Customer Reviews

Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone.

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a book for someone who is unfamiliar with the internet. There are terrific tips scattered throughout, some of which I could really use. My problem with it is that a huge chunk of space is devoted to convincing the reader how important the internet is, how useful it can be in creating a successful business model in this new and exciting digital world. I already know I want to create a presence. I think anyone who picks up this book already knows s/he wants to create a presence. The question is how, but this is not a howto book.

Mitch Joel throws out a bunch of examples of things we can consider doing for our business: pod casts, widgets, blogs, etc. There's not much information about how to get started doing a pod cast, just that we should consider doing it and why it could help. There seems to be an assumption that the audience would be familiar with the technology enough to know how to get started, but such a reader would not need this book.

If you only read one chapter, read chapter 7

1. You are media

2. Now more than ever, our personal brand is something all of us need to pay a lot more attention to. In this digital age, your personal brand will be your most powerful ally or enemy.

3. It includes a simple "personal brand audit for the online world" including the concept of a 3D brand - give abundantly, help others and build relationships

4. The general rule of thumb is "one-quarter". For every four updates or posts you create in your online social circles (outside of your dedicated blog), you can let people know about something self-promotional once.

5. Traffic does not equal community, focus on building community

6. Attention does not equal trust

7. If you build trust and community by providing value to others, good things (like more business) do happen

Mitch Joel through Six Pixels of Separation has created a practical book for large and small businesses, more importantly he has created a practical book for individuals who work inside large and small businesses and how they can help themselves in establishing an online brand whilst helping their employer

Mitch Joel, a digital marketing expert, has written an outstanding book that addresses the many aspects of "new marketing" in our world today.

To make his point of how important it is to "be connected," Joel points out that if Facebook were a country, it would have the sixth largest population in the world. We are living in a world where "we are all connected."

Joel points out that entrepreneurs who understand the value and promise of online channels, can bring their message and their personal brands to a worldwide audience at a very reasonable price. This new economy is driven by time invested, rather than money.

Joel also addresses the power of Google, and social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and LinkedIn. He gives advice on blogging, writing articles for websites, creating amazing reviews, as well as using images, audio, podcasting, video, (such as YouTube) and much more.

The author uses real-life stories to inform the reader of the many ways people have found to be successful in business. By developing fresh ideas, and building up their client base using the technology available today, many of these people have far exceeded their initial goals.

This is a book that will get your creative juices flowing, and inspire you to jump on the Internet bandwagon, as well as get you excited to try the technological tools available to spread your message to an audience that may be eagerly waiting for it.

Even if you've never thought of starting your own business, this book might inspire you to take the leap. And for those who already have an established business, you're bound to learn of new ways to promote yourself. The opportunities available today are boundless. Joel knows his stuff. Read him and learn. Very highly recommended!

This book is about how to promote your business and yourself online. And that's what this book does: it promotes the author's personal brand and his company as experts in the field of online marketing. So in that sense it honestly does what the book says you should do. However, I didn't learn anything new. Most of the book is dedicated to convincing the reader that online marketing is important. I already knew that; it's why I bought the book. I was hoping to learn more about it in depth and was disappointed. If you've never heard the terms "Google", "blog", "podcast", "conversations", "community", "mobile", "links" or "viral" than this book is for you.

For those looking for a practical how-to book on Internet this is definitely not the book to get. In that case consider it a one star-rer.

So why do I rate it as 4 stars? I am very familiar with technology. Technically speaking I don't find the Internet challenging, but that does not mean that I always know what to do with this knowledge. So I am constantly looking for information to give me ideas on how to "link" all these technologies together - not technically, but business -wise. From Six Pixels of Separation I got this... and more.

The book opened my eyes for concepts which now seem so simple, yet I never really explicitly thought about it that way before...

Firstly, the concept of six degrees of separation was known to me and I though this is just another play on words. However, turns out that the concept of sic PIXELS of separation is rather radical - nobody is more than a click away - your friends friend is connected directly to you; your customers acquaintance can be your customer - not two degrees away - here!, now!, directly! It may sound simple but the concept actually requires a bit of a mind shift.

Secondly, the concept of personal branding (apparently originally introduced by Tom Peters) - you are the brand! - will make your outlook on life in cyberspace rather different. Asking yourself what value do you provide and how you get that value out there is critical for personal development in cyberspace... and beyond... real life that is.

My only criticism (and therefore only 4 stars) is that the book lacks some structure and it will probably take a re-read with pen and paper to get all the detailed lessons and examples out of the pages. This does not necessarily make it a difficult read though - its an easy conversational read. However in that lies the danger probably of not learning everything there is in one go. But then again maybe there is truth in the old adage: no pain, no gain.

Do you have an on-line presense? Do you use facebook, linked-in, youtube, etc? Do you blog?

If yes, do you have clarity on why you do this and what you are trying to achieve? Do you make that work for you? Should you not be 100% sure of this, then this book is a must-read for you. It will provide you with some strategic ideas to live a better life in cyberspace...

This book fills a void that's existed for some time now, mainly, a major work on marketing and social media that strives for business results as opposed to building a world wide coffee klatch.

The distinction between the two can best be summed up by a response to a question posted on LinkedIn recently about how business owners felt that "social media" had a direct, profitable impact on their business. The response read "I now have a giant list of people who will probably never be of any benefit to my business or me personally."

It was a sobering thing to read, and a reminder of how many people are throwing money at "social media experts" and buying books on social media and just not getting results. The reason? They are not selecting the right tools for their specific business goals, and if they are, they lack a strategic action plan and / or are not putting in enough "sweat equity" to make it pay off.

