Calling all social media gurus (self-declared included)! I’m interested in creating a little new/social media library and am interested in hearing your faves. I’m more than happy to share the tallied results with the community. If you no longer read books, I’ll gladly consider other forms of info such as blogs, journals, Web sites, etc. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
I too have been looking for some good books on social media. Keep me posted on what you find! One site I regularly go to for good info and articles is http://mashable.com.
@Joey, will do! The one I just started reading (and came highly recommended) seems to be pretty interesting so far. “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations” by Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge. I’ll keep you posted about my thoughts…and my list! Also, thanks for the tip, I do enjoy content from Mashable.com…and continue to be impressed by it’s CEO.
Heather – Off the top of my head (and what i can see from my desk):
Infotopia – Cass Sunstein
Millennial Makeover – Winograd & Hais
The Wisdom of Crowds – Surowiecki
Bowling Alone – Putnam
Crossing the Chasm – Moore
Republic 2.0 – Sunstein
My blog – http://www.aheadofideas.com (shameless – Ha!)
Also the blogs of scores of the regulars here at govloop.com
Socialnomics, Erik Qualman
Crowdsourcing, Jeff Howe
The Long Tail, Chris Anderson
Wikinomics, Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams
Quick read with emphasis on video, Crush It, by Gary Vaynerchuk
Published in 1992 but perfect for understanding social media – Reality Isn’t What It Used to Be: Theatrical Politics, Ready-to-Wear Religion, Global Myths, Primitive Chic, and Other Wonders of the Postmodern World by Walter Truett Anderson (http://www.amazon.com/Reality-Isnt-What-Ready-Wear/dp/0062500171/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266516628&sr=8-1)
One book I don’t see on the list so far is “Here Comes Everybody” by Clay Shirky.
http://isbn.nu/9781594201530
Also Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, by Forrester Research >> http://isbn.nu/9781596592124
A good companion to “Republic 2.0” (as suggested by Daniel Bevarly) might be William Eggars’ “Government 2.0: Using Technology to Improve Education, Cut Red Tape, Reduce Gridlock, and Enhance Democracy,” although I haven’t read the former. >> http://isbn.nu/9780742541764
Books about building relationships through social media:
“The Whuffie Factor: The 5 Keys for Maxing Social Capital and Winning With Online Communities” by Tara Hunt >> http://isbn.nu/9780307409508 (it’s on the market with at least three names, so look by author)
“Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust” by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith >> http://isbn.nu/9780470743089
(I hope nobody minds me adding my information piecemeal. I lost an entire blog post about Undercover Boss after it premiered the other day, so now I’m paranoid about typing and deleting by accident.)
I’m so excited to see all of the suggestions so far! Keep them coming and we’ll have one heck of a list! 🙂
Hi Heather – There are quite a few forums and groups on GovLoop that can help you out… in particular, this one should be helpful to you:
What are the must reads on social media and government 2.0? (50 responses!)
Im finding the the best book on social media, is the one that you create from experiencing it……too many are about the tools, not the people.
But, Crowdsourcing by Jeff Howe is one of the better books, since it doesn’t read like a whitepaper from a vendor trying to sell you a product.