Customer Reviews

Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods

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I live in Silicon Valley and thus I am exposed to many new emerging technologies and with them the usual parade of so-called gurus and experts who parade around acting like a bunch of techno divas. A friend sent me an invite to a book signing event called Twitterville. I was interested in going yet a bit reluctant lest I encounter the typical fare of pseudo geeks too young to understand the internet's impact on society and too arrogant to admit their own shortcomings. So I decided to attend anyway and drag my reluctant wife along who did not like twitter and thought it was a mass of frivolous chirps from the socially incompetent in our society.

I made it a point to observe the book's author Shel Israel and witness his interactions with the people who stood on line to get their copies signed. I notice his warmth and authentic interactions with people on the line and to my amazement he engaged them in conversation. No made up smile and next, no rushing. He was enjoying interacting with people and sharing their perspectives on twitter. The line was growing longer so I decided to buy the book. I thought that someone as engaging as this, a true listener would have insights on Twitter that I may be interested in reading.

I was not disappointed. I purchased the book at the Twitterville event and I have been enthralled ever since by his brilliant insights and observations. The book reads like a fine novel with the story telling prowess of any of the best in the fiction genre. He recounts without adornment the way people have used Twitter in real life situations. He weaves the tales of twitter user wield it as a new weapon against the biggest most dangerous bureaucracies in America, Corporate behemoths, such as the airlines and retail establishments who have long ago ignored their customers who they treat as mere objects. He is careful to show how some corporations such as Dell have begun to use Twitter to serve their customers and build traction for their product introductions and on-line venues.

We are now hearing the new buzz words: real time web, anytime anywhere Internet, and most recently groundswell, a term coined by Charlene Li who along with Josh Bernoff of Forrester Research, released a book with that name. Groundswell is becoming the most important book in this emerging genre. Charlene Li wrote the forward for Shel israel's Twitterville. In it, she says "Twitter is not a technology. It's a conversation". If this is true, then Shel's book will become the pioneering work that shows how the groundswell of people building relationships with each other will be the turning point in human communications on this planet. These conversations will begin to define how we respond to our world and how we begin to assert the power of people to make true change sustainable.

So please read this book. After you read it pass it along to your friends and get others to realize the magic of the twitter phenomenon for themselves. if you were as impacted as i am , please tweet about it. The author's twitter handle is @shelisrael. Let him know as well. He will respond to you. If you appreciate this review, you can follow me on twitter as well. My handle is guarionex88. I write about subjects relevant to emerging technologies such as WiMAX, Google wave, Apple's iPhone and most recently Twitter.

Twitterville is different from the many Twitter books that have been published since 2007. This difference makes Twitterville a must read for any business that wants to leverage Twitter and doesn't know where to begin.

Here's why: Twitterville offers an outstanding insight, through case studies, into the different ways that individuals and businesses (large and small) have successfully leveraged Twitter. Importantly, even though it seems silly to talk about history when discussing Twitter (after all, Twitter is only 3 years old), this history is important because it shows the growing shifts in social activism and the increasing voice that loosely organized "groups" have gained when using Twitter to respond to marketing campaigns (and missteps) launched by brands. This history also shows that cultural norms - even for a 3 year old social network - continue to radically shift. What was acceptable in 2007 and 2008 (or if not acceptable, at least not visible) is met with criticism and anger in 2009.

Why should you care how others have leveraged Twitter? You should care because missteps on Twitter can create publicity nightmares for brands (and individuals). And while some brands even now continue to stay silent on Twitter, Shel correctly reminds us in the final chapter that: "Chances are that right now, there's a conversation going on in Twitterville that can impact what you do for a living."

