Comments on: One good idea deserves another: Book Giveaway

By: Heather White Laird

Heather White Laird — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:51:51 +0000

Hi Simon. Pondering this today, I guess I was thinking more of a virtual literary salon…a la Gertrude Stein. Maybe invite only, but it would be global and very diverse. Not too large. However, the Twitter model could work as well. Simply a question of depth vs. breadth as Clay Shirky puts it. Just depends on the flavor of it. I have multiple Wave invites, and am sure I could get more. It’s really quite simple, but it’s like any tool, you need to use it for it to become meaningful. Feel free to email me at heather.white-laird@icrossing.com. Might make it easier to follow this thread. Just reading a review of Linchpin now; sounds fascinating.

By: Simon Mainwaring

Simon Mainwaring — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:28:38 +0000

Sounds great. the only thing is the limited number of people with Wave and understanding how to use it. A suggestion – maybe we create hashtags on twitter around a book and have a stream of discussion that way. I keep running into people who find wave difficult or don't have it. Just a thought. I'm up for anything. Maybe there is a twitter apps that would work well for a book group. Let's both look. Thanks, Simon

By: Heather White-Laird

Heather White-Laird — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 11:50:20 +0000

well I'm exploring google wave at the office and just starting to scratch the surface of its potential. we can share a wave, and invite anyone that wants to join. there are polls so people can vote on what books thye like (and more apps are being built all the time), and it's possible to collaborate remotely with many people in real time. There's something brilliant about reading a book with others, and then discussing those themes …we can combine offline and online. Might be an interesting experiment. Maybe start with local people. I'm game if you are.

By: Simon Mainwaring

Simon Mainwaring — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 05:31:38 +0000

Thanks, Heather. I would be more than happy to start an online book club. Let me know how we do it and I'm in. I haven't read Change by Design yet but want to. I'm currently reading Seth Godin's Linchpin. So , yes, let's start sharing what we like and learn from and we'll share it with others. Thanks, Heather.

By: Heather White-Laird

Heather White-Laird — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:05:14 +0000

This is a great idea. I'm so glad we haven't lost touch with the art of reading books, despite how much content we consume online. I just finished reading a fascinating book..you might have already read it The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Affects Our Lives (http://tinyurl.com/ycalv8b), and it has actually changed how I think and work. Now that's the power of a great book! My current book is Tim Brown's Change by Design (http://tinyurl.com/mz6p22)– I'm sure you're familiar with it. Maybe we should start an online book club. I created a list for the Creative Council to read and I can add these to it.

By: Simon Mainwaring

Simon Mainwaring — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:29:12 +0000

Totally agree. That's funny. Maybe they could if the idea is suggested to them. Great promotion to find new customers. Thanks, Charles.

By: charlessipe

charlessipe — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:44:39 +0000

I wish I could do that with the e-books I accidentally buy on my iPod from the Kindle store. They put the buy and preview buttons so close together!

By: Simon Mainwaring

Simon Mainwaring — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:39:42 +0000

I know. It's so funny. I've even bought three copies of some books. My wife can't believe it. I just get so busy I forget what I've ordered and Amazon doesn't make it clear. It was meant to be though! Time to give them away! Best, Simon

By: Nazima Ali

Nazima Ali — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:22:04 +0000

I double buy books and end up giving them to friends. Love this idea.

By: Simon Mainwaring

Simon Mainwaring — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:16:32 +0000

Thanks. I'll stay absent-minded. Promise!