make your own conclusion, be your own critique. Try it.
584233
I found the writing on some fun, some a bit more questionable but in the all a good book for reading groups to read and discuss. Make your own decision, don't take what we critiques say as the word, make your own opinion. Read the book.
1008294
Do you have something to say, but struggle with how to say it? Or maybe the issue is finding your audience. You know they're out there, right? People who share your concerns and passions. People ready to hear what you have to say, but more than that-people who are willing to open dialogue with you. Have a conversation. Learn from each other.

This is the point I'm at. I've determined the steps I need to take in focusing my blog and website on its new purpose. Now it's a matter of learning how to build a platform so that I can reach the audience I want to share with.

Enter PLATFORM Get Noticed in a Noisy World: A Step-by-Step Guide for Anyone with Something to Say or Sell. During its release week last May, the author offered a sweet package for those who ordered the hardcover. I jumped on it and listened to the entire book via mp3 several times before the physical book arrived. There are five main steps to platform building:

1. Start with Wow. This should be a no-brainer, but maybe it isn't. Either way, it's certainly the foundation to a platform. If you don't have a WOW product (book?), it will be hard to create a solid platform on top of it.

2. Prepare to Launch. In this section Hyatt talks about accepting personal responsibility, defining goals, creating branding, etc. Although this isn't the largest of the five sections, it's got a lot of practical information in it.

3. Build Your Home Base. This section focuses on the one place on the internet you own: your website and blog. Hyatt gives solid reasons why your blog should be at YourOwnName. You can't control anywhere else, so you need to solidify your efforts to your home base. He likens Facebook, guest blogging, etc, to embassies-a presence you've been invited to have on foreign soil, knowing they can change the rules at any time and kick you off.

Anyway, this section talks a lot about the hows and whys of blogging, with some information about the rest of your website as well, such as your "about" page.

4. Expand Your Reach. This relates to reaching out from your home base to find blog subscribers, Twitter followers, and Facebook fans. Hyatt is a great believer in Twitter, so a good chunk of this section has tips for this form of social media. While I don't love Twitter any more than I used to, he does provide some solid ideas.

5. Engage Your Tribe. Now that we (presumably) have all the pieces in place, Hyatt gives advice for keeping our new readers/followers/fans engaged and promoting us to their friends and contacts.

While he tries to make a case for "if he can do it, anyone can," this didn't ring true in my mind. Most of us are complete unknowns, not (former) CEOs of major publishing houses. Most of us don't have the budget to throw at our websites the way Hyatt apparently does. ($1000 per month? Beyond my comprehension.)

So, in my opinion, you need to take some of it with a grain of salt. A lot of his advice can be scaled back to a normal budget of paying for URL and hosting then using a free theme and plugins. Mine may not be as fancy as his, but honestly I don't see an expensive site when I go to MichaelHyatt.com. I doubt the average visitor is impressed by the bells and whistles. I could be wrong. My lack of judgment on the subject may be holding me back from having as effective a platform as Hyatt, who knows?

With all that in mind, I still think this book is a good buy and worth going through slowly and repeatedly. I'm sure I am getting way more than $15.36 value out of it. If you're trying to find your way to a more solid platform, I recommend this book.
997448
Mike provides some thoughtful ideas that provide significant elements for constructive discussion on the various dogmatic elements of religion and how we interpret them. While they may not be acceptable to everyone, it is clear that, if you are willing to explore beyond your own beliefs, you can find clear foundations to engage in a rewarding study of your own values and meanings.
4160119
So many great points. #FESM Be yourself, there is no need to try to impress or wait until youve perfected. Use questions to determine peoples needs and lead them to a solution. 80% of success is showing up. They take you through every process. Love it!
2209760
First, a caveat:  I know Joel Saltzman and have worked with him.  Had dinner with his family.  That said, I paid full price for this book because I know that, more than knowing his stuff, Joel lives it.  Shake That Brain! is indeed the culmination of Joel's own life.  Get a Post-It pad (mentioned in the book as one of those accidental ideas too silly to be successful--but guess what?) and jot down some of the material, then frame your computer with them.  The exuberant tone is contagious, and the premise is unarguably correct: you're the captain of your own attitude, and your mind is a storeroom full of solutions and inspiration.  As an admitted self-defeating (at times) nincompoop, I have used the book to fire my own ideas and it works, from questioning assumptions, borrowing good ideas and making them better, and never throwing out an idea that isn't working at the time (it can work later, as you let it germinate).  It's a modern philosophy book as much as a business title, and it demands to be put into action.  More than anything, the book is FUN, and not in the superficial way that sounds.  Pick it up and enjoy it.  It's better than therapy, drinking, or basketball (well, professional basketball anyway).  And it's fuel for your own weary but indomitable enthusiasm.  Highly recommended, and I have nothing to gain from this except a better way to look at things.
3623628
This is a great book.  Expect it to change your thinking and your perception if you follow through with it.
1521227
Faith cannot be proven. This short book is an interesting read that accomplishes its mission, namely to get you thinking, arguing, and analyzing. You may find holes in his story, good. That means you thought while reading and that is what a book like this sets out to do. Enjoy it, keep an open mind, and remember when religion is the topic, opinion has the final say.
3601790
One of the many intelligent things that Socrates said is "An unexamined life is not worth living." In an era when many professionals are running flat out until they crash, taking time for self examination usually ends up falling into the category of important but not urgent. The downside of that, of course, is that the urgent things end up overwhelming the important things that a little bit of self examination might have identified.

