Book Description
Now anyone can be an online millionaire! These days it's easier, cheaper, and safer than ever to start an Internet business using readily available technology and turnkey opportunities. In this strategy-packed guide, Scott Fox reveals the powerful but simple methods he and thousands of others have used to strike it rich on the Net. Exclusive interviews with "mom and pop" entrepreneurs prove how easy it is to get started and build a million-dollar enterprise. Readers get:
* a guide to e-business opportunities, including "instant e-businesses" that require no start-up capital * strategies for making money from home and turning hobbies into businesses * marketing and product tips * legal and financial advice * a list of recommended vendors * years of expertise and experience in one easy-to-use book
Internet Riches also features an action plan for brainstorming new business ideas, and exercises to help readers determine the best moves for their particular situations. Filled with practical pointers and inspiring interviews, it's the most powerful book ever on starting and enjoying a million-dollar online business!
Customer Reviews:
Just what I needed.......2007-09-21
Practical advises and ways to make it on the cyber commerce.
Dr. Israel King, Ph D, Author of How To Keep A Man
book millionair.......2007-09-12
brillant brillant i thought colgate was good but this author leaves a smile on my dial
The only book you need!.......2007-09-10
This book teaches that even if you are not the next Amazon, ebay, or Google, you can still make a million on the internet. You just need to find a niche that is underserved.
I purchased "Starting an Online Business for Dummies" and the reviews were mixed. In someone's reviews, they mentioned this book and said it was much better. They suggested buying this book instead of the Dummies book. I took the advice, and am glad I did!
The book is great because it helps you understand that you don't need to be a billion dollar business to start with. Even small, underserved niche markets can earn a million.
I highly recommend this book if you are considering an ebusiness. It is well worth the money. I have been talking about this book to many people who have asked to borrow the book. I keep telling them to pick up their own copy because I am still using it as a reference! It is a great book!
Good Starter.......2007-09-10
This should be the first book you pick up on your way to an internet millionairehood.
Kishore Dharmarajan
Author of EIGHTSTORM: 8-Step Brainstorming for Innovative Managers
Do no give your money to this Author.......2007-09-08
If you already know what a "blog" is and you're fully proficient in searching the internet with google or yahoo, you're probably too sophisticated for this book. Fox's target are people with very little education (He introduces us at one point to the fancy MBA word, "business plan"). Fox also uses the website he started for his wife and mother as case studies. I guess I should have known better. After all, it is called 'Internet Riches" and has a picture of some guy driving in a brand new convertible on the cover.
Product Description
eBay has changed the way products and services are purchased all over the world. Daily over 1.5 million online customers and providers log on to bid and sell virtually anything that can be bought or purchased. In 2006 eBay sellers are estimated to post $22 billion in sales. There are businesses earning $1 million a year selling products on eBay today. It is estimated that more than half a million people make full-time incomes just with their eBay business. eBay also allows you to run a business that requires no advertising costs. This expertly written new book will show you how to take advantage of this business phenomenon and arm you with the proper knowledge and insider secrets. Filled with actual examples and antidotes from real eBay entrepreneurs, this book is as engaging as it is informational. eBay is a level playing fieldit doesnt matter how old you are, what nationality or income level, whether you own a business now or not, what your background is, or where you are located. Start making money on eBay today! The book starts with a complete overview of how eBay works. Then you are guided through the whole process of creating the auction and auction strategies, photography, writing copy, text and formatting, managing auctions, shipping, collecting payments, registering, About Me page, sources for merchandise, multiple sales, programming tricks, PayPal, accounting, creating marketing, merchandising, managing e-mail lists, advertising plans, taxes and sales tax, best time to list items and for how long, sniping programs, international customers, opening a storefront, electronic commerce, buy-it now pricing, keywords, Google marketing, and eBay secrets; everything you will ever need to get started making money on eBay!
Customer Reviews:
Great for newbies and everyone.......2007-07-12
Cheryl Russell is articulate and specific in walking a person through the ropes of eBay from square one. She teaches how to do business, not just randomly sell (or try to sell) products. Her book covers details of recordkeeping and how to really grow a large, successful business. She methodically teaches the steps to success and helps the reader see the big picture of growing a business from scratch. Excellent resource!
Great referance for eBay Sellers.......2007-06-14
a Gotta Have book if you are planning on starting an eBay business in your home. also a great reference for the experienced eBayer.
Helpful for sure..........2007-05-08
...but not really anything I didn't already know, and I still consider myself to be a bit of a n00b. But the book does contain some good ideas.
If you are a complete newbie to eBay, this book could pretty much be essential.
wonderful book!!.......2007-02-22
great book! valuable resource, packed with accurate, up to date information on building a business with ebay. this is an interesting read-not at all boring. written for a newbie to ebay, but still an important tool for those with more ebay experience. worth the purchase price. this book has definitely given me important information on getting a store of my own-up and running. buy this book! shannontk
Do Yourself a Favor and Read This Book.......2007-02-09
Let me tell you why this book is important:
1. Listing fees on ebay can eat you alive if you don't pay attention.
2. Security risks are high on ebay,as its success has brought every low-life in the world into its realm.
3. If you want to make a bunch of money buying and selling goods, ebay is a place to do it.
That said, I believe this book provides as good of an overview of the ebay business as any.
You may also want to read "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill and "The 17 Principles of Creating Wealth" by Phillip Collinsworth.
Book Description
Electronic Commerce, Seventh Edition covers emerging online technologies and trends and their influence on the electronic commerce marketplace. This edition highlights important security issues, such as spam and phishing, their role in organized crime and terrorism, identity theft, and online payment fraud. The pedagogical value of this new edition is enhanced through a fresh 4-color interior, and new and updated material that balances the technological with the strategic aspects of successful e-commerce.
