Recommended books about blog

Join 30,000 other Kindle owners who have unlocked all the pleasures to Kindle ownership by downloading Stephen Windwalker's premier guide for Kindle owners. This full-length book is over 50,000 words -- the equivalent of 192 "print on paper" pages -- but it is a snap to navigate with a link-enabled table of contents and a detailed, link-enabled FAQ section.

Windwalker's guide was the first full-length book about the Kindle for Kindle users, and it remains the gold standard with all the tips included in the other, shorter, more expensive books that have followed it. If you are trying to make a decision about which Kindle guide is right for you, be sure to try a free sample of this book on your Kindle by clicking on the yellow button above. Once you've checked the table of contents and seen the extensive reach of the information provided by Windwalker as well as its ease of navigation and clear writing style, your decision will be a snap.

Written for serious readers as well as early adopters and "gadget heads", it is now also available in a handy paperback version: the perfect accessory for a Kindle owner who wants to use it alongside his Kindle or the prospective Kindle buyer seeking to complete her due diligence before making a purchase.

For more information see the Harvard Perspectives Press website at hppress.blogspot.com or the webpage for this book at kindleusers.blogspot.com.

For authors and independent publishers who want to make the most of the Kindle publishing opportunity, you may want to consider the 2-for-1 offer of this book with "The Complete Step-by-Step Guide To Publishing Books, Articles & Other Content for the Amazon Kindle" at amazon.com/gp/product/B001AXYLD8.

HIGHLIGHTS:
-How to Use the Amazon Kindle for Email
-Using Google Reader to Read Your Favorite Blogs on the Amazon Kindle
-How to Get Free Content for Your Kindle with ManyBooks, Gutenberg and Over a Dozen Other Services
-Traveling with Your Kindle
-Complete Kindle Keyboard and Menu Shortcuts
-The Kindle as a Writing, Editing, and Publishing Device
-Taking Notes on the Kindle - It's All in the Thumbs
-Annotation within a Kindle Document
-Google Notebook
-Annotating Your Working Documents
-Writing and Annotation to Email
-Saving, Printing, Editing and Working With Your Kindle Clippings, Annotations, and Highlighted Text
-The Care and Feeding of Your Kindle's Battery
-The Reset Button is Your First Tech Support Option
-Access Wikipedia More Quickly and Smoothly
-Using "Locations" to Figure Where You Are in a Kindle Edition
-Buying and Sampling Content for Your Kindle From the Amazon Kindle Store
-Updating the Latest Version of Your Kindle�fs Operating Software
-Adding an SD Card to Your Kindle
-Getting Help with Your Kindle
-Managing Your Kindle Content
-The Amazon Kindle Basic Web Wireless Service: Why It Is a Revolutionary Feature, and Why Amazon Should Keep It Free or Cheap
-Using the Kindle to Translate Foreign or Technical Words and Phrases
-Making the Most of Your Kindle Connections Overseas or in a Sprint Wireless Dead Zone
-Using the Kindle as a Travel Guide
-The Kindle and GPS - Intriguing but Frustrating
-Checking Sprint Wireless Coverage for the Kindle
-Downloading Kindle Editions Via USB Cable
-20 Steps to Publishing a Kindle Edition of Your Book or Document: How to Use Kindle, Amazon and the Web to Market Your Book and Connect with Readers
-How Many Kindles? Estimating the Current and Future "Installed Base," and Why It Is Important
-The Golden Age of Kindle 2.0 and Beyond:
Kindle Reading Subscriptions, Kindle Buffet, Shop the Amazon Store Through a Kindle Gateway, A Big Tent for Kindle Content Availability On Other Devices, Shop and Play Amazon Music and Audio, Folders and/or Labels, Size, Location and Configuration of Bars, Buttons, and Switches, Writeable Screen, Green Tax Credit, and More

The Complete User's Guide to the Amazing Amazon Kindle

I found this book to be interesting, helpful and an easy read. I purchased a "Kindle" and was looking for information to make my experience with the Kindle a good one. Steve's book not only met all my needs but he personally went the extra step to direct me to other helpful sites to help me in my own search to self-publish.

If you have purchased a "Kindle" and need a few pointers this is the book for you. And as an extra bonus you'll find some really good bargains inside.

Thank you Steve for a wonderful read.

Mr. Windwalker's enthusiasm for the Kindle shines through in the enthusiasm of his writing as well as in the range of tips, advice, and thoughts he provides on the Kindle.

Obviously, as with any book of this type, Kindle users will have discovered some or many of the ideas presented for themselves. However, even I, a true Kindle lover and gadget geek, mined valuable information that I had not discovered on my own. The tips range from the merely fun (how to find Minesweeper) to the extremely useful (where to find free content, keyboard shortcuts, how to use the Kindle during travel, how to manage photos and audio files).