The Web and all of its elements...podcasts, Twitter, Facebook, all of it...can either be a recreational outlet or a powerful arsenal for business owners. This is how many people are finding themselves disillusioned by the whole "social media" phenomenon. They devote limited time and effort, they treat it like an after-hours hobby, and wonder why they are not being deafened by the sound of constantly ringing cash registers.

It doesn't work that way. If you are a business owner and want to know about the business implications of these tools, this is the book for you.

The examples provided by the author are all purposeful and all illustrate the specific point he's trying to make in that chapter. The most effective way for you to embrace a concept as beneficial to you is to see how others have used the same concept and reaped the benefit. On page 11, he writes "If I can do this, so can you." But you must take the time to understand the principles and develop a strategic road map that is appropriate to you and the specific challenges / opportunities in your industry. This book will help you do that. No, it is not a dull, scholarly work. It's very entertaining and engaging. But once again, the purpose of sharing this information with you is so that you will hopefully roll up your sleeves and put it into practice.

Quite often these books are a vanity piece about the author, positioning themselves as a vain rock star presence and laying the groundwork for the lucrative speaking tours and merchandising deals that follow the publication of a successful book.

This is not one of those books.

Joel's primary strength is that he continually holds the mirror up to YOU, the reader, with content like "Your Personal Branding Questionnaire" on page 129. He bursts a few bubbles that have long been in need of bursting ("Traffic does not equal community" on page 165...how many people do you know who are obsessed with the number of "hits" to their Web Site without having a clue as to the direct impact those hits are having on sales?

He also encourages you to analyze this data...and your traffic...on a regular basis, using the free tools that are available to you. A large part of my own business is Web Site design, and I made it a standard practice two years ago to install Google Analytics tracking code in every site I build. This allows my customers to start looking at reports, once the site has had a month or two to build some momentum, and know what's working and what's not. The content that's pulling them in? Add more of it. The content that's virtually being ignored? Get rid of it. Fine tune, fine tune, fine tune.

He's honest enough to ask if a blog is worth doing (for some people, it is not). He then offers "Six General Rules For A Healthy Blog (Or Another Form Of Online Content" (page 160). Over the course of the book's 272 pages, you get this approach over and over again. Joel takes one "bite-sized" aspect, so as not to overwhelm you, discusses it, gives an example of how someone else has used it successfully, and then gives you the tools to discern if it's right for you. If it is, he helps you roll it into your strategic action plan.

If there's a list of "Best Business Books Of 2009" out there somewhere, this book belongs on it. My review is based on an advanced paperback copy I received in June 2009 with a notation on the front "Advance Reading Copy, Not For Sale, To Be Published In Hardcover September 2009." I mention this because yes, I did actually read the book, and also because the page numbers I refer to may differ in the final hardcover edition.

I was curious about this book, but I didn't go into it expecting a lot. In fact, I expected to hate it. Nothing against the author, it just seemed like it was going to be yet another trendy marketing book.

And perhaps it is--but it's darn good, it's real, it has actual concrete examples. It's clearly written, the author is enthusiastic without arrogance. Even though I didn't expect to learn a lot, I did and I enjoyed the read. There's real stuff in here that business proprietors or management teams can take and apply today and start making changes that can lead to more visibility, more credibility, and, ultimately, more sales.

One of the other reviewer headlines calls the content "snackable" and I completely agree--I read this book a few pages at a time over the course of several days. It's not a chore to read, it's not boring--the writing style somewhat reminds me of Seth Godin, and certainly the content is of that nature--accessible, trendy, and yet practical and applicable.

The IBM Competitive Edge Book Club, open to all Sales, Marketing, and Communication professionals at IBM, voted and selected "Six Pixels of Separation" as the Q1 2010 book selection. Overall feedback from the members was great. In the feedback from the members, we ask them the question - "What will you do differently in your job since your study of this book?" Some of the replies directly from the members included:

- "I am in Business Development and spend a ton of time in these areas - I will use some of his tips and techniques and favorite places to go - VERY relevant to me and my job."

- "Dive in and start to use some of the tools available in this space."

- "Ensure work related social networking is part of working model."

- "Pay more attention to work related social networking efforts....and set aside time to devote to social networking."

- "More aggressively work to convince my clients the reality of this new paradigm."

I would like to personally thank Mitch for being apart of the IBM Competitive Edge Book Club experience and for creating a book that is clearly written with his "human voice."

Best Regards,

Brien Convery

IBM Global Workforce Partner and Competitive Edge Book Club Leader

"Six Pixels of Separation" by Mitch Joel helps businesspeople understand the relevance of social media and how to succeed in a Web 2.0 world. Mr. Joel clearly explains both the challenges and the opportunities to be had from embracing change. He is specific about the technologies and methodologies that have worked for others, inspiring readers to plan and start their own projects as well.

As a successful entrepreneur and author of popular blogs and podcasts, Mr. Joel is indisputably a highly credible subject matter expert. While the book is very informative throughout, the author is probably at his best when he explains how online communities work to facilitate meaningful dialogues between producers and consumers. We come to understand that these new dynamics must be better understood by businesspeople if they wish their brands to remain relevant to their customers in the future.

I highly recommend this timely and well-written business book to everyone.

Length:: 2:17 Mins

I talk about Mitch Joel's book, "Six Pixels of Separation," and why this can have a lot of impact on the reader that wants to grow his or her brand in a connected world.