Customer Reviews

Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online

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Can Twitter really help make you a better marketer? Maybe even a better person?

Seriously, how much is there really to say about a goofy web tool that only lets you send messages up to 140 characters at a time?

After reading Twitter Revolution, I realize a LOT!

While I had messed around with Twitter for about a year, I really didn't get much out of reading what a bunch of strangers ate for breakfast. I felt even less motivated to post responses to "What are you doing?" If I didn't really care what I was doing half the time, why should anyone else?

Then I realized, what I WAS doing was reading books about social media. The silly book on even sillier Twitter seemed to be one of the only ones left. My guess is that if I could sit still long enough to read Gravity's Rainbow or the Glass Bead Game, I never would have ordered the Twitter Revolution. Now, I'm so glad that I did.

Warren Whitlock and Deborah Micek opened my eyes to a world that I am now arguably obsessed with; one where ease of access to seemingly superficial engagement with others is a bridge to deeper connections.

From a business perspective, using Twitter the way Warren and Coach Deb describe makes "Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers" a reachable reality by beginning with simple ways to earn trust, learn more about each other and provide potential solutions to problems. Bringing a real voice [one that doesn't try to divide "professional" from "personal"] to ongoing conversations is refreshing and exciting.

I now better recognize Twitter as an amazing tool for doing just that and much more.

Deb and Warren write that twitter is the ripple that has become a Tsunami. They are right. But this book is truly the earthquake which can start the momentum getting the Tsunami started.

The Twitter Revolution gives the reader the knowledge and ability to participate in the "new media" known as twitter. Twitter is a fast paced method of communicating and interacting with those you follow and who follow you. It shows you how you can step right into the twitter world and interact and learn from those you are following and who follow you.

Early in the book we learn why we should even give a darn about twitter. And than we get a clear and concise explanation of what twitter is. And that is not an easy task. Best of all, the Twitter Revolution is true to form and says exactly what twitter is, "it turned into SO much more than that." What is really cool about this chapter as with a lot of the book, Deb and Warren take advantage of their own followers to aid in defining what twitter is. So instead of just getting a book full of the ideas and thinking of the writers alone, we get the input of some of the thought leaders who are actually using what the book is talking about. Hat tip to Deb and Warren for getting twitter itself involved in the process.

The Twitter Revolution is a complete start to finish on what it is and how to use it. And, it gives you the tools both in the book and in what applications it mentions to truly take advantage of what twitter is and what it can do for you.

If there is one chapter that makes this book worth whatever it cost, it would be "ten steps to attract a flood of followers." If you don't have followers, your conversations are going to be real lonely.

Get the book and get a jump start on how to use twitter and use it right.

Micek and Warren show you that illiteracy is no reason not to self publish. The power of their book lies is the profound points that it makes over and over again. This book has two earthshaking things to say. 1) People using Twitter knew minutes before the rest of the world that there had been a major earthquate in China. 2) You can outmaneuver the corporate world by starting conversations on Twitter and finishing them on the telephone (or some other medium).

These authors are well equipped to see both sides of a contradiction. For example, talk radio was an early tremor of the New Media Revolution, because it was "participatory." On the other hand, radio is a controlled medium that silences the people. (p. 13) But Twitter takes us beyond both.

The authors bring the prosaic within reach. They tell us that Twitter is, "an unprecedented growth opportunity like never before in history." Their insights have eluded many intelligent people. For example, corporations, including even "Internet industries" are fighting against the New Media Revolution, and "didn't think about people participating." And there's proof. Upload speeds are not as fast as download speeds. (p. 15)

The authors unleash the power of unbounded creativity. Warren advertizes that he is a best-selling author, while Micek tells us she has run and sold several multi-million dollar companies. She understands that the new media are all about participation, because she has created a system that puts it on "auto pilot." (p. 255)

Be prepared for the revolution. The authors make the hard-to-believe claim that they used Twitter to write the book. Once this book is resting on your bookshelf, you will believe. They say, "This book is as revolutionary as the social media revolution," because it is full of Twitter posts that use "creative spelling," like "e.e. cummings, the poet who rebelled against the rules." They even provide a special interview with a man who single-handedly created a Twitter app that is, "definitely lacking a definitive usefulness." (p. 110)

I don't want to give too much away. That would be far too easy. But here are the top three resons (p. 100) for using Twitter: 1) To combat loneliness, 2) To kill boredom when you stand in lines, 3) To connect with people by mobile phone, without calling them. This same chapter serves to "demonstrate the power of Twitter" by calling itself 101 Reasons to Use Twitter, and offering fifteen reasons. This liberates Twitterers to provide the remaining 86. Revolutionary? Yes! They tell us that this, "is a new way of writing a chapter," and tout the green benefit of saving paper. (p. 100) I'm looking forward to seeing how much paper they can save next time. This is one of the most eye-openingly obvious and painstakingly redundant books of our time. I believed that hype was, by definition, beyond the bounds of credibility. This book has proven my wrong, by stretching the bounds even farther.

