Packed with research and practical suggestions
919647
If you want to quickly accelerate your career within your own organization get this very practical book.  It contains valuable insights for getting noticed and promoted. I love that it's based on the author's interviews and research at well-known organizations. It's a fast read.
1545271
I was surprised to have my horizons expanded greatly though I had initially expressed skepticism at another book on diversity. On the contrary, this one contains real, practical, appropriate cultural nuances and advice on particulars for many national and cultural traditions. I heartily suggest it as a cornerstone of a modern cultural analysis of the factors that can contribute to enhancing diversity. Even though a bit dated, their research still is valuable. I cannot wait for the next edition!
3665170
The suggestions provided in this book are immensely practical.  Delivered in short segments and sprinkled with examples and stories, it is deceptively easy to absorb the book's lessons and strategies.  Putting some of the suggestions into practice is, of course, a bit more challenging if it means breaking some old habits, but it's worth the effort.  My favorite part of the book is about asking "what" questions.  Now, when I find I am having a superficial conversation, I put some effort into asking better questions, and find it much easier to make a real connection in the conversation.  I highly recommend the book.
1100388
I found this book packed with ideas and different ways of thinking. I especially appreciate the author's sincere concern and empathy for her patients and our society as a whole. There are  practical suggestions each of us can apply to help ease our communities problems.
521482
A very well researched and organized book with lots of real world experience leading to some good advice
652567
This book is loaded with fantastic, practical information and advice, as well as inspiring story after story of successful entrepreneurs who took their ideas and a little bit of startup money and created a new future for themselves. Chris Guillebeau has done an incredible amount of research to put this book together, and more than that, he's culled through thousands of stories and gleaned the-best-of-the-best ideas to share with all of us in a fun and quick/easy-to-read handbook to hustling, with great illustrations by Mike Rohde to boot. I highly recommend it!
16837
This book is helpful for anyone facing a new challenge or trying to move past the limitations of fear or anxiety. Dr. Molinsky covers a complex topic in a surprisingly readable way, distilling scholarly research into everyday language with clear examples and practical tools to help readers apply the principles. I will use these insights and techniques in my own work and my work with students.
4912491
Amy Jo Kim has collected many online community learnings and turned them into a practical, readable, and useful book. She has distilled things down to a level where they make sense for the smallest online community, as well as for the mega-commercial sites.
So what's to like about this book?  It  is well-organized. Kim has built the book around her nine down-to-earth  community design strategies with specific elements on how to execute those  strategies. She stays on track.
It uses examples from both large and  small sites which take this book from the realm of theory to one of  practicality.
You can read all of it or one section and it makes sense.  Chapter divisions and subheads make for a pleasant browse for inspiration  or to get a specific tidbit. Graphics are used generously, but my  "old" eyes had to strain a bit on the screen shots.
From a  content perspective, I found myself repeatedly nodding my head in agreement  with her assessments and suggestions. She pays attention to what I feel are  the three main domains of a successful online interaction space: purpose,  design, and social structures or interactions.
While the business models  of online community may not yet be clear, the mechanisms are becoming  more  visible. You can save a lot of wasted time and effort by using the  guidelines, pulling what is relevant, and leaving the rest for when your  needs grow or change. Good book. Worth the price!
Nancy White
2467395
What a treasure this book is for the parent or educator that wants to join home and family for the benefit of children and the adults in their lives! The book is theoretically based. The author reviews research and theory that support her premises. She then takes one, caring as a paradigm, and integrates it throughout the book. She views adults as people who can and should be learning and the school as a place that should provide opportunities for growing and developing for not only the students but also the parents and teachers. She demonstrates how this approach can be adapted to culturally diverse populations. Her anecdotes not only demonstrate different points of her arguments, they also function as illustrations of how to implement her ideas. In addition there is a set of appendixes available on the internet with illustrations of teaching tools and suggestions of more activities. A good practical book that needs to be read from beginning to end to comprehend her argument but also can be used as a reference  when implementing the author's ideas.
1725011
Starker makes the claim that libraries must transform in order to stay relevant. He argues that libraries must increase their scope beyond information storage facilities to become hubs of collaboration, research, experimentation and innovation. Starkers positive, forward-thinking and encouraging take offers up a vision where librarians are learning leaders on the forefront of educational change. This book is full of suggestions and possibilities for the changing roles of librarians and the amazing potential of libraries as a flexible and agile space that supports all types of learning. If you are looking to reimagine, redesign and retool your library to better serve the community of learners, this book is an excellent starting point.
4115011
This is an excellent guide, as it has what for me are exactly the three most important elements a book like this should have:

