Power Friending: Demystifying Social Media to Grow Your Business [Hardcover]

Amber Mac (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2010

"Amber understands how important it is for all of us, both as individuals and as businesses, to be able to use social media to connect with people in ways that are real and authentic. I think she's a leader in this space."
-Tony Robbins, world-renowned speaker and entrepreneur

Amber Mac wants to be your friend.

She may be a tech-savvy webpreneur, the popular host of TV shows and video podcasts, and an in-demand consultant and speaker, but if you ask Amber Mac about her strategy for success, she'll tell you she's just trying to be a good friend.

When it comes to social media-whether it's Facebook or Twitter or the latest video blog-the tools evolve quickly, the rules change rapidly, and the technology feels more and more complex. But making social media work for your company doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. In this compact yet thorough guide, Mac shows you how to effectively harness the online world to grow your business.

The secret: think of your audience as your friends and then treat them that way. The Power Friending approach is all about developing real relationships based on mutual respect and support. While you may never meet some of your online friends face-to-face, they still expect you to follow the established norms of friendship: be authentic, reach out, listen. And don't lie to your friends. These same rules apply when building a strong brand online.

Whether you're a blogger, a small company, a well-known global enterprise, or an aspiring queen of the Internet, Mac shows how to make the most of social networking tools, including:
-Targeting the right networks
-Feeding and seeding a community
-Authentically engaging with customers and fans
-Managing your online friendships on a daily basis and on a budget

This isn't a book of abstract theories or complicated strategies. Mac writes from personal experience: she built a huge fan base through social networking. She also draws on real-life and up-to-date examples to give you the information you really need in order to establish and maintain credibility and meaningful relationships online.

Editorial Reviews

Review

What Amber Mac''s friends are saying about Power Friending:

"With few equals, Amber has and continues to demonstrate a keen insight toward the continually evolving fabric of the social web."
-Steve Chen, cofounder of YouTube

"Amber is one of those rare people who actually lives this social movement, and I don''t know about you, but I like listening to people who live it more than people who read about it."
-Gary Vaynerchuk, WineLibrary.TV, author of Crush It!

"Social media is here to stay, and Amber Mac''s Power Friending is the ultimate guide for all those looking to understand (and profit) from our highly connected future."
-Jeremy Gutsche, chief trend hunter at TrendHunter.com and author of Exploiting Chaos

"It pays to have friends in high places, and Amber is in a very high place in social media. She might not be your friend, but her book is as good as it gets."
-Guy Kawasaki, cofounder of Alltop

"Amber took the time to deconstruct Digg and give me valuable web usability advice when we were a tiny three-person company. I always enjoy chatting with Amber as she understands social media and where things are going."
-Kevin Rose, founder of Digg and Revision3

"Social media is becoming the operating system for society, and Amber understands exactly how to thrive in this new environment."
-Don Tapscott, author of Wikinomics and Grown Up Digital

About the Author

Amber Mac is a new media journalist, speaker, and consultant. She is the cofounder of the web agency MGImedia.ca and the host of Webnation, Girls Gone Geek on Xbox LIVE, net@night on the TWiT.tv network, and commandN.tv. Amber Mac is also a columnist for Yahoo!, MSN, and American Express and has worked with Tony Robbins, Discovery Channel, and Microsoft. She lives in Toronto.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover (June 10, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591843286
• ISBN-13: 978-1591843283
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #735,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed for my business!, June 28, 2010

By 

GuruJ "GuruJ" (Des Moines, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Power Friending: Demystifying Social Media to Grow Your Business (Hardcover)

I own a small business that relies on referral & word of mouth. I'm a geek but personally have stayed away from all social networking sites. About 4 months ago I gave in & decided the biz needs to be on the social sites, problem is I have no clue what I'm doing there. My Facebook Fan page has had no hits in 3 months but my mom.

This book is not only my new bible for my business social stuff but explains the bigger picture in a way that allows you to easily grasp the smaller details & be able to make connections for yourself. So many books just give the directions with no oversight of how it works on the inside both technically & personally.

I also appreciate the writing. It's fun & doesn't bog down seeing that this subject could be a snore. I like seeing her examples and the fact that they really worked for her makes me more willing to drink the coolaid. She's great at telling you an entertaining story about her that actually explains what she just talked about.

The other thing I appreciated was the undertone of ethics & etiquette throughout. It was very clear on do's & don'ts so I don't look like a tool to my customers.

The best thing I got out of this book was how to view "my friends" & how to treat them. Made me realize that my social pages are not webpages but something much deeper that demands a different attitude to be successful.

Thanks Amber! (if you haven't seen her promo video for the book, do it. Parody on Dexter & its great!)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very practical approach to social media, June 20, 2010

By 

John Jantsch "Duct Tape Marketing" (Kansas City, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Power Friending: Demystifying Social Media to Grow Your Business (Hardcover)

This book presents a very approachable view of using social media as one part of your business and brand building strategy. Mac doesn't spend much time wowing you with the cool new tools, but digs in and presents a resource of why and how backed with a host of new tools for just about any approach you decided to take. I'm working my way through learning about some new tools and new approaches to using social media.

John Jantsch, author of The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Social Media Primer, June 29, 2010

By 

Lon Koenig "schnoggo" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Power Friending: Demystifying Social Media to Grow Your Business (Hardcover)

Amber MacArthur is a beloved figure in the tech community. In "Power Friending," she has distilled her years of experience in Social Media into an approachable summary of the topic. Easy-to-read and jargon-free, Amber covers the history of social media, positive and negative examples, and gives practical advice about how you can use Social Media tools to improve your customer relations.
I recommend that anyone working in Social Media get copies for their clients.
It will get them up-to-speed so you can both get to work.