Customer Reviews:
The best textbook for MIS majors that I've seen.......2006-12-07
First let me disclose that I have been a programmer for years (and for some of the businesses described in the book).
In general the book is good.
Pros:
It summarizes the business end of ecommerce very well.
The book covers most of the technical aspects of ecommerce from a high level.
The book is not about abstract, useless business theory that is common in many university business courses; the book is a collection of good case studies of ecommerce.
Cons:
The book chews more than it can swallow given the pace it needs to set for a normal class. Since it needs to stay at certain length, the book doesn't always do a good job explaining the technical aspects of ecommerce with enough detail from a layman's point of view. At times it is more of a review for people already with the knowledge. So unless your technical background is strong and deep (eg you are either a programmer or systems administrator for web servers), there may be a lot of jargon in some areas that will confuse and bore you. Consequently this is probably a senior year book
(The author should take notes from the HeadFirst series of technical books.)
Alot of good information, but not what it should be.......2005-08-04
My heart goes out to Ben Matthews (below) who had this thing for a level 4700. That's nuts. I had this book for a level 222 and it was a complete joke. There's a lot of good information and stories about what makes a good e-commerce site, I'll give it that. But there's nothing in here to really give you an edge as far as this stuff goes. The entire point of this book can be summed up in this statement:
"Look at amazon, look at google and look at yahoo. Look for reasons why they're successfull and take note. Do the same practices in your online sites".
This book is an interesting read, but for a bunch of stories and business jargon it's not worth the money.
Nothing but an e-commerce glossary..........2004-02-03
This book serves as an introduction to e-commerce terms and principles. To me, it reads like a shallow glossary of a large number of e-commerce terms.
Do not get the impression that this will teach you how to carry out e-commerce. Instead, this book merely introduces you to e-commerce terminology. For that, the book serves its purposes, but for anything else, you may be better off looking elsewhere.
I thought it was very expensive considering the fact that all of the information could be found in e-commerce summaries for free on the internet.
A Good Ecommerce Textbook.......2003-04-17
I teach ecommerce at the undergraduate level. I plan to use this book as the backbone for the class. The objectives are tied to the e-Biz+ certification exam from CompTIA, which is a nice feature since CompTIA does a bang-up job on researching the skills needed for entry level employment.
I like the book mainly because it offers the primary business concepts needed by my technical students before they enter the IT job market. My students can't take a lot of business classes, but they still need to know the business side of things. This book gets them the essentials in a one semester format.
Ecommerce is rapidly changing, so it will be tough for a book to keep up. I haven't seen the web site that accompanies the book yet. Hopefully it will be a good supplement to help stay current in a rapidly changing field. The book has a lot of web sites as examples, which can be a mixed blessing since web pages change constantly.
Teachers - the book says it has the usual instructor supplements for classroom teaching as well as online teaching, but I haven't seen them yet. I am using the stuff from the 3rd edition to prepare for my summer class - you will probably need to choose wisely as you review these supplements since they are of mixed quality. I am giving the book 4 stars instead of 5 since I can't vouch for the supplemental materials at this point.
Best and Most Current Textbook Available.......2000-11-06
This is, without a doubt, the best and most current textbook on electronic commerce that is available today (and I understand these authors are planning to have a second edition of the book completed by February 2000 - which should be even MORE current).
The book offers a balanced business-technology approach to the subject of e-commerce and include a great overview of both relevant technologies and business/revenue models. The book includes important issues like legal and international concerns and even has a great little section on managing and staffing Web development projects in the last chapter.
This is the only book on e-commerce that I have seen that actually creates and uses a theory-based organizing framework (they build on Porter's work on value chains). Even though the book was clearly designed to be used in the classroom (it has problem assignments, exercises, and an extensive list of references at the end of each chapter), I think this book would be an excellent resource for a business manager that wanted to learn what all of this e-commerce stuff was all about OR for a techie that wanted to learn something about the business end of e-commerce.
The book is a very easy read and is remarkably interesting (even the chapter on security theories is pretty hard to put down... and that is some dull stuff, usually). The book includes bolded company names throughout and each of those names is included on the book's Web site as a hyperlink to the company site. This is very useful because you can see the examples that the book mentions come to life (if you can read the book while you're in front of your computer)...
I would recommend this book to any reader that wants to learn more about electronic commerce than you would find in a light overview book. This book gets into details, but in a very readable way.
Book Description
Learn from Hundreds of Top eBay Sellers
Go beyond the basics and learn the trade secrets that have propelled the savviest entrepreneurs into eBay PowerSellers--those earning $1,000 to $150,000 per month or more through eBay auctions. Sharpen your skills with this healthy blend of time-tested business principles and the advice of real PowerSellers who share with you how they have achieved success. Get valuable advice on finding little-known sources for products, advertising your wares, managing inventory, collecting payments, keeping records, shipping, running an eBay Store, and much more. Plus, learn the keys to keeping your customers so happy they’ll shop with you again and again. eBay PowerSeller Secrets: Insider Tips from eBay’s Most Successful Sellers will help you effectively run a store that never closes, sells globally, and offers virtually unlimited income potential.
- Tap the more than 100 million registered users that make eBay the leading online marketplace
- Determine what sells best on eBay and why
- Find little-known sources for products
- Learn about tools that will make your eBay business more efficient and professional
- Develop auctions that create high traffic and product demand
- Handle end-of-sale payments and protect yourself from fraud and loss
- Manage auctions, inventories, and communications effectively
- Provide superior customer service to get an edge over the competition
- Track incidentals, deductions, expenses, and other tax-related items
- Automate to ease processes such as listings, managing images, e-mail, and shipping
- Learn from hundreds of PowerSellers what it takes to succeed on eBay
Debra and Brad Schepp have written about cutting-edge technologies for more than 20 years. They are the authors of nine books, and their work has been featured in publications such as Newsweek, The Chicago Tribune, and U.S. News and World Report. They have been online since 1984, and buying and selling on eBay since 1999.
