Why Goodreads Is Becoming the Social Network for Readers

Goodreads is quietly becoming my favorite social network for discovering new things to read. It’s a simple, low-key meeting place for readers, reviewers, and non-influencers who are likely to get excited when they find a used bookstore while on vacation.

Influencer culture has changed the essential nature of social media channels. For every new platform, there is an emerging influencer culture. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does tend to create a lot of noise. To be influencers, people have to make noise, so it makes sense.

Interview with “Likeonomics” Marketing Author Rohit Bhargava

Every once in a while, you read a business book and it becomes obvious that what you’ve been doing…is wrong. You know at that moment that you need to start doing things differently.

I had that feeling the first time I read “Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity And How Great Brands Get it Back” by Rohit Bhargava. At the time, Rohit was a co-worker at Ogilvy and I was reading the book as a professional courtesy. I mean, sure, he was a smart guy, super nice, and seemed to understand marketing, but I wasn’t expecting much. Most marketing books are bland and theoretical. Short on insight and long on catchphrases.

But Rohit’s book was different. It was clear that Rohit had taken great pains to write a book that went beyond basic theories social media and marketing. It was an insightful, actionable book that is as relevant today as when it was published in 2008.