room, for some time.

This book is a masterful assemblage of new and edifying ideas to inspire ambitious entrepreneurs eager to expand their existing business and social networks in an era where cyber communication and networking are fundamentally crucial to business success. Having worked with Juliette for 15+ years, reading 33 Million In A Room was much like reading her personal diary of codes and concepts that she has shared with me throughout the years. Prior to it's release, I had the privilege of regularly reading drafts for the book throughout Juliette's writing process. Juliette has learned the concepts and patterns behind building social and cultural capital by working with visionaries such as Wikipedia founder Jimi Wales (who wrote the forward), Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, MuchMusic / City TV founder Moses Znaimer and Global Business Network co-founder Napier Collyns. The value of 33 Million In A Room lies within the lived and learned nature of its content as outlined by the author's own life and career experiences. If wisdom is knowing how little we know, we owe much thanks to Juliette for bestowing us with her insightful and enlightening ideas.

I love discovering books that I can read quickly and that both entertain and educate. This book has all that. What was especially relevant to me is that I am starting a project and need to inspire others to participate and invest. This book has a lot of practical advice about how to leverage my relationships and influence others that I am already putting into practice. Great stuff.