Technical Advisor Michael Kaiser is an Instructor with eBay University. An eBay seller since 1997, Michael is the bestselling co-author of The Official eBay Guide to Buying, Selling, and Collecting Just About Anything.
Customer Reviews:
Some good advice, some bad..........2007-10-23
There really is no substitute for experience, and even then there are times where experience is worthless if we haven't learned from it. Books about eBay can help to close the gap between new seller and experienced seller, but none are all encompassing. It is my belief that a great ebay seller is one that is well seasoned AND well read. Can this book augment the latter? Hmm...
I do like how the book breaks the mold of cookie cutter eBay books that simply copy and paste information from eBay's own help section. Instead, this work shares a lot of insight that one cannot readily obtain from help pages or online advocate sites. Information on tax ID numbers, third party utilities, and record keeping are not topics common in help pages or even forums, and even then the information obtained by anonymous, random individuals isn't always accurate. I salute the book for filling in the gaps here.
In other areas though, I think that some of the advice is contradictory and even poor. I don't doubt that the information contained here came from real people based on real experiences, but being a powerseller by default does not constitute knowing the best way, or even a good way to do business.
I find it appalling that the 408 page book only spends some 16 pages discussing shipping. The fine art of shipping involves dynamics that make the whole rest of eBay seem simple by comparison. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of poor experiences on eBay are attributed to poor shipping, lack of knowledge when it comes to shipping, or misconceptions about shipping obligations or practices. The book takes one of the most complicated and important facets of eBaying and shoves it into a corner as to minimize focus on the subject. The section on shipping is so small as a matter of fact, that some readers might skip over what little information is here, forced to continue loss through undercharging, refunds, and negative feedback.
International trade is also marginalized down to 2, yes two, pages. There is no possible way that the plethora of knowledge needed to effectively trade internationally can be put to two pages. This serves to provide just enough to get someone in trouble.
The book further contradicts itself by saying that you should not pad your shipping charges, only to charge at cost, but then it advocates hiding the actual charges from your customers. The book also advocates such things as getting a Paypal debit card, which means that your funds are subject to seizure and you will not be collecting a significant amount of return on your investment as you would with say, a normal savings account or a certificate of deposit. Most experienced sellers do not keep a balance in Paypal. Furthermore, the book mentions that Cashier's Checks and Money Orders are risk free. This couldn't be further from the truth. The majority of online fraud is committed with wire transfers, checks, and especially, money orders.
While I think there is plenty of good advice here, the bad advice here should be apparent to anyone that has had their fair share of eBay selling experiences. It is for reasons such as these books, that there is no substitute for experience, and until you've gotten your feet wet, you won't know which parts are right or wrong.
High hopes weren't quite fulfilled.......2007-10-06
I had high hopes for this book. Great title, but it left me feeling a little disappointed. I learnt a few things, but it didn't represent any huge breakthroughs. My favorite part was chapter 4 which reviewed the pros and cons of the various listing tools and software.
Easy and informative.......2007-09-11
If you are interested in becoming a more effective seller and a knowledgeable buyer this is a very informative book. Its simple format lends itself to quick reference or more in-depth discussions, depending on your level of inquiry. I've read a lot of ebay books and this is a great one to purchase! Check out my ebay profile at jjjs04. Good luck!
Great tips of the trade!.......2007-01-18
Way to go!
This book gave me more information that I ever could have needed for starting up an Ebay business and I will continue to use it as a reference and guide for many of the troubling questions that arise in the cyber-business world.
The authors gave you more resources than you can imagine as well as detailing the benefits of becoming an Ebay Power Seller. It's amazing how much information they crammed between the pages and how amazingly detailed and forthcoming they were with the information. I was surprised to see the multiple lists for valuable online resources, and for those of us who learn best by seeing things in action-- they even have screen-shot pictures in the book with the corresponding URLs to the areas that can give you the most information.
As stated before, this book has a permanent place on my shelf as a reference guide to Ebay and beyond. Even if you're a current seller on Ebay, looking to upgrade your status to a Power Seller, give this book a shot. It could give you the extra boost you need for driving your business toward its goals and setting you on the right paths toward them.
Excellent and recommended tool for your Ebay business!
A complete guide to profit on ebay.......2007-01-11
This book has so many cool tricks you can use on ebay, that its virtually impossible to fail and not make good money. Lerning from the many experiences of other sellers is essential for me, expecially when it comes to learn from their mistakes. Great guide.
Book Description
So you want to own your own business, be your own boss, set your own hours, and make real money. If you’re comfortable with computers and have a marketable idea, service, or product, this guide will help you become an ontrepreneur (online entrepreneur). It covers everything you need to know to set up shop in cyberspace. You’ll find out about using established storefronts as a shortcut (sort of like setting up shop in a huge, established cybermall) or building your own Web site from scratch. You’ll explore:
- Doing research, defining your niche and target market, and putting it together in a practical business plan
- Getting the hardware and software you’ll need to get going
- Creating your own Web site with good organization, useful content, and eye-catching design, including ten must-have features and info on clip art and photos
- Selecting a Web hosting service (with info on free Web site homesteading)
- Setting up for handling business online, including building in security, accepting charge cards, creating shopping carts, and more
- Managing your goods and services, including sourcing goods, handling returns, adding shipping fees, and maintaining inventory
- Taking advantage of successful online business models, including storefronts such as Amazon.com, Yahoo!, CafePress, PayPal, or Microsoft that already have all the tools and systems, plus great traffic
- Running a business on eBay
- Marketing your business and the secrets to search engine success
- Keeping good business records and staying on the right side of the law, including everything from trademarks , copyrights, and licensing to taxes, with info on accounting tools and software
Written by e-biz whiz Greg Holden, Starting an Online Business For Dummies, Fourth Edition has all kinds of case studies of successful cyber businesses, including a woman who sells her own insect repellent, a mapmaker, a housewife who sells sweetener and coffee on eBay, a sculptor and painter, and more. Packed with inspiration and information, it includes:
- Lots of Web sites that will give you good ideas
- A companion Web site that includes an online directory of Internet business resources
- A list of legal and business requirements
Get going, and build a booming business right at home. The only people you’ll have to take orders from are customers, and those are the kind of orders you’ll like!