Think about that for a moment. Historically, brands (mostly through agencies) closely guarded and controlled conversations about their products or services. Social networks have changed this dynamic, and Twitter has led this shift. Through case studies, Shel shows how big brands (including Dell, Jetblue, Comcast, American Airlines, U-Haul) and small brands (including Seesmic, StockTwits and my company, crowdSPRING) reacted to these changes (some leveraging the opportunities to strengthen their brands, while others failing miserably and tarnishing their brands). While there's still a great deal of confusion about how companies can fully and sincerely use Twitter, there's little doubt that some brands could benefit from interacting with their customers on Twitter.

If you're not interested in business case studies and stories, Twitterville has plenty to keep you interested. For example, Shel writes about how individuals - including, among others, Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang) and Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) - have built personal brands using Twitter. Other chapters cover Twitter's impact on journalists, politicians, and charitable fundraising, among other topics.

This isn't a how-to book. Those looking for a list of top 10 things you can do to increase Twitter followers won't find such a list in Twitterville. However, those looking to understand how to succeed (or avoid failure) on Twitter will learn much from reading this book.

I've been a fan of Shel since he wrote Naked Conversations. That book was a book that motivated many of us in the marketing industry to begin shifting our focus to social media. It personally motivated me to leave database and direct marketing behind and set a goal to work in social media full time. I now have my own agency, DK New Media, doing just that.

Twitterville is a logical extension of Naked Conversations. It's well-written and digs deep on how companies have used (as well as haven't used) this new medium to their advantage. Twitter, whether you like it or not, is changing the world. People are thinking and reading in 140 characters or less. Companies are beginning to listen and open their doors to Twitter. The results are amazing and Shel has documented all of the amazing stories in a single volume... Twitterville.

This book is a must read for companies who "don't get" Twitter. It's a must read for Marketers who want to effectively use Twitter. And it's a great read for Twitter business users - providing them with priceless information on how to leverage the medium. Kudos to Shel for writing such an amazing book - the best book to date that I've found on the strategies behind Twitter!

Twitterville + Twitter for Dummies is the power combination for developing and executing strategies utilizing Twitter! Must reads for every business.

Shel Israel should be proud of this book. Unlike other Twitter books (and other social media books) that are more like how-to manuals or guides for beginners, this book gets at the stories of people using Twitter - why they used it, how, and what happened. I know many of the people and stories in the book, and I still learned details and nuances that I didn't know before. For the casual tech reader, the burgeoning journalist, the marketing pro, and the sociologist all, this is a great tale.

When I give talks about new media, I'm fond of telling people that even if you memorized a how-to book about Twitter, you still won't know anything about Twitter, because a lot of it is about street smarts and experimentation and trial-and-error. Twitterville profiles people that have been through the trials-by-fire, have succeeded and failed, and generally have shared their knowledge - and indeed their lives - with audiences through this fascinating new technology.

You can also read a little about me in the book: I'm @cheeky_geeky!

I literally fell in to Twitter when I attended PodCamp 3.0 in San Antonio, Texas. This awesome event gave me my first exposure to Twitter and the instant impact that it can have on customers. I've been trying to learn all that I can about Twitter - this book gave me background, gave me a better understanding of Twitter, the impact, and benefits. I literally couldn't put the book down. I read a great deal and this is a classic. Well thought out with great insight to the phenomena of Twitter. Thanks Shel!

If you are interested in Twitter and/or the current wave of social networking, Shel Israel has provided you with a very useful book on the issues involved, some very creative ways Twitter is being used, and even some tips on how to maximize your benefit from the service while protecting yourself from potential harm.

You get seventeen chapters divided into three parts. Part one covers who created Twitter and why including some interesting ways companies like Dell and Comcast are using it to communicate with their customers or at least segments of their customer base.

Part two covers issues such as using Twitter as a marketplace, how companies with a global reach can feel local through the service, the issue of whether or not your company's twitter presence should be your logo without a real person's name attached or not, whether you should invite customer feedback or use twitter as a broadcast medium, how small companies can maximize their marketplace presence using Twitter, how you can create your own personal brand on Twitter, using Twitter to create and consume news (and the dangers of using it for vanity reasons), how politicians and stakeholder groups use Twitter to organize - advocate - and disseminate information, and how the service can aid your goodwill fundraising efforts.