To me, the most fun and interesting part of the book were the author's speculations on the possible future of the Kindle and how it might be a paradigm-changing device.

Everyone who owns a Kindle should also own this book.

This book will help you understand your new Kindle. It is a "How to" book for the Kindle. Do not pass up this book. The Kindle is an amazing piece of technology and this book makes understanding it so easy. I give this book 10 stars.

This is a complete waste of digital space. Improperly described, it is more of an advertisement for the author's other books. .1 star would have been my choice were it available.

If you own a Kindle than you need this book. You will learn a lot from this book.

The Internet has profoundly changed the way people communicate and interact with each other. But it has also changed the way businesses communicate with their customers (and those who they want to be customers). In the old days, companies could only communicate through the filter of expensive advertising or media ink placed by a PR firm. Today the rules have changed entirely.

The New Rules of Marketing and PR shows you how to leverage the potential that Web-based communication offers your business. Finally, you can speak directly to customers and buyers, establishing a personal link with the those who make your business work. You can reach niche buyers with targeted messages that cost a fraction of your big-budget ad campaign. Rather than bombard them with advertising they�fll likely ignore, you can focus on getting the right message to the right people at the right time.

When people visit your company�fs Web site, they aren�ft there to hear your slogan or see your logo again. They want information, interaction, and choice�|and you�fd be a fool not to give it to them. This one-of-a-kind guide to the future of marketing includes a step-by-step action plan for harnessing the power of the Internet, showing you how to identify audiences, create compelling messages, get those messages to the right people, and lead those consumers into the buying process. Including a wealth of compelling case studies and real-world examples, this is a practical guide to the new reality of PR and marketing.

I buy everything this book is trying to tell me. My new technological religion.

Be sure to read it more for the thinking behind it while keeping in mind that zillions of new examples of what he's talking about keep popping up in the media ether. This concept has a life of its own. That's its beauty.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time - and I read a lot -

David is articulate, great information, very well organized in his thoughts and frankly should be considered an expert in this matter. If you haven't read this book - it is definitely worth every penny -

Do you have a favorite business book that's streaked with highlights, scribbled with margin notes, has a broken spine, and dog-eared post-its? The New Rules of Marketing and PR, by David Meerman Scott, holds that honor on my business reference bookshelf. Subtitled How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing & Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly, this book seemed to shout at me from the shelf during one of my regular forays into Amazon's business section.

As a B2B marketing professional, I try to keep up with communications trends, so I was already familiar with some of the information in Scott's book. I'd purchased it specifically for the news releases and blogging sections, but, goaded by the author's light and enthusiastic tone I found myself learning about new (to me) online activities to support B2B marketing efforts.

New Rules gave me insight into some new tasks that have become SOP in my regular work at our Atlanta ad agency. As a result of the Buyer Personas section, we maintain and plan around the personas of our clients' customers as well as our own.

Overall I enjoyed this book, and regularly peruse my highlighted and tabbed sections. Fortunately, David is understandable as well as enlightening. Just like his blog, www.webinknow.com, the book has a conversational, engaging writing style and is thoroughly worth the space on any business reference shelf.

/mh

Great book to get started for beginners (and possibly for the beginner-mid level) for getting your feet wet.

The author, David Meerman Scott, does a superb job on creating an easy read full of terrific ideas to improve the visibility of your business to the masses using WEB 2.0 (social sites on the web) technologies.

I loved the book and will refer back to it often! Highly recommend it!

Problogger.net is where bloggers worldwide go for advice and information on enhancing their blogs presence. Whether youre just starting out or have been blogging for years, these two professional bloggers show you how to turn your passion for blogging into extra revenue. This practical guide to creating and marketing a blog with the potential for generating a six-figure income shows you how to choose subject matter that works for you, handle technical issues, and evaluate your blogs success so that you can use your blog to generate income indirectly.

Darren Rowse and Chris Garret draw upon their wealth of experience with blogs and give us this comprehensive blogging primer.

While the book is mostly focused on making money from blogs, it starts from the beginning: by explaining what is a blog and how to set one up. This takes about three chapters (if you have already started a blog, you can just skim through those sections).

Intermediate bloggers will enjoy the book more from chapter 4 on, when Darren and Chris talk about how and what to write (helpful to overcome the all-too-common "writer's block") and how to make money from your blog (both directly, like with advertising, and indirectly, as with partnerships, speaking engagements, etc).