Customer Reviews:
Buy the latest version.......2007-09-16
This book is useful when you are just starting an online business. Just make sure you buy the latest version so that some information is not outdated by the time you are ready to set up your online business.
Worth it's weight in gold if you're going online!.......2007-08-18
I just got this book last week and I'm not even done with it and have gotten so many 'nuggets' that it has more than paid for itself already! It's well written, easy to understand, organized extremely well for easy reference and full of helpful resources.
The section on 'Keeping it legal' saved me great error already (I was going to buy a domain name that could've infringed on a copyright) and I have found several free web builders online that are 10x's better than what I had been using. There's so much practical information in this book that I no longer feel guilty for buying it new.
This book is zero fluff, tons of examples and free or very reasonable resources, and lots of food for thought. The table of contents is so detailed that it makes for a quick reference (does anyone read a book like this cover to cover?) Greg Holden's writing style is personable and to the point and very easy to understand.
I truly don't understand all the reviews that say this book is no good, not sure what they have been reading, but I have no less than a dozen books of this nature, and this is one of the few that isn't 75% fluff. I'm somewhat of a website newbie, starting about a year ago trying to do my own website. It's alot harder (for me)than I originally thought and have tried no less than 6 different hosting accounts, 4 different online web builders, and 6 different web editing software trials (Expressions, dreamweaver, publisher, coffee cup, page spinner and frontpage). One of the best discoveries in this book was that Firefox offered a FREE...quality...web editor!
This is the 2007 edition, maybe people were referring to the earlier version of the same title. I have gotten way more out of this book than I thought I would. I guess I must be a true "Dummie". It's definitely worth your time checking it out if you are new to the online business world, you can always resell it on Amazon and recover your moola.
this one really is for dummies.......2007-08-05
One of the worst "For Dummies" books I've ever read. Normally, I'd rate for dummies books a 3 or 4.
Not worth it.......2007-04-19
You could do an online search and find more information than this book gives you. I did not enjoy and I returned it. It is broad and never really gives you step by step instrucions on how the webite actually works and how to create it.
very rudimentary, broad overview.......2007-04-14
People who use the internet regularly will not get much out of this book--it's no joke when it says "for dummies". Greg Holden does give a broad overview of the many aspects to starting an online business but even then the information is outdated and at some points, simply not accurate making you wonder where this guy gets his facts.
In an environment that is not only competitive but also changes rapidly it is important that you are equipped with the most up to date information. This book however, still proclaims AOL king and web sites using tables and frame "advanced". Although the book was published in 2006 (and in its 4th revision), it feels more like it belongs to the 90's.
So even if you are new to the internet and need a place to start I recommend you find yourself a different book.
Amazon.com Reviews
How would you classify a book that begins with the salutation, "People of Earth..."? While the captains of industry might dismiss it as mere science fiction, The Cluetrain Manifesto is definitely of this day and age. Aiming squarely at the solar plexus of corporate America, authors Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger show how the Internet is turning business upside down. They proclaim that, thanks to conversations taking place on Web sites and message boards, and in e-mail and chat rooms, employees and customers alike have found voices that undermine the traditional command-and-control hierarchy that organizes most corporate marketing groups. "Markets are conversations," the authors write, and those conversations are "getting smarter faster than most companies." In their view, the lowly customer service rep wields far more power and influence in today's marketplace than the well-oiled front office PR machine.
The Cluetrain Manifesto began as a Web site (www.cluetrain.com) in 1999 when the authors, who have worked variously at IBM, Sun Microsystems, the Linux Journal, and NPR, posted 95 theses that pronounced what they felt was the new reality of the networked marketplace. For example, thesis no. 2: "Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors"; thesis no. 20: "Companies need to realize their markets are often laughing. At them"; thesis no. 62: "Markets do not want to talk to flacks and hucksters. They want to participate in the conversations going on behind the corporate firewall"; thesis no. 74: "We are immune to advertising. Just forget it." The book enlarges on these themes through seven essays filled with dozens of stories and observations about how business gets done in America and how the Internet will change it all. While Cluetrain will strike many as loud and over the top, the message itself remains quite relevant and unique. This book is for anyone interested in the Internet and e-commerce, and is especially important for those businesses struggling to navigate the topography of the wired marketplace. All aboard! --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
From four of the liveliest personalities on the Web comes a provocative, outrageous, and wickedly smart account of what it will take to prosper in the fast-forward world on the wire. This nationally acclaimed best seller is a spirited, original, and wonderfully irreverent conversation that will challenge, provoke, and forever change your outlook on the digital economy. A rich tapestry of anecdotes, object lessons, parodies, insights, and predictions, The Cluetrain Manifesto illustrates how the Internet has radically reframed the seemingly immutable laws of business--and what business needs to know to weather the seismic aftershocks.
"An earnest plea for a new kind of language and new expectations for the Web.... While others work on turning the Internet into the perfect medium for reaching traditional business goals, these four Net-philes hope cyberspace will give commerce a 'human voice.'" -Harvard Business Review
"For every retail or consumer-products company wondering why its Internet marketing doesn't seem to be working, The Cluetrain Manifesto...offers fresh and sound advice, expressed in entertaining prose. Its oft-repeated premise--that markets are conversations--should be pounded into the collective brain of corporate executives." -Business Week
Customer Reviews:
A for ideas, D- for persuasion.......2007-09-27
This influential book lays out the reasons why companies need to replace corporate speak and marketing puff with online conversations. The reasons are compelling, but the way the authors make their case won't win them many converts. They go on the attack with scathing gusto, dismissing "Fort Business" as a bunch of obsolete buffoons and/or swindlers. Strangely, these buffoons and swindlers are the very people Cluetrain hopes to convert to an entirely new way of thinking.