Part three has only two chapters, but they are quite helpful. The first contains the authors tips on making the most from your use of Twitter and how to maximize your effectiveness. The second is how to participate in and develop global networks.

If you are already a Twitter guru, this book might not interest you, unless you want to explore some ways others are using it that might be different than your own. But for most of us, me included, this book gave me lots of new information, some great ideas, and expanded my view of what Twitter is and can do.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Wow! What a writer with insightful information. I'm brand new to Twitter and like most, probably started lurking instead of twittering. This book has changed my approach to the in-the-moment action of the internet. There are many more eloquent reviews on this page written about this book so please read them. The reason I looked at this book to begin with was the title and cover. Simple and to the point. The book is the same. Shel Israel writes in a down-to-earth style with wit and interest that leads from chapter to chapter. He demystifies Twitter for this non-tweeter and made a convert to the new medium for my business. It has lead me to order Naked Conversations and other books about social media. His enthusiasm and knowledge will help you to feel that Twitter is indeed a Village, a Ville that makes people a little closer and hopefully a little more peaceful to each other. If there is one thing I could impart to you about this book, it is to READ IT! A guaranteed enjoyable experience from cover to cover.

Twitterville is a collection of stories about Twitter written by a twetizen who is enchanted with the Twitter village. It is a business book as much as it is a piece of anthropology - by reading stories about a place, we infer its values, social norms, and culture.

Most of the stories are wonderful, uplifting, and show the positive side of Twitter. They are not, I think, your everyday Twitter stories - they are the extraordinary events that stand out in a place's history. I'm glad someone took the time to document and save them. I remember living through most of them, and it felt great to read these accounts of recent Twitter history. Israel is an excellent story teller, and if I didn't envy his warm, fluid, friendly, yet clear and simple writing style so much, I'd go on and on praising it :) .

I loved reading the book, and enjoyed every page of it. I can imagine critics complaining that the book is overly positive - that it portrays Twitterville as a better place than (they think) it is. Israel's Twitter enchantment doesn't bother me, primarily because, like a respectable ethnographer, he spells out his biases clearly and repeatedly. He explains his point of view and enables the reader to decide how to interpret the content. As a qualitative researcher, I do not believe in the myth of objectivity. I think the best we can do is explain our biases, so readers can make informed decisions about interpreting our writing. I see very little of this in popular literature, and I hope more authors will adopt this practice.

... and Israel's enchantment with Twitter doesn't bother me, because I can relate to it and I share his point of view. I was initially amused by the claim that Twitter can lead to... world peace. But as I read the last chapter, I realized that, as a firm believer in the power of communication to make and break our world, I too, think, that conversation is the best solution - and that it can, indeed, help us make peace. (cross-posted from http://prconnections.net)

It is an enjoyable and informative read. If you wonder what Twitter can do or just don't get the hype about Twitter, this book will help. It does have a how-to chapter at the end, but it's not a how-to book.

Let's face it. There are still lots of people who don't understand Twitter. I meet them almost daily. Many of them want to understand, and value an explanation. Up until now, conveying the power of Twitter has been a challenge. Well, that has changed with the publication of Shel Israel's wonderful book. In it, he captures the essence of Twitter, relates compelling stories that bring this online community to life, and shares his perspectives on getting the best out of Twitter.

So, what is Twitter? Well, according to Charlene Li, Founder of Altimeter Group, who wrote the forward, Twitter is a conversation. This definition, of course, is an allusion to "The Cluetrain Manifesto" and the Conversation Era ushered in by the internet and social media tools. While Israel validates Li's description, he also acknowledges the reference to her "Twitter Village" made in a blog post by Laura Fritton, founder of Pistachio Consulting. It resonated. In his words, "Twitterville connotes a certain homey, small-town feel, a place where you meet people you know as you stroll down familiar streets. These are people with whom you share common friends, interests, and ethics." In short, Twitter is a community - one that is at once everywhere and literally comprised of many "global neighborhoods."