First off, I loved the way Warren and Deb wrote this book. It's fun and easy to read, while being informative. I've known several people who signed up for a Twitter account, only to cancel it because they didn't know how to make Twitter work for them. This book will teach you how to get the most out of Twitter, whether you're using it to connect with friends or promote your business.

If you're new to Twitter, I suggest pay close attention the first section, especially chapters 4 through 6. These chapters explain how to attract and keep followers. Sections Two and Three cover a broad spectrum of topics, such as how to tweet, how to deal with trolls, how to market yourself, etc.
My favorite chapter was 10, which lists all of the current apps that were designed to enhance Twitter. Being an Internet junkie, that chapter alone was worth the cost of this book. I now have all these resources in one place.

I enjoyed reading the last section, which covers the aspects of branding yourself and marketing your business to potential customers while making powerful connections with the influencers in your niche. This section is also worth the cost of this book, as it will teach you the basic fundamentals of marketing that so many people miss.

Do you need this book to succeed on Twitter? No. Patience, observation, and participation will help you succeed. However, if you are new to social media and don't know where to begin, this book is an excellent resource. Not only can you use these techniques on Twitter, but you can migrate them to other social media sites, such as Ning or MySpace. Highly recommended.

My health center is looking into social networking to it's primary population, college students. I bought this book to explore Twitter as a resource.

It reads like a stream of consciousness between a personal coach and a marketing professional. I found that interesting but less than informative for someone trying to understand this medium. I did find a couple obvious good ideas - like their suggestion to secure your brand or name as a Twitter account. So there. you have it without buying the book!

As a former journalist and current copywriter, I know the value of saying much in a few words. But only now has something opened up to us all that allows us to gradually brand ourselves and get business in bites of 140 characters or less.

Deborah Micek and Warren Whitlock have created a helpful book for all those who are using Twitter, plan to use it, or wonder if they should. It's not a rule book. There are no rules on Twitter. But it is an easy-to-read, well-written map about how to get people to follow you, who you should follow and how to build your brand in a safe and effective way.

You can avoid many of the mistakes people have made in tweeting by reading this fast read. What you put on Tweeter, stays on Tweeter --- forever. It also gets in many corners of the net. It never dies. So, one does have to be a bit smart in what one says.

You'll find lots of really great tips in the book that you won't hear elsewhere. At least, I hadn't heard them or read them. I'd call this book a must-read.

I didn't like the fact that it doesn't have an index. Books DO need an index. I also had a bit of a problem knowing if the voice was Deborah's or Warren's. I think it was pretty much Micek.

There are many resources in the book that you'll fine quite useful.

Highly recommended.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson

Like a lot of people, I initially viewed Twitter as a time-waster. Why would I want to hear about someone's order at the local coffee house or hear announcements about what flight they were about to board. Fortunately, I stuck around because Twitter now plays a BIG role in my business. Although I've been on Twitter for a while, I discovered some excellent strategies in Twitter Revolution; strategies for beginners as well as advanced users. The authors include good information on how to get setup, how to get followers and how to brand yourself on Twitter. They also cover many useful apps for using Twitter on your computer or cell phone. I definitely recommend this book for anyone that wants to create profitable relationships on Twitter.

My initial impression of Twitter was negative. It seemed to me to be a huge waste of time that could honestly be better spent. I then had the pleasure o attending a seminar with "CoachDeb" (Deb Micek, one of the authors of the book.) who succeeded in getting me interested in Twitter enough to give it a try.

I found Twitter to be an effective tool for communication and business. In fact, I liked it so much that my friends started suggesting that they needed to send a Twitter Intervention team to get me off the thing. Twitter is fun and addictive and, if used effectively, it can positively impact both your business and personal life. This book is the tool you need to take advantage of Twitter.

THe book is an easy read..I read it over a 4-1/2 hour plane flight and has information you can put immediately into use. I highly recommend it.

When I first started hanging out on Twitter, the microblogging site was more like Disneyland. Coach Deb and Warren Whitlock played a huge role in expanding the site to a universal social network sometimes referred to as Twitterverse. They guided the Twitter revolution helping followers along the way. Together, with the input of Twitter users around the globe, Deb and Warren compiled a book which will help you make more money online, develop worldwide friendships, and take you places you would never expect. Don't wait to read Twitter Revolution.

@WarrenWhitlock and @CoachDeb (the authors' Twitter IDs) have written THE definitive "how to" guide for the hottest social networking tool today.

Written in an easy-to-read format, the Twitter Revolution guides readers through the wonderful world of Twitter, called by those of us who use the micro blog platform, the Twitterverse (you'll also see Twitterville). Both Warren & Deb are expert communicators and use Twitter effectively to build relationships with people from around the globe. If you are looking to understand and use Twitter to build your business or simply to connect with people on the Internet, get this book now!