Looking past the rhetoric, Cluetrain really does make some crucial points. Here are a few that stood out to me -
1. The control mentality of management doesn't work in a wired world where people and information are easily and instantly connected.
2. Companies pay too much attention to competitors and not enough to customers.
3. If companies did pay attention to customers, they'd discover that customers want "Authenticity, honesty, and personal voice ..." (p. 51) Companies mistakenly view customers as consumers instead of people. We don't exist to consume (hopefully).
4. "Positioning should help a company become what it is, not something it's not (no matter how cool it would be)." (p. 99)
5. You can't bluff about your company or products online. People will find you out.
6. The Web challenges formal corporate organizational structures. People can connect and collaborate with whomever they need to in order to get the job done. The Web values competence over position.
Of course, all of this was just as true before the Web. However, the Web has magnified their importance. Today, the penalties for ignoring the Cluetrain principles are stiff, and the rewards are huge, and in the years ahead - even more so.
For a gentler and more balanced assessment of conversations in business and the new marketing rules, try Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers and The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly.
A little dated now, but still right on.......2007-09-07
Cluetrain is an odd and irreverent book. The tone of the time was probably a shock to most readers back when originally published in 2001, and even still it upholds some wry quirkiness the authors were going for as they wrote about the future of the Web. Much has changed in the world of Web since the manifesto was released, and I'm certain, not all of it to the authors liking. The web has become much more corporatized, ecommerce much more like traditional commerce and online marketing shows some vast similarities to off-line marketing. The current web isn't quite what the authors anticipated!
But much of what the authors preach about the web being a conversation is still so very true. And amazingly, many businesses still have not figured that out. While business on the web may bear some resemblance to the off-line world, it's still a very different place. That's what Cluetrain is all about.
Cluetrain will help you understand that the same old processes and strategies that worked off-line for some many years, need not apply here. While there are many similarities, online and offline marketing operate very differently. The book will put you in the mindset to realize that marketing on the web can be done with new ideas, fresh strategies, and most importantly, on a person-to-person level. Throw the corporate play book away. It's time to build a new playbook entirely.
Markets are conversations.......2007-04-27
Having grown up with high-speed internet as an expected must have, this book serves as an interesting reminder of the days I have missed. Multiplayer games, cross-referencing product review on web forums, asking other internet users for advice on products, all the things that seem natural today are in many ways changing the rules of the marketing game, and Cluetrain is all about this dynamic: markets are conversations. Broadcast media is once again being replaced by an older strategy of person-to-person contact, instead of a one way marketing stream.
Some of the information is slightly outdated, some of the sections are plain wacky, but it's an interesting work nonetheless, especially if you're into marketing.
A manifesto for corporate communication in the Internet age.......2007-02-25
Reading the "Cluetrain Manifesto" today is like reading an historic document. The book fuses the countercultural ethos of the 1960s with the go-go business dynamics of the 1990s. Written during the height of the Internet boom, the authors forecast the end not only of corporate marketing, but of traditional corporations altogether. They predicted a transition to an Internet-enabled marketplace of bartering and bantering individuals. The book's pages contain a wealth of overstatement, hyperbole, and provocation (as many have already noted). The flurry of lawsuits based on offhand email (`evidence mail') which emerged after the Internet crash have reemphasized the need for the caution and disclaimers to which the authors so passionately objected.
The basic message of the book remains fresh and contemporary, however. "Markets are conversations." Corporations should encourage those conversations, not inhibit them. It's clear that many corporations still haven't gotten the point. Some companies still require that customers sign pointless non-disclosure agreements to talk with their representatives and other customers about their products. Other companies treat their websites like big, glossy advertising brochures instead of centers of community. Still others issue the bland and senseless press releases derided by the Cluetrain Manifesto to their customers, leaving bloggers to read between the lines and to speculate about what's really going on inside the company.
But some of the largest corporations have clearly gotten the message--or at least a tempered form of it. The best way to cultivate loyalty and confidence among consumers is to become more transparent by allowing conversations to take place not simply between consumers and public relations representatives, but between people working with products and people designing those products. Microsoft's Channel 9 is a good example of a corporation sponsoring an online community that connects individuals to individuals. While this kind of marketing will doubtlessly always be somewhat messy and make some P.R. folk uneasy, it's far more effective than the business-as-usual approach of issuing sanitized press releases to an anonymous group of `consumers.' For the wakeup call that communications between human beings should take place in human voices we are still in these authors' debt.
outdated .......2007-01-03
Good Overview of where things are coming from and a good couple insights. Concepts are not outdated but some of the information is.
Book Description
How to write and publish your own OUTRAGEOUSLY Profitable eBook in as little as 7 days even if you can't write, can't type and failed high school English class! Discover the secrets to having your own, outrageously profitable ebook written and published as quickly as ... only 7 days from today!
Customer Reviews:
a waste of time and money.......2007-10-18
Here is a bunch of sales pitchs for Joe Vitale books and stuff, and no real value when it comes to publishing your own book. You will learn more from the instructions for the software you use to write documents than you can learn from this book. This book is a total waste of time and money.
should be called "Create eTrash in 7 days".......2007-10-14
Creating eTrash is not something we should be encouraging. As far as creating books with word-processors like Adobe or Word, this book is a waste of time and money.
publish your own ebook in one hour!.......2007-10-12
Here is the secret of "How to Write and Publish Your Own eBook in as Little as 7 Days" in one sentence: Slop SPAM togeather as a PDF and upload it to a web page!