Like a local historian, Israel tells us how Twitter came to be, points out its core values and culture of generosity, shares stories of its economy and many notable residents, and he even guides us safely down its dark streets. He concludes his book with two important chapters. In "Tips, Metrics, and Finer Points," he provides advice tips for newcomers that serves as a sort of "Twitter Civics 101" -which actually has applications to conversations in any medium. In the final chapter, "Global Neighborhoods," he provides his "loftier" view of conversations as peacemakers, and discusses the power of personal communications.

As an astute business observer, Israel offers perspectives on the ways large and small businesses and governments have harnessed Twitter to become more responsive by sharing timely information and engaging customers and constituents in meaningful conversations. As well, he discusses the role of Twitter in goodwill fund-raising, braided journalism, and personal branding. He also discusses the power of authenticity, transparency, crowd sourcing, lethal generosity, and so much more.

Yet, I think it's as a storyteller that Israel shines. And there are lots of stories, each with its protagonists, plot lines, and lessons. From the very beginning of the book he grips the reader's attention with the story of Twitter's origins as a communications tool for a Silicon Valley start-up, Odeo, and its eventual introduction at the 2007 South by Southwest Festival. After stories about how Twitter was used by Dell Computer and Comcast, he discusses customer empowerment in stories about Best Buy, Motrin, and Pepsi.

Yet, he goes well beyond big brands to tell us stories about the many creative and practical uses of Twitter, including: live-tweeting surgery, at Henry Ford Hospital, for medical education; the success of The Coffee Goundz, in Houston, in competing against Starbucks; the entrée of the Mayo Clinic onto Twitter; Sodexo's use of Twitter as an executive recruiting tool; dissemination of market information by StockTwits; United Linen's use of Twitter to enhance the effectiveness of its Customer Service Representatives in better serving customers; and how well-known nonprofit activist Beth Kanter and lesser-know, former project management consultant, Stacey Monk used Twitter to raise funds for students in Cambodia and in Africa; Oppenhuis de Jong's reports, via Twitter, of the May 2008 Szechuan Earthquake, and Janis Krums' capturing and posting to Twitter the first photo of the US Airways Flight 1549, floating in the Hudson River.

In his chapter on personal brands, Israel offers what I'd call "Super Hero" stories of some of the more prominent members of the Twitterville. These are people who are the community's most recognizable and strongest brands based on their generosity as much as their expertise; they include Jeremiah Owyang, Laura Fritton, Chris Brogan, and Dr. Mark Drapeau. Yet, in opening this chapter, Israel references, two very old brands as a way of showing personal branding is nothing new: Og, the hunter, and Guk the fire builder. In doing so, I think he captures the essence of this terrific book: the power of story is nothing new, and Shel Israel has succeeded in crafting and telling engaging campfire stories for the Conversation Era. I highly recommend this book!

I've been in online advertising for twelve plus years, which makes me an "ancient one" in the 20-something driven Social Media world. So, when referenced to this book by a peer in the digital ad biz I thought it might be fluffy and a bit over hyped, like so much of the heat and light around Social Media.

But much to my surprise, I found it a great read and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in not only learning about Twitter, but the larger Social Media world. It's wonderfully written, engaging for the reader, incorporates practical analysis and advice for anyone who wants to dive deeply into Twitter and other Social Media Technologies and Platforms.

I've ended up buying several copies for peers, friends and family and regularly "Tweet out" how highly I recommend the book. It's a must read for anyone who wants to understand how to build an engaging presence and brand on Twitter and the overall social media landscape.

I rate Twitterville as good as a three hour standing room only show by the Boss.....stimulating, passion inducing, enlightening and energy boosting! Connect with author on Twitter - he's as warm, engaging, insightful in "Twitter time" as he is in the book. (Twitter/ShellIsreal)