The last few chapters deal with a topic that was completely new to me: buying and selling blogs. Darren and Chris do a very good job at spelling out the caveats you must take into account when buying and selling blogs, to avoid scams and costly mistakes.

The comprehensive nature of this book makes it difficult for the authors to go into much detail about any particular topic. The good news is that Darren's blog [...] is chock full of how-to articles that may give you the specific information that you won't find in the book.

Overall, I found this book to be a very good blogging primer, one that I will keep in my bookshelf for future and constant reference.

This is by far, the best book on this subject I have read. The authors give a lot of hands on information and guide the reader step by step through the process. A must read for the person who wants blog for money or their business!

I am a huge fan of Darren's problog web site, and he is an excellent resource for people of all stages of blogging to use as a resource. The thing that sets him apart from many bloggers is that he tries everything he is talking about. You won't find as much hype as you would think you would from the title of the book, he has really tried all this stuff, and his parent holding company b5media also uses his ideas on how to make a better blog. Blogging is hard work, you have to learn to use words to tell a story, and yes you can over time build up your blogging skills and make a six figure income from it, people do it, and people have done it.

The best section of the book is "creating something worthwhile", and that is the hardest part of being a blogger, how do you create value for an audience you might never meet? The worst section was the bit about buying and selling blogs, while it can be done, and has been done successfully, much like any other property you might buy, there are already a lot of speculators out there, and it might not be the best thing you can do with your money. Working for blog networks is also another way of making money and often can be very profitable (I write for a number of blog networks and profit from them). After blogging for five years myself, I still found the book overall full of interesting bits that I missed on his web site, and that alone made it worth the read.

Rated five of five stars, it offers a realistic portrayal of the blogging industry, and might just be something that people will want to check out if this is a direction that they want to go in.

Motivational, enjoyable and easy to read. This book provides a wide range of useful information for someone getting into blogging for the first time or for someone who has basic experience blogging and is now ready to take it to the next level.

The sections on starting up your blog and creating quality content were very helpful and well written. Excellent guidance on structuring blog posts and other content.

One area that seemed rather short on concrete detail was blog traffic and the impact of relative levels of traffic on the success of the blog, especially with regards to monetization.

Some advertising systems require at minimum of 10,000 pageviews per day, some dramatically more, before allowing you to run their ads on your blog. Even Google's AdSense program is not without its challenges. Level setting on blog traffic for blog newbies with some real world examples would have been helpful.

Overall, the authors did an excellent job and I would strongly recommend ProBlogger as a starting point to anyone new to blogging or looking to monetize an existing blog.

This is a great step by step guide about what it takes to make money in blogging. It's a slow process and this is reinforced throughout the text. No secret formulas but great instructions on how to succeed. It takes work folks - sad but true.
Well written and an easy read. Recommended for internet marketers, writers and bloggers and anyone thinkning about starting a blog. Read this first.

Are you a wannabe blogger? A seasoned pro migrating your blog to WordPress? Looking to do more cool stuff with your existing WordPress blog? Then this fun guide is for you! WordPress for Dummies is a veritable smorgasbord of WordPress information, ideas, tools, resources, and instruction on everything you need to create and maintain your dream blog.

Unlike other blog hosts, WordPress gives you the ability to create a blog that is tailored to your own tastes and needs. Sure, the codes, tags, and terminology can seem a little intimidating at first, but WordPress for Dummies breaks it all down to show you just how intuitive, friendly, and extensible the software really is. This easy-to-follow guide shows you how to:

• Sign up for a free WordPress account
• Set up and use a hosted blog with WordPress.com
• Install and set up the WordPress.Org and WordPress.MU software for single- and multi-user versions
• Find great themes, plugins, and consultants that will help you achieve JUST the kind of blog you want
• Use tags to work with WordPress templates
• Combat challenges with comments, trackback spam, and �gsplogs�h
• Add special technologies to your blog, such as RSS feed, podcasting, vlogging, and photoblogging
• Find online support, tips, and resources for WordPress software

Whether you want to keep family and friends updated on your latest adventures, post pictures of your new puppy, or communicate your passion with millions of readers worldwide, WordPress for Dummies is your passport to creating the kind of blog that will keep your visitors coming back for more!

Options, selection, comparison, preview, quick shipping, feedback, follow up, more new options, . . .
Amazon rocks the shopping world!

I'm starting to build a website for a campus organization, and WordPress for Dummies has helped me know what needs to be done and how to do it. It's step-by-step instructions are a boon when you're doing your own webmastering!

When I first thought about moving to self-hosting and using Wordpress.org, I also thought a plugin was what connected my laptop to the wall.

