FIR Reviews

Reviews of books dealing with PR and online communications

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

FIR Book Review: Attenzi - A Social Business Story, by Philip Sheldrake

AttenziAttenzi - A Social Business Story is a novel that shines a light on social business that goes beyond the all too typical homages to social media. It’s a relatively short and easy read intended to help readers explore what social business means for their organization, marketplace, communities and career.

With Attenzi, author Philip Sheldrake presents a sympathetic hero in the story-teller Eli Appel, newly-installed CEO of Attenzi, a fictional international company that makes and sells top-range kitchen equipment and services.

The book tells a compelling and credible story of one man’s journey that, unbeknownst to him at the start, would help him and his leadership team "redefine the way we all think about our business and its place in the market and its place in the world."

FIR co-host Neville Hobson reviews the Kindle edition of Attenzi and considers the power a work of fiction - a novel - can have in empowering the Eli Appels of our world with the clarity of vision and perspective to explore the evolution of the customer-centric mindset that has dominated management thinking for the past two decades.

As Eli says, "I hope it helps you develop your organization’s relevance, competitiveness and profitability. I hope it helps you forge your career and helps you bring your colleagues with you."

Get this podcast:

Attenzi - A Social Business Story by Philip Sheldrake.

Publisher: Philip Sheldrake
Digital formats (content equivalent to about 100 print pages)
Published: May 15, 2013
Price: Free under Creative Commons license.

Attenzi is available in HTML, PDF, ePub, Kindle, and iBooks formats at www.attenzi.com.

About the Author

Philip SheldrakePhilip Sheldrake is managing partner at Euler Partners, a London-based consulting firm.

He is a widely regarded consultant, author and speaker. He is a Chartered Engineer, a main board director of Intellect, the UK trade association for the technology industry, a board director of 6UK, a government backed non-profit promoting adoption of the new Internet protocol, and a founding partner of Meanwhile. He built and sold an award-winning public relations consultancy.

Philip wrote The Business of Influence in 2011 and was interviewed on FIR at the book’s launch.

Connect with Philip on Twitter: @sheldrake.

FIR online communities
Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future reviews, in the online FIR communities on Facebook, Friendfeed and Google+. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 415 895 2971 (North America), +44 20 3239 9082 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: @FIRpodcast. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson and Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Book Review podcast is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by neville on 05/15 at 12:10 AM
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Thursday, April 25, 2013

FIR Book Review: Nice Companies Finish First, by Peter Shankman with Karen Kelly

Nice Companies Finish First: Book CoverPeter Shankman applied his skills as a communicator and businessman to create Help A Reporter Out (HARO), an email service that connected journalists looking for people to interview with individuals with the experience or insights to meet the journalist’s needs. The free service was based on sharing and collaboration, principles Shankman brings to the fore in his new book.

What does a “nice” company do? In a Forbes interview, Shankman recounted this experience: “I was in a hotel and came back after a long day of meetings. I saw a note on my bathroom counter: Mr. Shankman, we noticed you left your toothpaste out. It’s running very low. We took the liberty of buying you a new tube. We know how busy you are. I was shocked. I took a picture of it and posted it on Facebook. I found out two days later from the PR person that they could trace back at least two reservations that came from that story. The toothpaste probably cost 39 cents or less, because they buy it in bulk.”

In this FIR podcast episode, Book Review Editor Bob LeDrew reviews Nice Companies Finish First.

Get this podcast:

Nice Companies Finish First: Why Cutthroat Management is Over—and Collaboration is In, by Peter Shankman with Karen Kelly.

Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Ebook and paperback (256 pages) editions
Published in the US: April 2013
ISBN10: 0230341896
ISBN-13: 978-0230341890

Purchase the book online at:

FIR online communities

Share your comments or questions about this review, or suggestions for future reviews, in the online FIR communities on Facebook, Friendfeed and Google+.

You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 415 895 2971 (North America), +44 20 3239 9082 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIRpodcast. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Book Review is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by shel on 04/25 at 09:02 AM
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Saturday, March 16, 2013

FIR Book Review: Civility in the Digital Age, by Andrea Weckerle

Civility in the Digital AgeAndrea Weckerle was an FIR interview guest in January, 2010, discussing CiviliNation, the organization she co-founded to promote civil behavior online. Now, as part of that effort, she has written Civility in the Digital Age, a review of the issues affecting civility online and proposing a “30-Day Action Plan” for restoring civility to your corner of the digital world

In this FIR podcast episode, Book Review Editor Bob LeDrew reviews Civility in the Digital Age.

Get this podcast:

Civility in the Digital Age: How Companies and People Can Triumph over Haters, Trolls, Bullies and Other Jerks, by Andrea Weckerle.

Publisher: Que Publishing
Ebook and paperback (320 pages) editions
Published in the US: February 2013
ISBN: 978-0789750242

Purchase the book online at:

FIR online communities

Share your comments or questions about this review, or suggestions for future reviews, in the online FIR communities on Facebook, Friendfeed and Google+.

