Though conventional wisdom would dictate print books about new media are out of date the moment they hit the shelves, there are some that have stood the test of time remarkably well. These are worth having a read in order to better understand just what the heck is going on around us. They might not all work for you, but you will remember the one that does.
Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
By Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
A surprisingly readable overview of how social media work — or should work — across a number of industries. You can get through it on a flight from Vancouver to Toronto, with time for a short nap.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference
By Malcolm Gladwell
Without descending into techno-geekery, this book captures the essence of how social media works. If you want to understand how audiences can become evangelists, start here.
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Also by Malcolm Gladwell
Half psychological analysis, half marketing treatise and half pop-culture survey, this book provides some unusual insights into short decision making processes… something rather useful when it comes to understanding a medium where your competitors are a click away.
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The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance between Business Strategy and Design
By Marty Neumeier
This one skews a bit heavy on the marketing jargon, but is actually quite useful when you consider how your property might translate from the silver screen to the TV screen to the laptop to the iPhone.
Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything
By Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams
Crowdsourcing, user-generated content, collaborative filtering… reading this book (which can be a bit of a slog) will go a long way to making jargon relevant and tractable.
Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives
By John Palfrey and Urs Gasser
This one reads a little academic, but has no shortage of useful insights into a generation that has never known a non-digital world. There are some interesting sections on user privacy for those interested in leveraging data mining.
For those who prefer to save trees, there are also more than a few online writers that you should be following — they write early, often and tend to be very readable. Be sure to check out:
Chris Anderson
www.wired.com
As the editor of Wired magazine, Chris has made something of name for himself in terms of decoding how social media impacts the future of content.
Jason Calacanis
www.calacanis.com
One of the original digital pioneers, Jason’s work is always worth watching and his ideas worth following. Be warned that his blog occasionally overdoes it on the bulldog front.
Seth Godin
www.sethgodin.typepad.com
Seth is a truly gifted thinker who can write readable theories and apply them. There is a wealth of good material on his site and even more in his books.
Henry Jenkins
www.henryjenkins.org
A longstanding MIT media theorist, Jenkins’ work straddles all aspects of digital media. Sometimes a little egg-headed, but always worth a click.
Steven Johnson
www.stevenberlinjohnson.com
Ok, this one can be even more egg-headed. But for those that enjoy Johnson’s prose and formidable intellect, there is a lot that could be learned. Small doses if you’re busy.
Clay Shirky
www.shirky.com
Clay’s head is actually egg-shaped… but he is also one of America’s leading media theorists and very, very plugged in to what is happening today.