I bought Wordpress For Dummies specifically because I wanted guidance on moving to Wordpress.org platform for self-hosting. This meant that the first part of the book (about Wordpress.com, how to start blogging, etc.) was largely ignored, but the part I needed was superb and well worth the cost of the entire book.

For a detailed story on how this book helped me make my move to Wordpress.org, see my blog post at http://shesgotbaggage.net/2008/10/done-woo/

Overall, I am very happy with this book. It gives great step-by-step instructions and wonderful recommendations for places to find themes, plugins, FTP, and so on, all of which have worked very well for me. If you need help getting set up with self-hosting and you want to use the Wordpress.org platform (which I also HIGHLY recommend for its functionality), Wordpress for dummies will get you there quickly and painlessly.

Rebekah
http://shesgotbaggage.net

Wordpress is not really an easy to use platform for people who know little to nothing about php or code. So, I got this book to get some help with the more complicated aspects of wordpress. To my amazement, this book does not shed any light on things like 1.) how to redirect a domain name I already own to my wordpress domain name 2.) How to change the code directly in the wordpress stylsheet to adjust my theme 3.) How to correct 404 errors etc.., the list goes on. This book focuses on the things you can figure out for yourself! I don't need to know how to edit a post, that's fairly intuitive. I needed this book to help me with the meat and potatoes of the wordpress platform and this book failed miserably at that. In addition, it's jumbled and hard to follow. Listen, don't waste your money, just google for helpful hints.

This is a good book if you have never used WordPress before. Not much info for advanced use.

Everybody�fs doing it! And while that logic never got far with your mother, it�fs a fine reason to start blogging, especially if you have a business to build or a cause to promote. Well-run blogs do more than offer an outlet for your thoughts. They�fve actually influenced everything from a company�fs image to the outcome of a local election.

Because the blogosphere is pretty crowded, it�fs a good idea to find out a bit about the anatomy of a blog, what makes a good one, and what it takes to keep one going before you dive right in and start sharing with the world. Blogging For Dummies, 2nd Edition gives you all the basics so you can get a good start. And if you�fve been around the blog a few times and want to advance to the next level, Blogging For Dummies, 2nd Edition even takes a look at podcasting and videoblogging.

You�fll find out how to:

• Make your blog stand out in a crowd, build an audience, and even make it pay
• Choose the best software options, boost readership, and handle comments
• Generate revenue from your blog with ads and sponsorships
• Protect your privacy and your job
• Deal with spam and the inappropriate comments from that guy who posts several times a day
• Find your niche
• Attract and keep readers
• Use your blog to promote your business, cause, or organization
• Add audio, video, cool widgets, and more

Ready? Get Blogging for Dummies and let�fs get started!

I really like these books, I just wish they didn't say 'for Dummies.' I own many of the 'Dummies' books and find all of them helpful. I really appreciate the shortcut sheets included in each book. Of the few books and online sources I could find on blogging, this one was the most user friendly.

Like many Dummies books, this book is comprehensive! It's a thorough introduction to blogging from rank Internet newbie, to the typical active
blogger seeking to learn more about the medium.

As a 2008 book, it's reasonably current. This is one of those Dummies books the publishers will need to update annually. I recommend readers always seek the latest possible edition of any blogging book, as popular technologies change so rapidly in the field. RSS, comment spam, social networks and podcasting are all given their due space. An entire chapter is devoted to adding and managing photos for your blog.

Two large chapters offer the fundamentals of blogging for business and adding advertising. This won't be specific enough to get any would-be pro blogger rich, but *does* provide enough basics to get started with affiliates, AdSense, TextLink Ads, AdBright and the like.

Lots of screen captures and sidebars explain complex concepts quite clearly. I enjoyed one sidebar in particular about why comment spam exists (and hint; it's more about page rank juice than possible click-throughs).

I'd recommend this book for the newbie through advanced blogging beginner. Intermediate level bloggers looking to to brush up on the basics would likely enjoy adding this as a reference to the bookshelf, and might find a few gems they originally missed.

Advanced bloggers won't find much useful here...but as it's a Dummies book, that's to be expected!

From all the blogging books targeting the beginner, this one offers the most bang for your buck, and really does a nice job of holding your hand along the way.

Don't let the "dummy" title fool you. With so many blog "how-to" papers written, I wanted a good "how-to" book that would walk me through and hold my hand as I venture into the blogosphere. Susannah Gardner and Shane Birley provide just that ... a perfect reference book that takes you one step at a time until you are ready to publish. Thanks Susannah and Shane.

The Christmas Trilogy (3CD/DVD)

Great book for the newbee, or moderate computer users

I'm toying with starting a blog with my distorted views of the world, both as to legal issues and general editorializing. This will help me along the way. The book is helpful to someone with some intelligence, but who is totally ignorant of application of techniques.