Fortunately, Mike Figliuolo has come up with a simple yet powerful approach to self examination in his new book, One Piece of Paper . The big idea is to boil your personal philosophy on four basic aspects of leadership down to one piece of paper. Mike offers a series of questions and exercises to help you do that. One of his core tools is what he calls the maxim. The maxim is a simple idea that you hold in your head to remind yourself of how to act. An example that Mike offers is "What would my grandmother say?"

Mike's process and book really makes you think.  It gets you off the dance floor and onto the balcony. That's a pretty good place to do some self-examination. I encourage you to check out One Piece of Paper.
4562237
Reviews other systems, encourages you to create your own rather than a one size fits all approach. Makes me want to get started right now and gives the tools to do so.
2336206
Not too many times, after you've left school do you sit back and go through your writing critically, in order to improve it. I believe this book to have a quality unlike many others: it takes you by the hand, and if  you give it the necessary time, and USE the tips given, you'll soon realise  you're writing in ways you never thought possible. It teaches you how to be  critical of your own work, how to listen to what you write, how to look at  things from a different perspective (put yourself in your reader's shoes,  for example). It has so many ways in which it can help yourself, and yet,  with Provost's humor, you never grow tired of it.
 As of today, I'm  past the middle of the book, and I have mixed feelings: on one side I don't  want it to be over (I've just learned SO MUCH with it...) on the other I  can't help to go through the rest of it to learn all that it has to offer  (I guess I'll reread it later on, anyway!)
 I have not read such a small  but helpful book in a long time. It might easily translate into the best  spent 5 bucks ever, if you're into writing.
2560549
I had heard good things about this book, but when it arrived, & I begin reading it, at first it seemed to be too far afield of my current interests. Then I got into some of the specifics that the author offered and realized that this book is really a way to improve your own thinking.

For example, if you are for gun control and you want to round up all the guns in the U.S., consider the impracticality of the task: There are 200 million guns or so in the hands of U.S. residents. Adding in law enforcement weapons yields another 100 million guns. From a realistic standpoint, the author observes, how could you possibly disarm all these people even if you wanted to? Thus, the key to reducing gun violence has got to be down some other path. Likewise the author gives numerous other illustrations of how we can observe everyday phenomenon, stretch our thinking, and gain new insights that ultimately can benefit us individually and collectively.
3112200
What ever you think will come to fruition, so think good thoughts.  This is the main point written 10 times every page.  You only need a page or two to figure it out, not super enlightening.
821213
The notion that our own personal thoughts and opinions drive our choices seems so obvious that it is not even worth mentioning. Except that its wrong. (Inside book jacket)

Jonah Berger cites his own research, research done by his colleagues, and other published research as well, illustrating their findings with interesting, surprising, and even startling, examples.

As someone who believes that he is a logical and data-informed decision-maker, the authors assertions were not always welcomed by me, especially his proposition that most of us are pretty good at noticing when others succumb to social pressure, but that almost all of us cannot see the same effect in ourselves (p. 5). Yet, his arguments were persuasive and the information is, in fact, good to know. If our decisions are, indeed, shaped by certain social groups or circumstances, then awareness of that fact can certainly be helpful. Conversely, if you wish to influence others decisions; e.g. lifestyle choices, voting, purchasing, or support for a particular policy; this book helps one consider effective ways to do so.

The book is slightly complicated, but that is because people are complicated and Berger does not oversimplify. Yet, the authors reasoning and writing style are clear, interesting, and compelling. There are some truly fascinating findings and conclusions to be found throughout the book. I anticipate that this book will, at the very least, become optional reading for my doctoral students who are interested in becoming more effective leaders.
3038470
Own it will challenge your thinking and help you identify yourself in the midst of a world trying to move you in this direction or that.  Own it will help you to find yourself and own your identity.  Get grounded, get real, buy this book and Own it!
3329276
Totally usable tool for writers. Even if you can't find the right action or emotional response, the authors have given you enough to stimulate your own thinking for the message you wish to convey. This should be on every writer's e-shelf.
4589887
Some extra reviewing, or restating thought process, not too bad.
3646541
Research it and you will see for yourself why it's the best. Try it and feel for yourself...