Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone. [Hardcover]

 

 

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Mitch Joel is president of Twist Image, a successful digital marketing and communications agency with offices in Toronto and Montreal.

The basic premise of Six Pixels of Separation is that "we no longer live in a world of six degrees of separation... everyone is connected."

Joel is a very engaging writer, having honed his skills on his own blog for years before the publication of this book in September 2009.

While acknowledging other online marketing activities, Joel spends most of his time discussing more "conversational" channels, namely blogs, micro-blogs (e.g. Twitter), podcasts, online social networks (e.g. Facebook), sharing sites (e.g. YouTube), user-generated content, wikis (e.g. Wikipedia), and widgets (applications).

He makes many excellent points. To name a few:

- "Your brand is not what you say it is... it's what Google says it is" (echoing Chris Anderson of Wired magazine)

- "Most businesses are not present enough in the search engines and they're leaving big money at the table (or for the competition)"

- "Digital marketing is not a one-night stand... it is about building real relationships, both with your customers and with your potential customers"

- In an excellent section entitled "Trust + Community = ROI", he summarizes with crystal clarity six ways to build trust in the `trust economy'

- "Everyone is so busy getting excited about the channels (and tactics) that they completely put aside the strategy and the brand"

- "Your website sucks - mostly because it was an afterthought and now it's the main calling card for your business"

- "Think ripples, not splashes... ripples are the powerful conversations that are generated when you share your content online"

- The bottom line is about facilitating and amplifying C2C positive communication about your brand. And if there is the occasional C2C negative communication, Joel suggests, "suck it up". Consumers will take it as a sign of your honesty

- "You can't have a strong business without a strong community" (or at least a strong community helps you have a stronger business)

- "Know Control". In a chapter filled with helpful observations, Joel demonstrates how the notion of Control has evolved in the social media universe

- "Digital Darwinism favors the community, not the creator or the enabler of the content" (this is a profound insight that is arguably the main point of Bob Garfield's book The Chaos Scenario)

- "Traffic does not equal Community"

- "Attention does not equal Trust"

- "Not all `Friends' are created equal...for your business to grow using online social networking, you are going to need a way to understand more about the individuals you are connecting to than how many connections they have"

- "Openness will make us very private... Many individuals are going to recoil in an effort to protect their privacy more and more... People are going to wake up en masse and be much more careful about what they put online and where"

Even with Joel's many helpful suggestions, of course there's no free lunch, even in "free" media, because getting social media strategy right often means a significant time commitment, and in our creative economy - or indeed in any economy - time IS money. A 2009 poll of (mostly small) businesses by Michael A. Stelzner found that 64% of are using social media for 5 or more hours each week, and marketers who have been in social media for years are devoting 20 or more hours each week.

And brands that are recognized leaders in social media like Starbucks, Dell, Nike and Amazon devote substantial financial resources to their online activities, being engaged deeply, on an ongoing basis, across numerous social media channels.

One of the main strengths of Joel's book is that ultimately it is not about the first digital screen (TV) the second digital screen (Computer), the third digital screen (Mobile device) or the fourth digital screen (In-store signage). As Rishad Tobaccowala has observed, "the media may be digital, but human beings are analog". Ultimately many of Joel's insights are not about media, but rather about human nature.

My one very minor criticism of this book is with Joel's assertion that "six degrees of separation is no longer relevant. In the digital world there are no degrees of separation between you and your customers".

In fact, everyone is NOT connected to everyone. Much as I would like to be connected to Lionel Messi, Barack Obama and José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the fact is that there ARE degrees of separation between me and them that I will likely never breach, regardless of the social media campaign I mount. With even the average consumer being bombarded by 3000 marketing messages a day, the burning question now is how do you BREAK THROUGH, especially to those you would most like to reach, and whose communications are filtered, double-filtered and triple-filtered. Barack Obama reads TEN letters from average Americans a day, out of the tens of thousands he receives daily.

Despite this minor reservation, this is an outstanding book. Unless you work for Forrester Research or for Altimeter Group, you will likely learn a lot. And even if you work for them, you can learn from the exemplary clarity of Mitch Joel's writing style: Highly recommended!