The influence of bloggers, podcasters, and users of other social media is profoundly disrupting the mainstream media and marketing industries. Paul Gillin s The New Influencers explores these forces, who these new influencers are, their goals and motivations, takes a look at the changes they have initiated, and offers strategies for marketing within this dynamic new macrocosm. The New Influencers explores: Why social media are now so influential in consumer decisions Interacting with those within the blogosphere How to take advantage of this new medium The need for complete transparency Strategies for both small and large businesses Whether your company or organization should start a blog

For those of us who are just getting into a website of our own, this is an exceptionaly helpful book. Paul Gillin is one of the eight or ten highly knowledgeable marketer's on the web, and focuses on how to communicate effectively with your constituents. With my lack of experience in the field, I spend time every day searching for ways to build traffic and market my company. Gillin is a godsend and he's created a model which he calls conversation marketing. I've found that it works. When a book achieves its goals, which Gillin's certainly does, that's the best possible recommendation.

Although it deals almost exclusively in detail with blogs and podcasts, and not too much with social networks and online communities, "The New Influencers" is a "must read" for anyone interested in next generation interactive online media. The author's analysis of the need for businesses, both large and small, to have an interactive "voice" online is right on the mark, as is his insight that its actually easier and immediate (and effective) for small businesses to begin to use blogs and podcasts than it is for larger more visible bureaucratic organizations. From his example of Thomas Mahon, the Saville Row tailor who revolutionized his business by using a blog to educate the world on quality tailoring, to Duane Keiser, who didn't make any money selling his art until he blogged, or the originations of the new media guerilla marketing firm NightAgency, Gillin does a good job of giving concrete, real world examples to back up statistics on interactive new media "influencers" influence. Right up there with "Groundswell," "We are smarter than Me," and "Smart Start-Ups," "The New Influencers" is one of a half a dozen or so books on the topic that deserve a permanent place in the library of any person or institution interested in or involved in the new world of social media.

Books about Web tools and strategies for marketers tend to be written hastily, for two reasons: primacy and recency. With respect to the former, the marketing consultants who write these books want to build visibility in the market quickly, and to be perceived as pioneers, because the competition is intense. With respect to the latter, the web environment evolves and shifts daily; so authors worry that taking time to cover these topics in depth, present meaningful case studies, verify factual accuracy, and polish prose might unduly delay publication beyond the point timeliness. Among the several books I've read about Web 2.0 marketing, Gillin's book is the most sophisticated, with ample real-world cases and examples -- and the least evangelistic. While many of the authors in this "space" come across as self-serving buzz-meisters, Gillin is enthusiastic but circumspect.

This book is a must-have if you want to know more about how to promote more effectively today. The Internet is not to be ignored!

Gillin not only goes into great detail about the power of The New Influencers but provides an exceptional collection of real-world examples that combine to create a veritable "How To" for anyone considering a conversation-based approach to marketing.

It happens in America every four decades and it is about to happen again. America's demand for change in the 2008 election will cause another of our country's periodic political makeovers. This realignment, like all others before it, will result from the coming of age of a new generation of young Americans-the Millennial Generation-and the full emergence of the Internet-based communications technology that this generation uses so well. Beginning in 2008, almost everything about American politics and government will transform-voting patterns, the fortunes of the two political parties, the issues that engage the nation, and our government and its public policy.

Building on the seminal work of previous generational theorists, Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais demonstrate and describe, for the first time, the two types of realignments-"idealist" and "civic"-that have alternated with one another throughout the nation's history. Based on these patterns, Winograd and Hais predict that the next realignment will be very different from the last one that occurred in 1968. "Idealist" realignments, like the one put into motion forty years ago by the Baby Boomer Generation, produce, among other things, a political emphasis on divisive social issues and governmental gridlock. "Civic" realignments, like the one that is coming, and the one produced by the famous GI or "Greatest" Generation in the 1930s, by contrast, tend to produce societal unity, increased attention to and successful resolution of basic economic and foreign policy issues, and institution-building.

The authors detail the contours and causes of the country's five previous political makeovers, before delving deeply into the generational and technological trends that will shape the next. The book's final section forecasts the impact of the Millennial Makeover on the elections, issues, and public policies that will characterize America's politics in the decades ahead.

Written a year before the 2008 election, Millenial Makeover explains why Obama's election was no fluke and was not simply a reaction to the G W Bush presidency. Rather it was a result--just one--of the most significant demographical and cultural change since the baby boom of 1946-60. The millenials are very different from the boomers and from Gen X. Read this and learn what's in store for America in the next twenty years.

