Jane Bozarth's new book on Social Media

Jane Bozarth has a new book out on social media. The timing is perfect. I know my clients, including corporate, academic, and military, want to develop four areas of their own advanced learning strategies:

• Mobile
• Computer Games and Simulations
• Social Media I
• Social Media II

(Now, I admit that I am probably the only person who breaks social media into two categories. For me, the first social media grouping includes blogs, wikis, YouTube or YouTube-Like applications, and podcasts. The second category of social media includes Facebook, Twitter, and arguably components of giant online role-playing environments like Second Life and World of Warcraft. Typically, "gurus" giving presentations talk about sexy Social Media II, but what really gets implemented (at least by my clients) is the more prosaic Social Media I.)

Regardless of whether you agree with my own distinction or not, Bozarth's book takes you on a practical and helpful tour all of the relevant social media forms (in I and II). She explains in clear terms with a lot of hand-holding not only what they are, but also where to use them. Finally, she does something that I really appreciate, which is explain a lot of the etiquette and syntax for participating in each of the various approaches. For those who are afraid of coming off as a newbie (or worse), this is like Fodor's.

Check out the book if you are interested in an introduction to this ever-increasingly relevant section of our industry: