This week we’re in Ohio at the 2012 Basics Conference. Speakers at this year’s conference are Alistair Begg, Mark Dever, and Voddie Baucham. We’re here on assignment from our friends at Christian Focus Publications and are enjoying speaking with many of the conference attendees as they visit the conference bookstore. Here’s an action shot of my assistant waiting to answer questions. 
If you’re at all aware of what’s going on in the Christian Publishing space, you’ve no doubt heard of Michael Hyatt. He is one of the few leaders in the space who showed a lot of enthusiasm and ownership in social media. Over the past few years, he has built up a solid following on his blog, facebook, twitter, and elsewhere. I’ve been hoping for some time that Michael would package the many things he has learned into some sort of a book or course. Well that day has finally arrived! Michael’s new book is called Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. For an idea of what to expect in the book, check out the youtube videos that follow below:
Hopefully you’ve already worked with your social media manager or web developer to get your Facebook pages ready for the automatic conversion to the timeline view that will take place on March 30th. We’ve been all about the new Facebook timeline view this week at Cross Focused Media. Visit our social media portfolio to see the changes we made for our clients.
Since my business is about living and breathing social media, I’m always interested to see what the movers and shakers of the social media world have to say on the subject. I just started reading The Thank You Economy (Harper Business, 2011) by Gary Vaynerchuk. I am only a few pages in, but I’m already thinking to myself that I will get as much or even more out of this book as I did out of Gary’s first book, Crush It!: Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion (Harper Studio, 2009).
Below is a short video of Chris Brogan (author, social media entrepreneur) sharing some of the things you can expect to find in the book.
**Gary has numerous talks and keynotes available on YouTube and elsewhere. I just wanted to make my readers aware that some of Gary’s talks do contain cursing / explicit language, so you can avoid an awkward moment with your children or coworkers.
About the Author:
Gary Vaynerchuk is a serial entrepreneur who has revolutionized the way people look at interacting with their communities. While building his family’s local liquor store into a national industry leader, he observed the extraordinary potential of what he has dubbed the Thank You Economy. As a consultant, he introduced those same principles into the business world at large, with successful applications in sports, consumer packaged goods, and retail. Askmen.com named Gary to its list of the Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2009, and he was included in BusinessWeek’s list of the Top 20 People Every Entrepreneur Should Follow.
Where to Buy:
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Bill Foster, author of Meet the Skeptic: A Field Guide to Faith Conversations (Master Books, 2012). One of my favorite questions to ask published authors is what their advice is for new and aspiring authors. Here is what Bill had to say:
Q: Let me close with a final question I ask of all published authors. What advice would you give to first time / aspiring authors?
A: Be honest with yourself about your passion and your aptitude. Just because you have a passion for something doesn’t mean you should write about it.
Before New Leaf Publishing called, I self-published Meet the Skeptic the first time because I was equipped to do that. I have a passion for apologetics, a degree in English, and am professionally trained in designing and producing media. But if you can’t produce a book in a professional manner on your own, don’t self-publish it. Assess the uniqueness of your subject, craft your writing, and pray for direction pursuing publishing opportunities.
Lastly, there will be times when you will get sick of writing your book and think that nobody will read it. I definitely did, and I think this is normal. Take a break. Then if God is still fanning the flames, keep going.
You can read my interview with Bill in its entirety at Bible Geek Gone Wild. Those interested in learning more about Bill can find him on the web at MeetTheSkeptic.com.
The original Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Hyder Kabani was a foundational book in the social media category when it appeared back in 2010. It’s one of those books I would always recommend to folks who are just getting started with social media. The 2012 edition of the book released earlier this week. This updated edition includes the latest Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn updates, along with new information on Google+, social media advertising, and more.
I enjoyed this video presentation from Chris Brogan on Google+ for business. It’s a bit long at nearly 60 minutes, but there’s a lot of great information to be found.
Books by Chris Brogan:
In this brief video I answer the question, “What is Twitter?” and let you know why it should be a key part of your social media strategy.
One of the frustrations I’ve run into recently is that it can be time consuming to connect with new friends and acquaintances on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. I happened to come across a brief video today from Amber Mac detailing the usefulness of Rapportive for quickly understanding the social networks of your e-mail contacts and the ease of which it allows you to connect with them. Learn more about this useful little app at rapportive.com. I’ve included Amber’s video below:
HT: Amber Mac
Here’s a piece of collateral we put together for our client, Christian Focus Publications for the Desiring God 2012 Conference for Pastors.