A difficult book to read, but very challenging and informative. I enjoyed it very much.

Winograd and Hais theorize that American political constituencies cycle and recycle every 40-years with each cycle fueled by new technologies that empower new constituencies. Ostensibly, the millennial "civic purpose" generation, by some astrological virtue, is poised to assume a mantle of power. If the authors are correct, then the Greatest Generation was great because of its place in a 40-year cycle and not because of the harsh reality of having to fight Adolph Hitler or die.

To support their theory, the authors would have us believe that "long periods of great stability in electoral outcomes" can be deduced from a pattern like Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush (D, R, D, D, R, R, D, R, R, D, R).

Often, in place of real historical events, the authors cite contemporary fiction -- video philosophy from Star Wars' Yoda or fictional facts from J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" that match their worldview. Potter may demonstrate fictional millennial virtues, but the authors avoid Dolores Umbrage, the teacher whose politically correct teaching ignores actual useful defenses against the dark arts. A champion of central authority, as the authors suggest millennials are, she and the Ministry of Magic avoid at all costs facing the "reality" of evil. Life seems so much easier when history begins at dawn.

The authors presume that Democrats alone can pull this generation's technological sword from the stone. Never mind that technology is a tool for whoever cares to learn enough to use it -- not just Democrats or Republicans, but fundamentalists, radicals, and reactionaries of all persuasions. The authors overlook the 60-year-old ideas of Marshall McLuhan, who warned of the importance of a medium's cognitive effects. Lose your content and you lose your bearings.

The book promotes now-ness, technological infatuation, and me-ness to suggest millennials deserve power because they are who they are -- which makes them ripe for picking by any chameleon-like leader. Look elsewhere for help understanding the past or planning a future because this book is a honey-pot of buzzwords for the convinced.

"Millennial Makeover" presents a very interesting but not wholly convincing analysis of how politics may be shaped by the rise of the Millennials, or those born between 1982 and 2003. Relying far too much on a questionable cyclical reading of American history, Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais nonetheless demonstrate how the Millennial's embrace of new cultural attitudes and technologies will impact the political dialogue for decades to come. While the author's selective presentation of data tends to prompt far more questions than answers, the book succeeds in providing an interesting introduction to a subject that no doubt will be discussed and debated now and well into the future.

Mr. Winograd and Mr. Hais contend that American politics cycle through change about every forty years and experience a profound realignment about once every eighty years. The authors believe that these changes are typically spurred by the ideological exhaustion of prior generations and the introduction of new technologies that enable new political constituencies to form. In my view, this is problematic: critics such as David R Mayhew have pointed out that cyclical theorists are more often wrong than right; worse, as a theoretical construct, the methodology tends to close off lines of inquiry into the underlying reasons why voter preferences may be realigning, such as changes in economic or social conditions of the kind that one might suspect may be operative at the present time.

Fortunately, Mr. Winograd and Mr. Hais serve up plenty of raw meat and provide insight into the Millennials that might help us form our own opinions about what the future might hold. The authors explain how blogging and peer-to-peer technologies are empowering "netroots" activism and providing alternatives to broadcast media; they go on to argue that political parties must shift from prevailing money-and-media models to decentralized organizational structures. We are shown some interesting case studies where individuals have used YouTube and MySpace to win local contests against great odds and upset the conventional wisdom. These sections of the book succeed brilliantly as they draw upon the author's decades of experience in the political arena to shed new light on how profoundly the process is changing and how American democracy might be reinvigorated.

Yet somehow, the light that Mr. Winograd and Mr. Hais shines on the Millennial generation itself appears to be diffused. For example, one must wonder if the large numbers of Millennials who currently suffer from deficient healthcare and educational services might be represented disproportionately among those who favor greater government spending; might not this constitute a cry of desperation rather than one of enlightened civility, as the authors of this book seem to suggest? Unfortunately, the author's insistence on rolling up the Millennials into a single, undifferentiated mass makes it impossible for us to know. On this point, readers might do well to consider The Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlein who presents the Millennials as a generation whose critical thinking skills have been stupefied by an unprecedented abundance of mind-distracting media and technological gadgetry; contrary to Mr. Winograd and Mr. Hais, Mr. Bauerlein demonstrates that the Millennials possess a diminished knowledge of civics compared to prior generations and worse, generally lack the cognitive skills needed to distinguish between true and false claims of information.