You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 415 895 2971 (North America), +44 20 3239 9082 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIRpodcast. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Book Review is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by shel on 03/16 at 04:27 PM
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Thursday, October 18, 2012

FIR Book Review: What the Plus! Google+ for the Rest of Us by Guy Kawasaki

What the Plus!Google+ is Google’s social network, launched publicly in September 2011 following a three-month beta test phase. According to its Wikipedia entry, as of September 2012, it has a total of 400 million registered users of whom 100 million are active on a monthly basis.

In What the Plus! Google+ for the Rest of Us Version 2.0, author (and unashamed Google+ evangelist) Guy Kawasaki explains how to get started, create an enchanting profile, optimize your content for social searches, share posts and photos, conduct video hangouts, and gain followers.

Each of the 15 chapters in the book’s nearly-200 pages offers practical advice and great tips that help you quickly grasp much of the specifics and get up to speed with using Google+.

Get this podcast:

What the Plus! Google+ for the Rest of Us Version 2.0, by Guy Kawasaki.

Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Ebook and paperback (208 pages) editions
Published in the US: September 2012
ISBN: 978-0-07-181010-4
MHID: 0-07-181010-2

Purchase the book online at:

FIR on Friendfeed
Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future shows, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 415 895 2971 (North America), +44 20 3239 9082 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIRpodcast. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Book Review is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by neville on 10/18 at 01:35 AM
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Monday, July 02, 2012

FIR Book Club #3: “Marketing in the Round” co-author Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich was the guest author for the third installment of the FIR Book Club, hosted by FIR Book Review Editor Bob LeDrew. Gini co-authored Marketing in the Round with Geoff Livingston.

imageGini Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago-based integrated marketing communication firm. She also is the founder of the professional development site for PR and marketing pros, Spin Sucks Pro. Gini is the author of the PR and marketing blog, Spin Sucks, which is a 2012 Cision Top 100 Blog, the 2010 and 2011 Readers Choice Blog of the Year, a Top 42 Content Marketing Blog from Junta42, a top 10 social media blog from Social Media Examiner, and an AdAge Power 150 blog. She delivers numerous keynotes, panel discussions, coaching sessions, and workshops across North America and Europe on the subject of using online technology in communication, marketing, sales, and HR. One of the top rated communication professionals on the social networks, Gini was recently named the number one PR person, according to Klout and TechCrunch, on the channels, and number one on Twitter, according to TweetLevel. She also can be found writing at Crain’s Chicago Business and in various PR and marketing blogs and publications.

This podcast was recorded live on TalkShoe.

Get this podcast:

FIR on Friendfeed
Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future reviews, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 3239 9082 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Book Review is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by shel on 07/02 at 01:13 PM
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Thursday, June 28, 2012

FIR Book Review: Marketing in the Round, by Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston

imageFIR Book Review Editor Bob LeDrew reviews Marketing in the Round, a collaboration between Arment-Dietrich CEO Gini Dietrich and marketing strategist Geoff Livingston.

From the book description:

“It’s not about social media. Or new (or old) media. It’s about results—and there’s only one way to get results. You must finally bite the bullet, tear down your silos, and integrate all your marketing and communications. That’s how you choose the best platforms and messages for each customer. That’s how you make research and metrics work. That’s how you overcome today’s insane levels of complexity and clutter. “

Get this podcast:

“Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era” by Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston

Publisher: Que
Hardcover only (224 pages)
Published: May 3, 2012)
ISBN-10: 0789749173
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-0789749178

Purchase the book online at:

FIR on Friendfeed
Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future shows, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 3239 9082 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Review is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by shel on 06/28 at 08:29 AM
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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

FIR Book Review: The Virtual Self, by Nora Young

imageFIR Book Review Editor Bob LeDrew reviews The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around Us, by Nora Young, the host of Spark on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio. The recent release explores the very real impact of the virtual information we generate about ourselves—on our own lives, our communities, and our government.

From the book description:

“We generate enormous amounts of online data about our habits: where we go, what we do, and how we feel. Some of that is stuff we choose to report; some of it is the offhand data trails we leave behind. The Virtual Self looks at the debates and challenges around virtual data-sharing—from Facebook status updates to Google Navigator—and its potential for building more responsive communities and governments. Nora argues that if we wrestle now with issues like privacy and data control, we can harness the power of that data.

“The host of CBC Radio’s Spark, Nora Young has fascinating information at her disposal, unique insights into the intersection of the virtual and real worlds, and a wonderful voice for making all of these clear to a general audience. Accessible and entertaining, The Virtual Self takes that personal, psychological reality of everything from email to status updates and teases out the increasingly bigger impacts on the real world around us of the virtual information we all generate.”

Don’t miss Mitch Joel’s interview with author Nora Young on his podcast, Six Pixels of Separation.

Get this podcast:

“The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around Us” by Nora Young

Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Hardcover only (240 pages)
Published: April 10, 2012)
ISBN-10: 0771070640
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-0771070648

    Purchase the book online at:
  • Amazon US
  • Amazon UK: Not available
  • Amazon Canada
  • Kindle versions are not available.

FIR on Friendfeed
Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future shows, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 3239 9082 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Review is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by shel on 06/12 at 10:53 AM
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