"I Believe in Zero" - Review

by Andrew McDonald

            The opening of Caryl M. Stern’s I Believe in Zero feels like the opening of a TV show you’d find on AMC during their peak Breaking Bad-era. She recounts her experience of meeting Rosa, a new mother in Mozambique, who informs Stern that this child is the “first one that survived.”

            And with that, the book begins.

I Believe in Zero by Caryl M. Stern
Photo Credit: UNICEF

            Stern’s recounting of her time with UNICEF is a powerful, emotional journey that will leave you feeling both cathartic and exhausted by the end of each chapter, which, essentially, function as episodes (going back to my TV show analogy). Stern’s writing is clear and deliberate. She tells her story with relative ease and grace, skimming over details that aren’t as impactful and really drawing the action and emotion when the moment calls for it.

            I keep brining up the similarities between her writing and good TV, because, well, her writing is incredibly cinematic. When she describes a new environment, I not only pictured it in my mind, but I could smell the air, feel the weather and environment. I choked up several times, but none so much as the initial encounter with Rosa, whose story only gets more harrowing the more you read.

"But does she cook meth?...Didn't think so."
Photo Credit: AMC

            Overall, I would definitely recommend I Believe in Zero to anyone who enjoys a cinematic storytelling style of nonfiction. I would never have considered myself a fan of this kind of book before reading it, but, if it’s good, it’s good, and I Believe in Zero has made me a believer.

Tailoring Social Media Presence

Book Review Blog/ ‘Likeable Social Media’ by Dave Kerpen

Tailoring Social Media Presence 

By Amy Baker

Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Awesome on Facebook (and Other Social Networks).

By Dave Kerpen

272 pages

McGraw-Hill

Hardcopy: $12.98-18-$21.20

Paperback: $8.75-$13.50

Image provided by the BlogSpot website. 

            Social Media is the new black. Within the past few years, social media has gained remarkable amounts of popularity not only as a fleeting fad, but also as a lasting necessity that fits all shapes and sizes. Whether we would like to admit it or not, social media has became as mainstream as the pair of black slacks hanging in our closet and doesn’t seem to be going out of style anytime soon. In this light, it is crucial for those engaging with social media to understand when, why and how to appropriately structure social media content so that our ‘classic black slacks’ reflect a more presentable style than just an ill-fitted pair of pants.  

            Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen provides readers with the key to creating a successful presence on social media: ‘be likable.’ The book is divided into 18 different chapters, each one detailing a different strategy that guides users in their quest for likability. In summary, Kerpen’s insights reveal the secrets of the rapidly changing communication method including: actively engaging with social media audiences, appearing open and transparent, building brand identity harnessing the audience’s attention and encouraging the spread of information. Overall, Likable Social Media outlines the process of how to effectively use digital communication as a means of keeping people talking about you in our information heavy world of technology. Likable Social Media  is not limited to being likable on social media, it transcends the importance of having a likable business. Kerpen explains the likability of a business as an ultimately force drive its success.

Image provided by DaveKerpen.com

            Kerpen begins Likable Social Media by sharing an experience in which social media was utilized as an outlet to dispense his thoughts and frustrations regarding the services of a hotel in Las Vegas. Resulting from this, a competing hotel acknowledged his contribution in the digital forum, later having an effect on his view and company loyalty. Throughout the book Kerpen supplies examples that help readers better understand the strategies provided and their potential affects. The author’s light-hearted humor, in combination with the book’s smooth flow from one strategy to the next guides readers easily from cover to cover as they explore digital marketing techniques. Likable Social Media is best compared to a colorful ‘how-to’ book that dispenses useful, tactical information while splashing the pages with vibrant, personal stories.

            Social media guru, Dave Kerpen, is cofounder and CEO of the global, award-winning firm, Likeable Media. The firm stresses the social media and word-of-mouth techniques discussed in the book and has landed a spot as one of the 500 fastest growing privately owned businesses in 2011 and 2012. Also in 2012, Kerpen was declared the Most Social Inc. 500 CEO by ceo.com. Snagging a best seller title from the New York Times, Likable Social Media, reinforces Dave Kerpen’s reputation as a strategic social media expert.        

         Overall, I found the book beneficial, but room for improvement exists. First and foremost, the world of strategic communications is in constant fluctuation and rapid advances in technology require that these strategies be constantly updated. Although Likable Social Media was published within the last five years, many things have changed since then and I think that more up-to-date strategies regarding newer advances would be more relevant. From this, I also critique the extremely focused emphasis on Facebook. Although Facebook serves as the most widely used social media outlet, other applications are quickly gaining popularity and ought to be given more attention in establishing likable social media. That being said, I still advise others to read the book because it does offer substantial information and useful tactics. For more information watch Kerpen explain successful strategies of social media in this video.

