Tracking Tech: Books on Technology & Social Media

A few I’m adding to my list:

Stealing MySpace: The Battle to Control the Most Popular Website in America by Julia Angwin
(I saw her discussing the book over the weekend on BookTV and it sounds really interesting)

Julia Angwin on Stealing MySpace

Porn. Hacking. Spyware. Spam. Spy cameras you can hide in your shoe.
Prior to launching MySpace, the founders dabbled in all of the above. Relentless marketers and knockoff artists, their story also included a boardroom coup, broken friendships, betrayals, litigation and a pair of feuding media moguls–Sumner Redstone and Rupert Murdoch.

When I stumbled on the history of MySpace, I quickly realized it was not your typical Silicon Valley saga. There were no computer geniuses dropping out of prestigious universities, no fancy algorithms, no computers in garages. In short: The MySpace tale was manna from journalistic heaven–I had to write it.

It was also a serious lesson about the evolution of the Internet. The success of these ragtag marketers from Los Angeles demonstrated an important change in our culture: Technology had finally become relatively easy to use. Innovation was no longer confined to the digital elites. MySpace’s success was largely due to the fact that it put its customers first, and technology second.

Still, as it grew, MySpace’s lack of tech savvy has been its Achilles Heel. Today, MySpace is being forced to play technological catch-up to rival social networking site, Facebook, and it’s not clear if it will succeed.

The final chapter of the MySpace story has not yet been written. But the unlikely tale of how MySpace was born is one that begged to be told. –Julia Angwin

Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It’s Becoming, and Why It Matters by Scott Rosenberg

(Who was the first blogger? People want to know)

“Blogging gives everyone a printing press, unleashing a social force comparable to the printing press. Say Everything tells the story of the people, culture, and technology that made that happen and gives us an idea of where it’s going, from a guy who saw it happen around him.” —Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist

Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

A book by (two really cool dudes) social media gurus on how “people use online social tools to build networks of influence and how you can use those networks to positively impact your business. Because trust is key to building online reputations,, those who traffic in it are “trust agents,” the key people your business needs on its side.”

Visit www.trustagent.com

Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone. by Mitch Joel

This is a book about social media and marketing aimed at everyone, not just business owners or marketing experts. If you want to grow your brand or site or company, this book will show you how to utilize relationships and social media in a way that is fruitful and constructive. The author, Mitch Joel was named Canada’s Most Influential Male in Social Media in 2008, one of the top 100 online marketers in the world, and was awarded the highly-prestigious Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.

Visit www.twistimage.com/blog

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