Why does Joe Vitale say it takes soo long? Does he type with one finger? If he does - I'm Twice as good a writer!
Easy To Read How To Become An Author Book.......2007-08-25
I had the first 40 pages down and already had the first 3 chapters of my new e-book.
Easy enough read, inspiringly simple steps.
Used Car Salesmanship (part 2).......2007-08-16
I purchased this book in April of 2007, right off the printing press. I must say that I am almost complete with my own ebook for sale, but this book by these two authors deserves no credit.
This is a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, and most of the book is advertising for people that have already created other ebooks and want to sell theirs via this book.
One thing disturbing is the fact that the book spends almost no time preparing the would-be ebook author on how to use Adobe Acrobat Professional for creating the ebook. Almost nothing!!!! That was one of my biggest fears. I solved that by buying the Professional Acrobat program and purchasing a video tutorial with it.
When I am done with my book, I'll be sure to write my own "how to make money selling your own ebook" one day. And when I do, it will put this piece of junk to shame. Sorry to be so negative, but save your money.
Oh, by the way, Mr. Joe "fire" Vitale is one of those new-age gurus featured on "The Secret" movie that gives us psuedo-advice on the Laws of Attraction. Now I know why this book is what it is.
Average customer rating:
- Came in well
- Describes more than Explains
- Advances the field of game design knowledge
- Review: Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams On Game Design
- Essential reading for anyone interested in game design
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Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design
Andrew Rollings , and
Ernest Adams
Manufacturer: New Riders Games
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ASIN: 1592730019 |
Book Description
How often have you heard "anyone can design a game?" While it seems likean easy job, game ideas are cheap and plentiful. Advancing those ideasinto games that people want to play is one of the hardest, and mostunder-appreciated, tasks in the game development cycle. Andrew Rollingsand Ernest Adams on Game Design introduces both students and experienced developers to the craft of designing computer and video games for the retail market. The first half of the book is a detailed analysis of thekey game design elements: examining game concepts and worlds,storytelling, character and user interface design, core mechanics andbalance. The second half discusses each of the major game genres(action, adventure, role-playing, strategy, puzzle, and so on) andidentifies the design patterns and unique creative challenges thatcharacterize them. Filled with examples and worksheets, this book takesan accessible, practical approach to creating fun, innovative, andhighly playable games.
Customer Reviews:
Came in well.......2005-09-22
The book was great in condition and looked new and it came in fast like promissed.
Describes more than Explains.......2004-01-21
This book is enjoyable for anyone interested in computer game design. However, enjoyable and illuminating are two different things. Beginning with the obviously misguided analysis that computer games are not an art form because the process of designing them is not all a matter of creativity, but that of skill and calculation as well (which is the way it is for any art form), the authors begin a journey of, well, describing what computer games are like.
Overall, the book seems more to describe than explain, more to report than interpret. There arises no general, well defined thesis from its 500+ page volume. At best, this book can be said to raise a lot of issues which a designer ought to have in mind when designing a game.
However, the vast majority of the issues raised are either of secondary importance or generally irrelevant. It breaks down the process of game design into topics in a way which is neither natural nor logical, and proceeds to pursue a rather sizyphusian discussion of each of these topics in turn. These are: What is Game Design?, Game Concepts, Game Settings and Worlds, Storytelling and Narrative, Character Development, Creating the User Experience, Gameplay, and The Internal Economy of games and Game Balancing.
This division makes very little sense. These topics are all so closely related, some to the point of overlapping, that attempting to develop a theorem which deals with each of them separately would result in exactly the kind of negligible book we have before us.
Actually, it would be impossible for the authors to develop any meaningful discussion of their subject, because they fail to define a) what we are trying to create and b) how do we measure our success. Nor can such a definition be induced from this overflous and superficial book. Without this definition, there is nothing that binds the book's pieces together (and, actually, had the authors bothered to provide a rigorous definition, they would have realized that no reasonable definition could be found for the garbled mess they've created), and it remains a pile of expressions in the spirit of "some people did this in some games, and some people did that in some other games". In short, the book does an admirable job in showing how NOT to perform a critical analysis of a subject, not to mention attempt to construct a wholesome theory.
While the book can be interesting at times, mainly because it makes one think on how such a book SHOULD be written, it is chuck full of assertions obviously made on the basis of misunderstandings, like the authors' curious misuse of the term Suspension of Disbelief, or their suggestion of the Hero's Journey narrative template as an object of imitation rather than a tool for analysis.
The authors' goal with this book also seems questionable. At one point, they assert that, even were it possible, we wouldn't like our player to be tormented by remorse after taking an immoral action in the game. Why? isn't moral education one of the most important and unique roles of art? If it were indeed possible, and I'm sure it is, it would've been a glorious achievement for this medium, one which would put all its previous achievements far behind.
Or are the authors only interested in computer games as a source of pure fun? If so, I suggest they invest their impressive talent and enthusiasm in cooking or adult toy design - a medium's greatness lies not in the fun it offers, and these repeatable fields are all about fun.
An interesting book for raising a large scale discussion, but one which falls short of grasping the deeper principles of its subject, and is, therefore, unimportant.
Advances the field of game design knowledge.......2003-07-13
The first half of this book is great, and the chapter on *What Gameplay Is* alone makes this book more than worth it. Rollings and Adams propose a new definition of game - to replace Sid Meier's off-the-cuff definition "A series of meaningful choices" - that is more general, more liberating, and more true. So anyone who is annoyed by the fact that their favorite linear platformer supposedly isn't a game by the Meier definition can turn to this. It sounds like a small thing, but so many designers quote the Meier definition so often I expect that this small pebble will create ripples that will effect the kinds of games we see in the future. By focusing on challenges rather than choices, Rollings and Adams have changed the way I think about game design.
