Thanks to my PR buddy, I got a ticket to see Scott Stratten speak at an event in Ottawa last month. It was a great evening, an entertaining talk, and everyone walked away with a copy of his new book. Or, books, since it’s a kinda two-in-one deal.
I read The Book of Business UnAwesome first, because I like the dark side of things, apparently. I measure a book worthwhile if it influences how I think about an event, a story, a concept, or a person. The Book of Business UnAwesome is full of examples of how the misuse, lack of use, or abuse of social media can damage brands, impact companies, and even end careers. It is better than any how-to guide on social media.
You should read it, and here are some highlights why:
Chapter 15, Page 41 - “Not getting stabbed should not be a measure of success” With humour, Scott smacks us all upside the head to remind us to raise the bar when measuring results.
Chapter 18, Page 53 - The footnote quotes Wayne’s World: “I have a large collection of name tags and hairnets” Any book which imparts useful business information AND references Wayne’s World is worth buying. It was such a seminal movie for those of us who grew up in a Toronto suburb in the late 70s/early 80s.
Scott, his book, me, and the world’s largest nametag.
Chapter 21 for the phrase “keyboard commandos”. I realize Scott didn’t invent the term, but I love the way he explained how the actions of a keyboard commando can cause harm. It is a great reminder to try to directly deal with real people to resolve an issue, before spewing forth an angry online rant.
Chapter 36, Page 116 - “Twitter doesn’t fix things; it just makes things louder” One sentence simplifies the entire challenge and power of Twitter.
Chapter 39, Page 124 - “Never meet your heroes” In the past, when I heard that statement, my gut reaction was “but how bad could it really be?? If I love and admire the work of the writer/artist/activist then I wouldn’t hate the personality and values of real person.” Then I read Scott’s story of getting to know Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert. Not only will I never look at a Dilbert cartoon the same way again, I’m now hesitant to learn about my heroes. Um, thanks for that, Scott.
Next week: I turn the first-ever business flip-book and share highlights of The Business Book of Awesome.
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