Tag: Principles

Gary Vaynerchuk – The Thank You Economy | Review

Title: The Thank You Economy

Author: Gary Vaynerchuk

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 258

Rating: 3*/5

 

Gary Vaynerchuk - The Thank You Economy

Gary Vaynerchuk – The Thank You Economy

 

This is another example of something that’s happened a lot of late. I was looking forward to reading it but once I actually got round to it, I was left unimpressed. The problem is that while Vaynerchuk was clearly right in what he was saying, it’s a lot less revolutionary now than it was back then.

That doesn’t mean that I’m not a fan of his, though. It just means that I think it’s one of his weaker books, and it’s also the one that hasn’t aged well. Don’t get me wrong, the basic principles of the book – which largely focuses on going out of your way to help your customers as much as possible – are still relevant, and they’ll still be relevant in the years to come. But the truth is just that many of the examples are now outdated and it just has nothing on some of Vaynerchuk’s more recent books.

That’s why I’d recommend getting started with something like Jab Jab Jab Right Hook or #AskGaryVee if you can – or better still, skip the books altogether and just watch Vaynerchuk on YouTube instead. His energy comes across more in videos than in the written word, and ultimately you’ll feel more inspired if you catch some footage than you will if you read the book. I was hoping to get some more out of it, but no worries – I can inspire myself enough.

 

Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk

 

Click here to buy The Thank You Economy.


Pedro Sostre and Jennifer LeClaire – Web Analytics for Dummies | Review

Title: Web Analytics for Dummies

Author: Pedro Sostre and Jennifer LeClaire

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 364

Rating: 6/10

 

Pedro Sostre and Jennifer LeClaire - Web Analytics for Dummies

Pedro Sostre and Jennifer LeClaire – Web Analytics for Dummies

 

Before I get properly in to the swing of things, I should start by explaining that I work in social media marketing and so I already have a pretty decent knowledge of web analytics, and I sit next to and work closely with someone who specialises in it. Then we need to consider the fact that this book was published in 2007 – almost all of the tools that it mentions are now outdated, and whilst it does cover Google Analytics in passing, the software is outdated and it’s not given nearly as much attention as it deserves.

But then, that’s to be expected when you pick up a book that’s eight years old, especially when it’s about the internet – everything moves so quickly that a book like this runs the risk of being immediately outdated as soon as it’s released, because the technology has moved on so much between the book’s creation and the proofreading, production and distribution process.

Here, the authors have done a pretty good job of trying to fight off the negative influence of time, by covering the principles and the strategies that an analyst will need to know as well as the technologies that are available to them. I’d estimate that roughly half of this book is out of date now, but that the other half still stands up well to the test of time and gives you a decent grounding in analytics that will come in useful if you work in marketing or on the web.

I still had to rate it a six out of ten though, because there were also a smattering of typos – not loads, and certainly not enough to put you off, but enough to become gradually noticeable as you turn through the pages. It’s possible that this is because of the very nature of this sort of book – you have to get it out quickly for it stay relevant, because otherwise it’ll be outdated as soon as it hits the shelves. Sometimes you have to sacrifice an quality for speed.

 

Pedro Sostre

Pedro Sostre

 

Click here to buy Web Analytics for Dummies.