Create an irresistable brand

Create an irresistible brand

Title: Likeable Social Media: How to delight your customers, create an irresistible brand, and be generally amazing on Facebook (and other social networks)

Author: Dave Kerpen

Length: 249 pages

Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Price: $10 USD used on Amazon, $20 USD in stores   

(Photo Source: ethority.com)

 

 

Become a loveable brand!
By: Jozette Massiah

 

 Social media continues to expand greatly in todays world. Traditional ways of marketing, advertising, and public relations have longed change since the rising age of social media. This means that businesses now need to model new strategies in connecting with their consumers. Dave Kerpen, author of NY Times 2011 bestseller Likeable Social Media, and 2012's Likeable Business Media explains how social media can be used to set your brand apart from the rest, making it purely irresistible.
 

  Book Details
In the first chapter Dave highlights the most basic and important things all businesses should do in social media "listen". Customers enjoy being heard, and when they feel as if their ideas or concerns aren't being addressed they go elsewhere. This word-of-mouth marketing as the author calls it can cause unhappy customers to give poor reviews of businesses via social media veering potential customers away from your business. As the author states a friends recommendation is the most powerful source of marketing. One like, one tweet, one comment can be sent to millions of followers. Instantly a company can gain thousands of dollars of business without having to spend thousands on advertising.

 

 

   My Overview

Social media levels the playing field for small businesses to gain more customers without having to spend huge capita. Listening, engaging, and interacting with your audience is key in social media. No amount of money, no matter how big the organization, can achieve a likeable social media purely on its advertising. In fact, the author suggest businesses not to try to sell their products or services through social media, but instead create a brand that the people can trust. Only then will consumers become loyal customers, and proceed to buy products and services.

  Examples of businesses with likeable social media
A perfect example of a company with an interactive social media was vitamin water. A contest was held via social media for customers to decide which flavor the company should incorporate next. Over 100,000 people participated, and one lady won $5,000 for designing the winning label for vitamin water. All in all everyone ended up happy. The consumers felt as if their opinions and views mattered, and the company gained thousands of new followers.

(Photo Source: insidefacebook.com)

Another company Loft, a clothing brand owned by Ann Taylor, used social media to listen and respond to their audiences. After customers demanded pictures of real women modeling the clothes and not stick models, Loft not only apologized, but posted pictures of various women of all sizes on its Facebook page. Instantly, by one post and an apology word spread throughout social media about this newfound clothing brand called Loft. The clothing brand was publicized, and gained over 43 likes for one post. To date Loft has over 250,000 fans!

This book is a must read for small businesses to become a step above the rest. Big companies and corporations should read this book as well to gain insight on the importance of becoming a likeable brand, and exceeding your customers needs in social media.
 

 

         

Building a Business Online

Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (& Other Social Medias)

Dave Kerpen

260 pages

McGraw Hill Professional

$28 – hardback/ $22 – paperback

 

(Photo source: http://coolinsights.blogspot.com/2012/03/likeable-social-media-book-review.html)

Building a Business Online

By Kristina Luetkemeyer

Social Media experts are far and few between. Of all the people you follow on Twitter or are friends with on Facebook, how many do you actually take interest in what they say or post? Successfully using social media is not nearly as simple as it sounds, and most of our friends haven’t mastered it yet. But for businesses, it is a skill they cannot pass up.

Author of Likeable Social Media, David Kerpen, is co-founder and CEO of Likeable Media, an award-winning social media and word-of-mouth marketing firm. Working with social media on a daily basis, Kerpen certainly has the credentials to back up the 18 principles he discusses in his book.

David Kerpen, author of Likeable Social Media

(Photo source: http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-ash3/c22.22.280.280/s160x160/545223_10152404426360398_102003266_n.jpg)

The overall theme of the book is stop talking and listen. You first must listen to your fan base and customers before you can ever start talking. Otherwise you will never say anything likeable. You must understand their interests and what they are looking for.

In his book, Kerpen also hits on the topics of authenticity, honesty, and transparency. These three words probably do not come to mind when we think of companies, but to build a trusted online reputation, they are essential. Corporations try to let their social media present them in a light that may be an exaggeration of reality. In an effort to keep a clean image, negative comments can be deleted from their social media. Kerpen advises against such an idea, and instead teaches business how to manage criticism in a way that they could potentially benefit from.

Social media is so simple. Who needs a book to learn how to use Twitter or post on Facebook? Well, no one - if it is for personal use. If you plan to grow your online business, you need the book Likeable Social Media.