Also, while Rollings' other book is most suited for people making strategy games, this book really is general enough to be a worthy read for anybody working on any kind of game.
I only gave it four stars because, for me, the last half of the book--summary chapters of different game genres--was mostly throwaway, rarely going into very much depth or telling me information I didn't know already.
Review: Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams On Game Design.......2003-06-29
In writing a book review, it's important to realize the importance of "cover previews." In essance, the cover previews provide a contract for either what a book is about or what information the book will provide.
For instance, the back cover of the book On Game Design posits: "How do you turn a great idea into a game design? What makes one design better than another? Why does a good design document matter, and how do you write one? This book answers these questions and stimulates your creativity?"
It is important to note that the book does not limit itself to console video games or computer games. The essence of the rules discussed in this book are those of creating any type of game. Right away that should tell you whether or not you're going to find the book useful. Are you looking for a book that tells you, in general and abstract terms, what concepts are involved with creating a game, or are you looking for a book that actually works examples of concepts?
While this book does a good job of providing many checklists for consideration, advice for certain conditions, and a dictionary of possible ways to view game design, the writers do not follow through. There are few solid examples of checklist scenarios or of worked-through versions of a game scenario which a game designer would find helpful. Without a practical means to an end, there is little purpose in reading these examples except for reassurance that you're facing the same problem that other people have faced. There are many psychology texts available for that situation already.
If you're used to reading programming books, like I am, you're probably aware that they follow a standard format: Propose a problem, choose a method of solution, work through several to many versions of the solution, solve the problem. With only a proposal, it is rather unhelpful to not see why one solution is better than another when it comes to game design. For that matter, as you might have guessed, the level of abstraction to design presented in this book leaves no space for any code examples.
While the advice given in certain situations might be helpful to someone who knows nothing about game design, it is highly likely that whoever reads this book will have little need of it since the advice is so much common sense that a gamer of several years would already be aware of much of this. It's like a senior in college having to take freshman seminar.
But, aside from this little discussion of fault, there is much to be savored in this book. Don't let this review scare you off! Get a copy of the book. Read it. Keep it as a reference for when you might need a more formalized way of presenting a problem you face in game design.
And as I'm sure you know, once you've found a way to state a problem, you're almost ready to find a way to solve it.
Essential reading for anyone interested in game design.......2003-06-17
As the global computer games industry becomes bigger business, and games are increasingly recognised as an art form, it seems surprising that the process of game design is so misunderstood. Books like Rollings and Adams on Game Design help clarify the process of game design, and as such are a vital step in clarifying game design, and providing guidance as to what that process entails.
Rollings and Adams on Game Design (hereafter, `the book') covers in broad strokes the elements of game design, both in general terms, and in connection with specific genres. The book begins by identifying the common elements of games of all kinds, and then moves on to discussing the many different classes of game, and what they have in common.
The first section, The Elements of Game Design, is an excellent treatment of the broad-strokes components of game design - a novice designer will find much to educate in this section, and even an experienced pro will find wisdom and opinion well worth the time and money. Topics such as narrative design and game balancing - often ignored - are dealt with in a generalised but comprehensive fashion, and as such this section also serves as an excellent introduction to the role of a game designer.
The main body of the book is in the second section, which consists of individual chapters covering various game genres. Because no single standard for game genre exists, the choice of genres may raise some eyebrows with some people, but within the context of the book the genre choices are very sensible and provide a good framework.
The quality of the genre chapters is variable, but generally of an excellent standard. Some are truly exceptional however, in particular that on Sports Games and the sub-section on Games for Girls contain information very hard to gain from another source. Chapters on Action, Strategy, Vehicle simulations and Construction/Management sims provide a solid discussion of the key features of these genres, although Action has been defined in such a way as to seem biased towards shooters and against platform games. It may have been worth considering these two largely divergent genres as separate forms - but to do so would have been to risk fragmenting the focused nature of the material.
Chapters on Adventure Games, A-life and other minority pursuits are quite possibly the best summary of the forms available anywhere, and the chapter on online games (written with the assistance of Raph Koster) is a superb précis of a notoriously difficult to summarise area.
There are some drawbacks, but mostly due to the generalised nature of the work. Because the book must cover everything, it necessarily covers everything briefly. Many of the chapters end when you are just beginning to get a taste for the details. As the authors note, an attempt to cover everything in detail would be the work of several volumes.
Similarly, although much is said of the process of game mechanic design and game world abstraction, little is said of the process of design where it relates to the involvement of the team as a whole. Game design is often a process of `game design co-ordination' - managing the design of the game through the changing world of the development cycle. The book provides no help for this challenging task - which again would need a book of its own to cover thoroughly.
That aside, this book is an essential reference for any game designer with less than ten years of experience, and especially for anyone new to the practice of game design. People with an interest in games will learn a tremendous amount about the underlying mechanisms of game design, and need not worry about complex mathematics or other technical detail, as most of the book is written in very easy-to-follow prose.
For anyone who has started on the path of a game designer, or who is interested in game design, Rollings and Adams on Game Design offers a superb breadth of information and should be considered an essential purchase.
Book Description
It's payday on eBay®!
You may have been making some money on the side with eBay®, but if you've done much business at all, you know that it's not always as easy as it seems. Whether you want to be a full- time seller or make money on the side, this book will guide you step-by-step through creating the eBay® business you've dreamed of. It covers the basics of an eBay® business including record keeping, taxes, legal issues, sourcing, promotion, fraud protection, fulfillment, and other details entrepreneurs need to know. It also helps you determine what to sell, how to price it, and the details of working with services like PayPal.
Customer Reviews:
Very satisfied with book and the seller.......2005-10-03
I am pretty satisfied with the book. It was in very good condition and a great buy. The seller was prompt, efficient and did a great job.
