Sunday 20 January 2013

Chick Lit at its Best


Husband, Missing

To buy form Amazon UK Click here
 
To buy from Amazon US Click here 

Those of you who know me or read my blog regularly will realise that I am a fairly eclectic reader but that my tastes veer towards Murder Mystery and thrillers. However I have just finished reading this book and was so impressed I had to share.


This book draws you in a and pulls you along for the ride right from the first page. It arrived yesterday morning from Amazon and I finished it last night having spent all day reading it. I truly could not put it down. It is the story of Gina after her husband Rex goes missing. It is also the story of all the other people who support Gina and who are  affected by Rex's disappearance. Polly Williams is a gifted writer and has got characterisation spot on. I could picture every character quite clearly and loved them all. I can't say too much about the story without giving away the plot but suffice to say there are several plot twists which are excellent and which keep you wanting to read. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a good  chick lit book and wants to be highly entertained.

I think however this book is so much more than mere chick lit. It really shows you how the characters think and feel and how they act the way they do. You malso get to see the character of Rex from several of the others characters points of view. So although  this book is easily read it is also  very complex with a lot of hidden undetaones.

Who knows what I will be reviewing next week. Tune in to find out. All of life is an adventure

Monday 7 January 2013

Are We Influential?

Return on Influence by Mark W. Schaefer
 
Return On Influence: The Revolutionary Power of Klout, Social Scoring, and Influence Marketing
 
 
 
 
 
Humans are essentially social beings and have probably been so since the days cavemen gathered round the campfire. Throughout history people have developed ways of networking and sharing information. The advent of technical equipment such as the telephone and the telegram took this further, and we are now living in a digital age where information can spread quickly and widely. When we use Social Networking sites we are sharing information not only about ourselves but also about our interests and the products we sell or like.
 
This means that our influence stretches much further and wider then the days when we gathered round the tea trolley or watercooler. The words we write can have an influence far greater than we can ever imagine. Companies are paying attention to what we are saying about them and their products. Conversely we are learning so much more about products and what our friends or others think of them.
 
I am an author, in effect a businesswoman, so I am extremely interested in networking and my reach and influence within this world. This book has made me think about this much more carefully about what I am doing in the digital world and my potential influence within this world.
 
Social Influence sites such as Klout provide a mechanism for measuring this influence, and the book outlines how this might happen. Schaefer uses Case Studies to good effect to demonstrate how this might happen. There are contributions from key influencers in Social Media talking about how they developed thier influence.
 
Anyone who wants to generate influence in their chosen field and use it to good effect to drive marketing strategies should read this book. It is excellent, well written and will help you develop the ways in which you may influence those around you. It is honest in its approach and looks at sites such as Klout from all angles. It does not shy away from topics such as how these sites can be manipulated, but gives a very convincing argument for why we should be using them.
 
I myself am a Klout user and I thought my Klout score of 58 was OK. I was astonished to find that with this type of score I am considered quite highly influential.
 
Whether we love or hate social media I think we ignore it at our peril. There are some very large players taking note out there and I as an author need to be aware of this.
 
As we are talking about social networking it would seem appropriate to provide my links on these sites
 
 
 
 
 
Feel free to connect with me in any of these ways. It would be great to share views and expertise
 
I was given a free copy of this book as a gift from the Author and was not expected to provide any review in return for this. The review is fair and objective and one which I felt I had to write given my enjoyment of the book.