Book Review: Connected Culture

If you missed it, I've been putting most of my "professional" writings over on LinkedIn; but I'll still keep this blog for more personal stories (and things that don't fit with my publishing strategy on LinkedIn). Here's one such post, although I’ve been meaning to write this review for a few months now.

Jerry Allocca’s “Connected Culture: The Art of Communicatingwith the Digital Generation” is a fantastic read. It’s accessible, easily understood by laypeople, and – perhaps most importantly – isn’t so wrapped up in specific functions and processes that are easily rendered obsolete in a few months. In fact, it’s safe to say the book is both theoretical (focusing on best practices) and tactical (where those best practices are shown using today’s technology). But, as I said earlier, it’s important to realize the accessibility of the book enables those techniques to be usable with any technology – even that which hasn’t been invented yet!

Social media (and digital communications) is a lot more than “knowing how to use Facebook.” There’s a definite approach that must be adopted to truly master social media (and, in fact, most people say you cannot “master” social media, since it’s always changing). In many ways, it’s the same premise that many other professions believe: To be a truly great graphic designer requires an artist’s eye; not just knowledge about how to use Photoshop and Adobe Creative Suite; to be a great video game designer requires an understanding of game theory; not just knowledge of how to code.

The same is true with social media – knowing the tricks of Facebook is effective; but you need to start with an understanding of why social media is different; and Jerry’s book outlines that most effectively (and, without a lot of emphasis on the technology – the way it should be explained!)

The book includes a number of worksheets and exercises to help the reader get a clearer understanding behind the hows and whys of social media; and – as a gift for the reader – Jerry includes a free download of a more comprehensive workbook, keyed to each chapter in the book.

The organization of the book provides scaffolding to the reader, enabling both experienced communications professionals and newcomers to be on the same page. While I read the book from start to finish, I suspect it would be nearly as useful to use the book as a reference, referring back to the salient points as needed.

I heartily recommend the book, as it provides a great framework for understanding social media; and – most importantly – isn’t tied to a specific technology (try reading a “Best Way to Use Facebook” book from 5-6 years ago; it’s a futile attempt!). While “Connected Culture” isn’t quite as visionary as “The Cluetrain Manifesto,” it isn’t trying to be (and, frankly, what else is?). But, it holds a spot on my bookshelf, and will – for the foreseeable future!