Compounding the problem is that the authors seem determined to write a palliative for the Democratic Party faithful that proposes to show how its policy positions will align neatly with Millennial concerns. Although a reasonable person might well agree with the authors on the wisdom of their proposals, is it not also quite plausible that a repackaging of Republican Party-style 'ownership society' proposals might serve as a marketable (if not credible) response to our current social, economic and environmental crises? Indeed, the survey data presented about the Millennial's overly optimistic material expectations suggests that this generation has been conditioned by unprecedented levels of corporate messaging; presumably this could make Millennials susceptible to corporate greenwashing campaigns, corporate welfare state solutions, and the like. Indeed, to the extent that the Obama and McCain campaigns have championed national health care policies that feature prominent roles for private insurance companies, we may well be witnessing a realignment of voter preferences that merely determines the methods by which the corporate control of our democracy is intensified. Put another way, the evidence presented suggests that the pending realignment, if it materializes, will be political but far from radical.

In any case, the authors are to be congratulated for writing a stimulating book that helps us consider how major changes might well be in the offing. I recommend the book for everyone interested in political science and contemporary events.

Just as newspapers have shifted their primary emphasis from print to the Internet, so too has politics. The bottom-up dynamic, emblemized by user-generated content, is taking over in many spheres, and those who cling to old authoritarian top-down structures will become irrelevant.

There's more power in a user-generated video on youtube, produced at almost zero cost and gone viral, than in any traditional prepackaged million dollar TV ad campaign. Indeed, often the packaged claims are mercilessly pulled apart to great detriment to their makers by online hordes (witness Hillary's "3 AM" ad, or her claims of sniper fire) - and increasingly, the online hordes are the ones who are having the final word. (This also raises the specter of the digital divide, where only the plugged-in will recognize and understand the various waves of public opinion.)

A great move of democratization is well under way, and its pace is almost frightening. Print media can't keep up with the new newsflow. Even online news sites that do not encourage reader interactivity will wither. (These Amazon reviews were a trailblazer in creating the new interactive environment.)

This book argues two main points: that the upcoming generation has more in common with Democratic Party ideals than Republican, and that on top of that the Republicans have been late to recognize the seismic generationally- and technologically-driven shift beneath our feet.

This book will by no means be the final word on the subject. Both authors are committed Democrats, and though they strive to write without bias, it's a sure bet their theses will be answered by those on the other side of the fence. In the answering will develop a more circumspect, accurate picture - in a process mimicking the online refinement of opinion that the authors write about. Nonetheless this work lays an important foundation that the politically- and civic-minded of all persuasions would do very well to digest.

With the recipes in this book, you can take full advantage of the vast collection of community-contributed modules that make the Drupal web framework useful and unique. You'll get the information you need about how to combine modules in interesting ways (with a minimum of code-wrangling) to develop a variety of community-driven websites. Each chapter describes a case study and outlines specific requirements for one of several projects included in the book -- a wiki, publishing workflow site, photo gallery, product review site, online store, user group site, and more. With Using Drupal, you will:

• Get an overview of Drupal concepts and key modules introduced in each chapter, with a bird's-eye view of each module's specialty and how it works
• Explore various solutions within Drupal that meet the requirements for the project, with details about which modules are selected and why
• Learn how to configure modules, with step-by-step recipes for building the precise functionality the project requires
• Get information on additional modules that will make the project even more powerful
• Be able to access the modules used in the chapter, along with other resources

Newcomers will find a thorough introduction to the framework, while experienced Drupal developers will learn best practices for building powerful websites. With Using Drupal, you'll find concrete and creative solutions for developing the exact community website you have in mind.

"In CauseWired, Tom Watson has written the seminal book on peer-to-peer philanthropy and its counterpart movements in politics and branding."�|Charles Best, Founder, DonorsChoose.org

"Whether you're a net-native college student or a geezer like me, CauseWired is required reading if want to understand the future of activism and engagement. Tom Watson gives deep, insider perspectives on the transformative potential of social networking and other innovations for linking communication and compassion."�|Mario Morino, Chairman, Venture Philanthropy Partners

"With eloquence and enthusiasm borne of deep experience in the world of social change and philanthropy, Tom Watson describes the intersection of causes and technology and shares a compelling vision of a philanthropic future powered by the social web. This is an essential book about one of the Internet's most important functions: bringing people together to help make our world a better place."�|Peter Daou, Internet Advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton

"CauseWired is a fascinating look into the rapidly evolving world of the Internet, social networking, and social change. Watson demonstrates how individuals are using new digital outlets and tools�|most importantly, blogging, social networking, and online giving platforms�|to explore how we may each act to impact the critical events of our day, from the 2008 election to Hurricane Katrina and Darfur. His engaging writing style and breadth of perspective help us see not only what is happening today, but what will happen in the years to come as we each act upon our potential to change our world and communities."�|Jed Emerson, Managing Director for Integrated Performance, Uhuru Capital

"If you don't want to be left behind in our new wired society�|or if you're already behind�|this book is a must-read! Tom Watson has produced what could be a marketing bible for the field of philanthropy, and a primer for individuals who want to help change the world." �|Judy Miller, Director, Hilton Humanitarian Prize

An eye-opening guide to the massive societal impact of online social networks

For today's super-wired, always-on, live-life-in-public young Americans, the causes they support define who they are. Societal aspirations have so permeated the "net native" population that causes have become like musical tastes. CauseWired illustrates wired causes in action, bringing real-world stories to readers.