1. sound and practical suggestions based on extensive experience
2. solid research base
3. a non-prescriptive approach that allows the people on the front lines to be interacting with their location and target audience - whether the administration, the parents or the kids themselves - in the most authentic way possible based on what is actually happening, rather than feeling like the suggestions don't fit the reality of the circumstances in which they are working.

a thorough, well-written and well researched guide written with heart and discernment. Well worth the read for anyone working in this field, and I look forward to future guides written in the same spirit by these authors.
1493899
I was greatly looking forward to this book by Jane Hart whose work, websites and workshops have inspired me and re-engaged me with my work in learning and development.  This book explores a variety of learning practices that enable knowledge sharing and collaboration.  Interestingly, she titled it 2014.  This means that these tools will change and evolve over time and it is up to the learning professional to do the same with their skills and knowledge.

The greatest value for me of this book was that it is a curated set of information, tools and links with detailed references to other blog posts and books.  The entire book is a reference guide to social learning that provides the high level concepts but also further information if you're interested in researching further.  The chapter on social onboarding for me had particular relevance as I'm currently developing a program and used her references to explore how I can implement some of the ideas.

I strongly recommend this book for any learning professional reading list and library.
3520610
Hy Mariampolski is an inspiring man - and both generous and energetic in spreading the word about qualitative techniques and ethnography. It is refreshing to read such a well-written guide without having all the self-promotional baggage that litters too many practitioners handbooks.

For a start, I find his history of qualitative techniques a great place to start this volume. As a synopsis of our professional history this is colourful, accurate and useful in contextualising why researchers do what they do.

He then rolls through the big questions - when to use qualitative research, which techniques to choose, the planning of projects (including a thorough section of choosing & screening respondents) and then the juicy section: running interviews or focus groups.

Here, Mariampolski makes us feel right at home. He's instructive without being didactic, and he speaks in a common-sense manner, peppering his advice with pertinent examples and a few illustrations. He includes a very useful chapter on the special considerations of youth research, multicultural research, interviewing business executives and covering particularly sensistive topics.

The final main section is on the analysis of qualitative information, and the presentation of this. Again, Mariampolski speaks directly and usefully.

Overall I'd say the book is pitched mostly at newer researchers, and at those who are contemplating a typically fascinating career in qualitative research, but this shouldn't stop a more senior researcher from going through the easily read 300 pages and making notes: even to check their own techniques and consider new ideas.

The book is current (2001) and would make an excellent basis for a set of in-house training workshops for the research team. It is well worth the purchase. I wish all research texts were this clear.
4923665
I've read at least a dozen or so books that cover various aspects of online marketing and pr.

I work for an ad agency/pr firm, but I am also an entrepreneur.  This book is an excellent resource for both audiences.

The authors have written a book that is interesting and fun to read, but also includes practical "how to" advice on how to implement and make sense of the radically changing digital landscape.  Tons of information is covered, including references so that readers can do their own research.  This book will get readers excited about the huge potential available online, and also give them the tools to implement various marketing and pr strategies.

Very good book!
934359
Great book with many practical points for any person, company, organization or family!
3238785
Dr. Jacqueline Byrd has simplified decades of her research into approachable and actionable tips for each of us to increase our capacity for innovation. She uses fascinating stories to illustrate her points and then asks the reader questions that encourage us to  access the playful child mindset we all once had. The tools relate to individuals, leaders and even the possibility of shifting organizational cultures. This book artfully demonstrates how accessible greater innovation is to each of us.
1289727
Dorthea Hover-Kramer's newest book is filled with exercises that you can use to increase your body's energy resources for optimal aging, creativity and health. I will keep this handy in my resource library for my well-being and my work. Well-organized, good research and bibliography - well-written; another great work by DHK.