Social Media reading

You mean like – books?

Yes, I do mean books. Since I’ve started playing with the what social networking/social media might mean to me, I’ve bought more non-fiction books in the last 3 months than fiction.

Some of this has been catch-up – I’d heard of the long tail, I’d hear mavens mentioned…

Some have been as the result of my own research – looking for social capital I’d hear about Bowling Alone…

Shirky’s book was as a result of seeing Bill Barnett (@bb42) tweeting about some of Clay Shirky’s writings and me saying, “Wow, what should I start with?”

I love playing with the toys, but I think it’s even more important to try and get an understanding of how this area is formed and where it’s moving…

… and for me, that’s largely by reading what others have written.

Recent reading

This is my current list, most recent first – the first two still being read.

• Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky
• Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything by Don Tapscott & Anthony Williams
• The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few by James Surowiecki
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Long Tail: How Endless Choice Is Creating Unlimited Demand by Chris Anderson
• Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam

What are you reading?

I’d really like to know your reading suggestions – mainly printed word, as I think RSS feeds are a matter for another post…

… which might be next week.

Picture Credit gadl