The first book to track the massive societal impact on causes of online social networks--from blogs, to video, to the rise of social networks, CauseWired reveals the extraordinary influence of online social networks--in raising money for charity, in changing the political climate and electing candidates, and in raising consciousness for causes.

From Facebook causes and campaigns on MySpace, to a raft of new startups and innovative projects, and political movements like the Obama campaign and Save Darfur, this immensely relevant book delivers actionable research and recommendations to help readers launch their own successful wired social campaigns.

Tom Watson (Mount Vernon, NY) is the publisher of onPhilanthropy.com and founder of newcritics.com, an online journal of culture. A contributing writer to the Huffington Post with a 25-year professional career that includes the founding of two companies and several popular online publications, he is Chief Strategy Officer of Changing Our World Inc., a national philanthropic services company.

Think you have to be a technical wizard to build a great web site? Think again. For anyone who wants to create an engaging web site--for either personal or business purposes--"Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual" demystifies the process and provides tools, techniques, and expert guidance for developing a professional and reliable web presence.

Like every Missing Manual, you can count on "Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual" to be entertaining and insightful and complete with all the vital information, clear-headed advice, and detailed instructions you need to master the task at hand. Author Matthew MacDonald teaches you the fundamentals of creating, maintaining, and updating an effective, attractive, and visitor-friendly web site--from scratch or from an existing site that's a little too simple or flat for your liking.

"Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual" doesn't only cover how to create a well-designed, appealing, smart web site that is thoroughly up to date and brimming with the latest features. It also covers why it's worth the effort by explaining the rationale for creating a site in the first place and discussing what makes a given web site particularly aesthetic, dynamic, and powerful. It further helps you determine your needs and goals and make well informed design and content decisions.

"Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual" includes a basic primer on HTML, working with JavaScript, and incorporating services like Paypal's shopping cart, Amazon's associate program, and Google AdSense and AdWords. It delivers advanced tricks for formatting, graphics, audio and video, as well as Flash animation and dynamic content. And you'll learn how to identifyand connect with your site's audience through forms, forums, meta tags, and search engines.

This isn't just another dry, uninspired book on how to create a web site. "Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual" is a witty and intelligent guide for all of you who are ready to make your ideas and vision a web reality.

This is a good reference book. However, if you know nothing about creating web sites it may be of little use. Also, if you wish to start a blog or a blogging business, this book is NOT for you! It only talks about [...], which is so easy to use it hardly deserves a chapter.

A great book for any novice trying to build a web site. The book is divided into clear sections each giving excellent advise and information. I recommend this to anyone starting a web site. If you are fortunate enough to have Dreamweaver software for web creating I also strongly recommend "Dreamweaver 8 - The Missing Manual.

Now a days, creating a web site is more about design than development; resources exist on the internet where millions of web developers will share their ideas and creativity for free - but how does one access it and where are these resources located�| The Missing Manual Series, Creating Web Sites addresses these questions and more. This book is an excellent starter book for those who are just getting their feet wet in the world of web design, development and programming, but that's not to say that an expert wouldn't find this book a handy resource. Creating Web Sites also answers a lot of questions that I had about different aspects of web development. The section on e-commerce and the other web resources referenced within the book, points you to the right places in which to grab code, and get ideas to build great web sites. The Missing Manual series is one that I recommend to everyone (this is the 2nd book from the series I own) - all the books are very thorough, but easy to follow; if you're a novice this book should be required, if you're a pro this should be a handy resource to add to your library.

I have been searching for a good, fairly insightful, starter book on what to do to set up a website, that wasn't too advanced or way to boring.

This is it! The author knows his stuff, brings it into the learning forum in such a way that you are excited to read the next section and re-read for additional insights previously completed sections.

I am going to use this book, and will probably buy more by the same author/publisher.

Some of the introductions are a little dated (i.e. jokes that reference beanie babies, etc.), but the other content of the book is still pretty current. This is a really helpful book for the beginning web designer. It is definitely a good reference to have, espically for design students. This book covers things that appear in the software Dreamweaver. It discusses codes for things such as CSS, HTML, etc.