Six Pixels Of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business To Everyone.

I enjoyed this book because Mitch Joel understands the importance of balance in our personal and business lives. He knows that community and our commitment to it, is key to our well being and ultimately our success, in all areas of our life.

Very timely and a great resource book as well.

I picked up this book based upon a few other recommendations and the superb blog and podcast that author Mitch Joel has been conducting for years (both of which you should check out).

It did not disappoint and I would recommend it to anyone. Joel writes incredibly accessibly and offers practical/usable insights and steps. It is particularly helpful to entrepreneurs who may not be all that familiar with the digital space and/or social media.

Usually for me, there is one book that I read each year that I would say to anyone "It's a must read" - for 2009 this is THE book. With some books I buy they are hard to pick up again - with Six Pixels of Separation I found it hard to put down - in face I have started to already read it again! This book will go on my list of resources that I expect every client to read and implement as part of their personal branding development.

Mitch Joel of Twist Image has written a book on the importance of online brand building and digital marketing that should appeal to every business owner and marketer, because there are tips, resources and tools that we all can use. But it goes beyond just being for the service professional or entrepreneur, much of what Mitch talks about can be easily translated to anyone looking to manage their personal brands in a digital age.

What I particularly enjoyed was Mitch's writing style and layout of the book. An ex-journalist can be as much a curse as a blessing, but Mitch has been blogging and podcasting for over 5 years. The content and value that he provides almost daily in those mediums has transferred so well in to the book and he has interspersed this with real life examples of his own learnings (he admits he has not done it all correctly) and also has many insights in to the way that others have built and developed their brands.

Bottom line is that if you are not involved in social media, web 2.0 or any other 'new form' of connecting then Mitch almost pleads that you have to be - no question, no excuses, no option. He makes strong cases for even the smallest of business to be there and benefit from their involvement, with a very heavy emphasis that it's not about marketing and advertising, but collaborating and connecting with your customer and potential customers.

Do not put this book on a 'one day I will read this' or buy it and then add to the pile by your bedside. Put all those other books, articles, magazines etc you are reading to one side and invest your time in a book that will shift your thinking, challenge your beliefs and cause you to take action not out of fear of missing out or being too late but out of excitement for the opportunity and the sheer fun of it all.

As the title says - "Everyone is Connected, Connect Your Business to Everyone"

Simply put, this debut by Mitch Joel is a definite must-read for business owners, managers or people just wanting to better understand the digital/social media landscape.

Written in an easygoing, approachable style and without tossing around a lot of confusing techno-babble, Joel takes the commonly understood concept of "six degrees of separation" into the digital landscape of "six pixels" and explains the importance of being connected.

The book is as much about understanding new media and personal branding as it is about rudimentary connectedness between people on a personal level.

Throughout the book, Joel continues to come back to the concept of using social and digital media not as a marketing broadcast mechanism, but something that creates real value. In producing this book and his podcast of the same name, Joel definitely walks the talk by creating something of incredible value.