Category: Age of Conversation

It makes obvious sense … if you read one book a month, when the average person reads one book a year, this will give you an edge. In five years the average person will have read five books while you would have read 60. Blogs compress this.

Because most marketing blogs focus on actionable strategy, the information that you read can be readily turned into marketing initiatives. And best of all … many of the ideas and concepts can be trialled using social media tools in a low cost manner.

Right now, one of the BEST investments that you could make would be to purchase a copy of The Age of Conversation. It contains insight and ideas from 100 of the world’s leading marketers. No need to be a monkey … just be curious.

It seems that The Age of Conversation has everybody, well … reading. My good (and very funny friend), Sean Howard, happened to have some cameras rolling when the books arrived in the Spinglobe offices. It is amazing how even the most insistent of personalities cannot overcome the power of the Age of Conversation authors.

Mark Blair set himself an interesting challenge … could he dose himself up on caffeine and spend 24 hours straight marketing The Age of Converation?

The results are fascinating. Not only does Mark achieve this outcome, along the way he teaches us all about some of the cool, useful and downright unsual Internet marketing tools available. Included in this list are:

• A Squidoo lens
• A link to the Lulu Best Sellers list
• StumbleUpon

There are many other tactics that Mark uses and explains across the entire day. Make sure that you check out some of these tips.

Oh, and don’t forget to order your copy today!

I love that we are already seeing some Age of Conversation authors appearing on Flickr with copies of the book. Here we have Lori Magno and Ryan Barrett proudly displaying their copies.

Meanwhile, Paul McEnany is offering up a free hardcover copy for ONE lucky reader who reports back to him on their favourite Age of Conversation chapter. Not to be outdone, Sean Howard has upped the ante, and is offering FIVE copies of this ground-breaking book for the five WORST comments he receives. Now THAT is transparent converation!

Nothing like a bit of friendly competition …

Today 102 other contributors and I proudly launch our collaborative book, The Age of Conversation. Pulled together by Drew McLellan and I — with special assistance from David Armano, Arun Rajagopal, David Reich, Matt Dickman, CK and Roger Anderson — it represents what we consider to be a world first — bringing together over 100 marketing experts under the single topic of "conversation" — in record time — from idea to completion in around THREE MONTHS!

Not only did the contributors band together, they also willingly put aside their royalties so that the profits from sale can be donated to Variety, the Children’s Charity.

The book comes in three versions — eBook, soft cover and hard cover. Each contributes around $8 per purchase to the charity.
You can purchase your copy here.

Oh, and remember, this is just the start. Follow-up and join the conversation at our blog or at our Facebook group.

I would like to also personally thank my co-conspirator, Drew McLellan, who has proven to be a wise, generous and energetic friend. I look forward to working on our next collaborative effort!

When Drew and I began this project, we secretly hoped that it would be global. Sure there would be contributors from the USA and from Australia where we were each based … but what about the rest of the world?

I am pleased to say that we have contributors from all over the world — and this alone makes launching a challenge. So while we in Sydney experience Monday, 16 July earlier than most others, we don’t actually launch until 9pm. In the meantime, check out where all the authors are from using this cool Google Map, with thanks to Matt Dickman for pulling it all together.

The Age of Conversation is curently being featured in the AdvertisingAge Bookstore. Drew and I were interviewed over the last 24 hours and the article mentions a number of the books contributors.

Enjoy!

Well it looks like we are almost done with the Age of Conversation preparation. Final changes have been made, files sent around the world, versions compared and links updated. The blog is setup, the storefront is nervously awaiting the avalanche of demand … and if you are like me, there is more than just a little pent-up excitement building.
I was pleasantly surprised to find my pre-launch proof sitting on the dining room table last night — and between you and me — it looks tops!
Now, I look forward to digging into my favourite blogs, replying to emails and (dare I say it) adding to my music blog (in case you have not seen it yet, take a listen to this beautiful song!

We are getting close to finishing up the groundbreaking Age of Conversation so I thought you might like to see a little of David Armano’s design work (we are aiming to launch next week).

Actually, you have probably already see this over at Drew’s site … but I did want to reiterate the fact that this book would not have been possible without the work and creative thinking of over 100 contributors from around the world.

As I have said before, it is one thing to generate an idea or a strategy but it is quite another to activate these things. Talk is cheap. Transforming chatter into something tangible is a rare skill … and I am proud to have been a part of this undertaking.

The book will now be available in three formats — eBook, soft cover and hard cover. All proceeds will be donated to Variety, the Children’s Charity. We hope to raise THOUSANDS of dollars. So please, think about how you can help us with this goal:

• Can you promote this innovative book via your blog
• Is there another network you can activate
• Would your company purchase a number in bulk to distribute as client gifts

Remember, talk is cheap. The time for action is almost upon us!

As we continue to work on The Age of Conversation eBook, the more we have to think about the bigger picture. And we have to think about the basics … and sometimes the basics are the hardest to nail down.

For example, one of the pillars of marketing — price. How do we price a collaborative eBook that brings together a legion of great thinkers? Where does it sit in the pantheon of business books? Do we offer a hardcopy version?

All great questions … and if you have an opinion, we would love to hear it!

What would YOU be willing to pay for such a great piece of work — 100 viewpoints from 100 authors. REMEMBER … all proceeds go to charity.

Be sure to let Drew know your thoughts!