Covers all the basics of starting an online ebay business.......2005-05-10
Covers all the basics of starting an online ebay business, from insurance coverage and handling sales tax quirks between states to advertising, promotion, accepting and pursuing payments and more. Those who recall the old ebay auction-only model will find much changed: you can now set up a shop with fixed prices on ebay and Starting An eBay Business covers both stores and auction formats.
Book Description
Praise for the first edition of Multiple Streams of Internet Income
"If ever the world needed some help to succeed on the Internet, this is the moment. Robert Allen's new book is just in time to save the day."
—Jack Trout, President, Trout & Partners, Ltd.author of Differentiate or Die
"Earning money . . . serious money, is no different than piloting a jet aircraft or baking an apple pie. You have to learn how and you must understand what you're doing. Robert Allen is a master flight instructor if you want your income to soar. He knows what ninety-eight percent of our population have proven they don't know. Read this book and follow his advice. In a relatively short period of time, you will become wealthy and be amazed at how much free time you have when you never have to worry about money."
—Bob Proctor, author of the bestseller You Were Born Rich
"The only thing better than the promise in the title of Robert Allen's wonderful Multiple Streams of Internet Income is the enlightening information in the book itself. And the only thing better than the book is the life a reader can lead after reading the book and taking the actions that are suggested. Of all the books I've read about earning money online, this one tops the list for a multiple stream of reasons."
—Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerrilla Marketing series
"Robert Allen has done it again! Multiple Streams of Internet Income is an exciting look into the many creative things you can do with your money in today's new economy. I can't wait to use its wisdom!"
—Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and Big Bucks!
"Information is less expensive to manufacture, promote, and ship than hard products such as running shoes and CDs. Robert Allen shares how you can apply Internet technology to selling information: books, reports, articles, seminars, speeches, and consulting. There are a lot of fluff books on e-commerce. This one is detailed, accurate, and readable. Multiple Streams of Internet Income is not just a book, it's a complete and hands-on course in advanced commerce. Congratulations."
—Dan Poynter, author of The Self-Publishing Manual
Customer Reviews:
ehh...not that great.......2007-09-29
The internet marketing world is so overcrowded that it may be impossible to make consistant returns. This book does have decent info for beginers but i doubt anyone will get rich quick on the techniques described in this book. save your money and invest.
Inspiring.......2007-09-11
Over the years I have enjoyed reading everything Allen writes. In this book he builds on his idea of making money from multiple sources, and focuses of course on Internet business ideas.
Allen spends too much time, in my opinion, discussing the creation of an email list, which you then use to send ads to. This is fine for a long term approach to Internet marketing, but won't help you make money this week.
You may also like a report published by Ron Taylor, Make Money Online: My Formula For Online Marketing Success.
Can You Make Multiple Streams Of Income Online? "http://www.the-secret-is-out.com.......2007-05-23
I first learned of the term Multiple Stream Of Income from Robert Allen the No Money Down guy. He pretty much coined the phrase all the way to the bank. I read his book a few years ago, it was the number one best seller on The New York Times Best Seller's list. I was so thrilled to get my hands on it I just knew that this was the long awaited manuscript that we marketers wanted to give it a test drive.
It was a good read, however it had too many twist and turns and it cost a bit much at the time to implement his methods from just one website, and it was not the results I was looking for. I knew there had to be a better way for us new marketers to reach that illusive extra income stream.
This Book Inspired Me For Many Years To Seach For A MSI Website:
I begin to wonder, can you actually make multiple streams of income online? I continued my search for the missing pieces of the MSI puzzle that would put it altogether; With the many product offers that promises you the world if you would try this program, and use it with this technique, and you'll surely be on your way to riches.
After several years of online seeking, I can now say I've been to the mountain top of internet marketing offers, and what I have come down with is this; there are many claims being made about multiple streams of income online that you can use right now in your marketing campaign to a steady flow of extra income. I found this unique website with multiple streams of income you can get from Google, Ebay, Clickbank, CJ; etc. All from one cool little website. I have studied the likes of Tim Knoxs, Brad Callen, Mike Falsaime; etc, and a host of other top online experts in this field of multiple streams of income and their proven systems, and what I have found will surprise you.
Don believes that less than 5% of the marketers are making it online, and 95% of the programs online are a waste of money. There are no more secrets, just the facts. If you are focus you'll learn one of many proven marketing tools [...]
Not a good starter.......2007-03-15
Save your money if you are a novice with PC's / cyber space.
how to mass spam and talk about yourself!.......2007-02-23
Reading this was an ENORMOUS waste of my time. Half way through the book, I realized that I didn't know anymore about making money online than I had before. All Allen does throughout this book is talk about how great he is and how he did this, that and the other thing. He talks about all these so called wonderful marketing strategies, when really all he's doing is promoting spam. I'm not even ON his mailing list and I'm getting [...] from him in my inbox. It's disgraceful. I do not recommend you waste your money on this book.
Books:
- Internet Riches: The Simple Money-making Secrets of Online Millionaires
- Introduction to e-Commerce (Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin Series in Marketing)
- Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology (4th Edition)
- Investing in Duplexes, Triplexes, and Quads: The Fastest and Safest Way to Real Estate Wealth
- Just a Geek
- Key Account Management, Second Edition: The Definitive Guide
- Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror
- Making Meaning: How Successful Businesses Deliver Meaningful Customer Experiences (VOICES)
- Making Your Small Farm Profitable: Apply 25 Guiding Principles/Develop New Crops & New Markets/Maximize Net Profits Per Acre
- Management of a Sales Force
Books Index
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How to Use the Internet to Advertise, Promote and Market Your Business or Website with Little or No Money
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Multiple Streams of Internet Income: How Ordinary People Make Extraordinary Money Online, 2nd Edition