Usually for me, there is one book that I read each year that I would say to anyone "It's a must read" - for 2009 this is THE book. With some books I buy they are hard to pick up again - with Six Pixels of Separation I found it hard to put down - in face I have started to already read it again! This book will go on my list of resources that I expect every client to read and implement as part of their personal branding development.

Mitch Joel of Twist Image has written a book on the importance of online brand building and digital marketing that should appeal to every business owner and marketer, because there are tips, resources and tools that we all can use. But it goes beyond just being for the service professional or entrepreneur, much of what Mitch talks about can be easily translated to anyone looking to manage their personal brands in a digital age.

What I particularly enjoyed was Mitch's writing style and layout of the book. An ex-journalist can be as much a curse as a blessing, but Mitch has been blogging and podcasting for over 5 years. The content and value that he provides almost daily in those mediums has transferred so well in to the book and he has interspersed this with real life examples of his own learnings (he admits he has not done it all correctly) and also has many insights in to the way that others have built and developed their brands.

Bottom line is that if you are not involved in social media, web 2.0 or any other 'new form' of connecting then Mitch almost pleads that you have to be - no question, no excuses, no option. He makes strong cases for even the smallest of business to be there and benefit from their involvement, with a very heavy emphasis that it's not about marketing and advertising, but collaborating and connecting with your customer and potential customers.

Do not put this book on a 'one day I will read this' or buy it and then add to the pile by your bedside. Put all those other books, articles, magazines etc you are reading to one side and invest your time in a book that will shift your thinking, challenge your beliefs and cause you to take action not out of fear of missing out or being too late but out of excitement for the opportunity and the sheer fun of it all.

As the title says - "Everyone is Connected, Connect Your Business to Everyone"

I picked up this book to help with a work assignment on social media. What I immediately liked was the tone of realism and pragmatism. Mr. Joel is up front that success means you must understand why you want to do this, what is required, and what tools are currently available to you. All warnings aside, Mr. Joel is clear that the flattening effect of the new channels allows anyone to carve out their niche. Marketing has become personal, and each individual can build their own "personal brand".

The book is well architected. Topics progress logically from basics of the digital channel to future trends. Chapters have a summary at the end. Through out the book Mr. Joel provides lists on topics such as `building trust', `the six online tools you should be using', `the six general rules for a healthy blog', and `the four types of content'. He shares examples from his own career. Mr. Joel asks you many questions to draw you in, forcing you to reflect on his themes.

Mr. Joel lays out the evolution of marketing from a one way feed controlled by few players to open, trust-based conversations between many participants. The ecology analogy permeates the book. There are any many niches that evolve in a "Digital Darwinism". The genes for survival include credibility, responding to your community, patience, understanding your environment, and innovation.

Passion is a core theme. To achieve the required focus and commitment, you must be passionate about your topic. Passion gives you your voice; it supplies the energy to consistently contribute. Passion makes you authentic and keeps you engaged for the long haul.

Also core is the intertwining of the medium and the message. Chapter twelve, "Tribal Knowledge", explores this theme in depth. In effect, content becomes the carrier signal for the message. Content can be improved by collaboration and conversation to be a better carrier signal. A better carrier signal means the message is delivered in a more engaging manner. Engagement is two-way, making listening, responding, and being trustworthy important to success.

Mr. Joel should be proud of his work. He is optimistic and upbeat without leaving the impression that he has all the answers. This is a pragmatic introduction to the topic of social marketing. For further reading consider one or more of "World Is Flat" (T. Friedman), "Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives" (N. Christaskis and J. Fowler), "Tribes" (S. Godin) and "Blue Ocean Strategy" (W. Kim and R. Mauborgne).

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4.0 out of 5 stars Read this before engaging with your customers online!
In Six Pixels, Mitch Joel (President of Twist Image) discusses the rise of the online trust economy, a powerful force that favors the crowd over companies. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Naqaash

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Many Great Ideas From Reading This Book
I really enjoyed reading this book! Having started a new company in 2009 ([...].), this book was a timely read. Read more

Published on Jan 12 2010 by Christopher Berry

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile read.
Let's start by saying that Six Pixels of Separation is a worthwhile read. If you don't believe me, click here and check out all the terrific reviews it has gotten since it was... Read more

Published on Oct 30 2009 by Micheline Bourque

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