Finally finished reading Naked Conversations!

I have just finally finished reading Robert Scoble and Shel Israel's book called Naked Conversations: How blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers.



I enjoyed reading this book especially the case studies of the businesses and people that are using blogs and how blogs have changed their company and have improved their productivity and communications. I think it is these success stories that show that blogs do indeed work, and help the small guys play with the big boys. This book shows that if you have something to say and make yourself heard, blog! And don't be afraid to make mistakes or that you will offend someone. In fact, this shows that you are human, and you will be respected for doing that. Otherwise, if you never make mistakes, then how else will you learn? You can't please everyone and it is not desirable to do so. Criticism on blogs actually can be a good thing, it can help your business improve, just like Microsoft is doing with their products and from the Channel 9 blog.

In the end, Israel and Scoble conclude that blogging is making a revolution in the conversation space and how businesses deal with their customers, rather than an evolution. In my opinion, the revolution has to deal with how blogging disseminates information that is faster than any other communication media that we have seen before. It is like the spreading of a virus, it has an entire viral effect not witnessed by any other communication means before. And because of blogging's hypertext structure, and links to other blogs, blogging social networks and communities are created (which I'm studying and researching). In fact, I have a conference paper titled "A Social Hypertext Model for Finding Community in Blogs" at the Hypertext 2006 conference.

Another thing that I liked about the book, is the footnotes of the web sites and blogs used in the book from which while I've been reading, I go to the web site to find more information about the topic in the chapter that Israel and Scoble say. I must admit that at the beginning, I thought how could anyone write a book on blogging, it seems something simple and it makes sense. But then I realize, there are many facets to blogging, it's good to see that even though Scoble and Israel are huge fans and evangelists for blogging, they also mention its downsides. And that keeps the book in perspective for the reader.

I can't wait to get my hands on Israel's new book that has to deal with blogs and social media which I wrote on my post here yesterday.