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Social networks can be so much more than a way to find your high school friends or learn what your favorite celebrity had for breakfast. They're places where we can share our stories, connect with others (even others-gasp!-not like us), and build empathetic relationships that change the world. But the world needs many different kinds of voices to make these conversations work. We need you!
Longtime political tech geek Deanna Zandt examines social networks with a wide-angle lens, getting past the hype and going right to the bottom line: their rich potential for advancing positive change. She illustrates how sharing builds trust and empathy, explains the need for authenticity, offers advice for both individuals and organizations-and shows you how to have some fun along the way.
Preface ix
1 The Power of Sharing 1
Welcome to the Future, or, The Birth of Sharing 2
Sharing for the Rest of Us 4
How the Magic Happens 6
Freedom of Information Act(ion) 9
How Connectors Feed the Magic of Sharing 12
Onward, Young Sharer 14
2 Are We There Yet? 15
Why the Aggregation of Influence Is a Bad Thing 16
A Brief State of the Internet Union 17
The Dangers of Replicating Bias and Exclusion Online 21
Won't Mobile Fix Everything? 26
Change, Not Band-Aids 28
3 We Are What You Share 29
Trading in Karma 29
On the Internet, Everybody Knows You're a Dog 35
Your Life Makes History 39
Diving In 43
How Sharing Inspires Social Change 46
Authenticity, the Great Equalizer 50
Know Your Network, Know Yourself 51
4 Trust Everyone 55
The Anatomy of Organic Authority 56
Institutional Authority on the Hot Seat 57
Size Doesn't Matter-Relationships Do 59
Avoiding the Newest Numbers Trap 62
An Abundance of Attention 65
Information Wildfires 68
I'm Not Dead Yet: Stopping Info Misflow 69
When Twittering Goes Awry 71
Lessons of Iran's Aftermath 73
Your Networks Save the Day 75
Your Network's Role in Building and Managing Your Authority-Sanely 78
Playing by New Rules 80
5 Sharing Is Daring 81
Free-For-All Organizing, and the Secret Tyrants We All Axe 81
How to Be a Useful Agent of Change 87
Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh, My(Space)! The Fears People Have 89
The Monsters Under the Bed 91
The Benefits Far Outweigh the Hard Parts 100
Conclusion: What the Future Holds 103
Resources
Yeah, But... 107
Tips for Individuals 115
Tactics for Organizations 127
Crowdfunding Share This! 143
Notes & Treats 149
Acknowledgments 163
Index 167
About the Author 173
Social activist and media guru Deanna Zandt proclaims, "Don't let your fear of social networks keep you from joining in the conversation." She explains that the new ecosystem developing online needs everyone's voice to be healthy. A diverse group, she believes, must engage online, sharing their stories, experiences and opinions. Zandt's easy-to-understand, conversational style helps dispel some of the fear surrounding new technologies, as do the resources, tips and tactics she includes in the closing chapters. Zandt makes a good case for joining in, but leaves the details about how activists should use social media to others. getAbstract recommends this book to anyone looking to understand the online fray as well as to those interested in social change.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.elizabethrmiller
Posted May 24, 2010
You know when you read something that is so great you want to just run down the street and tell everyone that they need to read it, like right now? Yeah, well that's happened to me this weekend when I started (and finished) reading Share This!: How You Will Change the World with Social Networking, by Deanna Zandt.
Zandt is a media technologist as well as a consultant to key progressive media organizations including AlterNet and Jim Hightower's Hightower Lowdown, and hosts TechGrrl Tips on GRITtv with Laura Flanders. She specializes in social media, and is a leading expert in women and technology, which clearly gives her a unique background to write this book.
Some of the key ideas that Zandt explores in the book is looking at how social networks are places where we share stories and connect with others. I love that she recognizes that these are not necessarily new phenomena, but that she takes the time to help readers understand how the technology changes the spaces in which we do this as a society. She does this by discussing in depth the issues of trust, authenticity and privacy. At the heart of the book is examining how building empathetic relations really can change the world and she provides clear-cut examples of how this is possible.
This book is funny, engaging, and true to life. You'll find yourself agreeing with Zandt at so many turns and understanding yourself in relationship to social media infinitely better after reading the book. And no matter what you background level in social media is I guarantee that you will find this book entertaining and useful. Also, I rarely ever read the "Resources" section of a book, but I think that this section may be one of the book's greatest strengths. It answers the "so what do I do know" questions you may have, and has really great questions/answers related to some of the key themes, tips for individuals, and insights on how to manage information overload.
Anonymous
Posted August 10, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted August 31, 2010
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Overview
Social networks can be so much more than a way to find your high school friends or learn what your favorite celebrity had for breakfast. They're places where we can share our stories, connect with others (even others-gasp!-not like us), and build empathetic relationships that change the world. But the world needs many different kinds of voices to make these conversations work. We need you!
Longtime political tech geek Deanna Zandt examines social networks with a wide-angle lens,...