andreweverett360 Book Review, General

Crowdsourcing

crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing

by Daren C. Brabham

Daren Brabham defines crowdsourcing as “an online, distributed problem-solving and production model that leverages the collective intelligence of online communities to serve specific organizational goal.” He emphasizes that “the locus of control regarding the creative production of goods and ideas exists between the organization and the public, a shared process of bottom-up, open creation by the crowd and top-down management by those charged with serving an organization’s strategic interests.” Continue reading “Crowdsourcing” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, General

Planner Pet Peeves and Supplier Pet Peeves

planner-pet-peevessupplier-pet-peeves

Planner Pet Peeves: Straight talk for meetings industry suppliers; how planners really think, act, and buy

Supplier Pet Peeves: Straight talk for meetings industry planners; what suppliers really think about how we behave

by Shawna Suckow

This is a unique pair of books aimed at educating buyers and sellers in the event industry about how they can work more efficiently with each other. Understanding the other side of the business helps to avoid conflict and streamline communications.  Shawna Suckow has surveyed senior meeting planners and suppliers to uncover their biggest frustrations. Continue reading “Planner Pet Peeves and Supplier Pet Peeves” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, General

Everything Is Miscellaneous

everything-is-miscellaneous

Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder

by David Weinberger

In the past, physical limitations led to classifications systems in which everything was forced into a single category. A library patron needed to know which shelf contained a particular book, so each book was assigned a category within the Dewey Decimal system. In the digital world, it is more useful for things to have multiple classifications.

“Reality is multifaceted. There are lots of ways to slice it. How we choose to slice it up depends on why we’re slicing it up.” Continue reading “Everything Is Miscellaneous” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, General

The Quick and Easy Guide to Mind Map

quick-easy-mind-map

The Quick and Easy Guide to Mind Map

by Thomas C. Randall

This book introduces the topic of mind mapping.  A mind map is a diagram used to visually communicate the relationships between ideas.  The mind map starts with a keyword or short phrase. Lines are drawn out to sub-ideas, then to sub-sub-ideas if applicable.

The book explains several uses for mind maps, such as: Continue reading “The Quick and Easy Guide to Mind Map” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, General

Farewell to Manzanar

farewell-to-manzanar

Farewell to Manzanar

by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston

Farewell to Manzanar is the autobiography of Jeanne Wakatsuki, who was seven years old in 1942, when the U.S. government forced Japanese-American families from their homes, and relocated them to internment camps.  She tells the story of life at the Manzanar camp, as well as her family’s difficulty in resuming a normal life after the camp closed, including her personal struggle to fit in with white kids at school. Continue reading “Farewell to Manzanar” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, General

The Higher Education Bubble

the-higher-education-bubble

The Higher Education Bubble

by Glenn Harlan Reynolds

In the first decade of the new millennium we saw the dot-com bubble and housing bubble end badly. In this concise 48-page booklet, University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds explains why higher education will be the next bubble to burst. “Bubbles burst when there are no longer enough excessively optimistic and ignorant folks to fuel them.” Continue reading “The Higher Education Bubble” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, General

Think India

Think India: The Rise of the World’s Next Great Power and What It Means for Every American

by Vinay Rai and William L. Simon

Vinay Rai is clearly a cheerleader for his native country, so in that sense the book is biased, but informative and interesting nonetheless.

India has a rich history. “In the early eighteenth century… India, rich in resources and at peace with the world, accounted for an incredible twenty-five percent, more or less, of global trade; by the time the British boarded their ships in 1947, India accounted for no more than one percent of global trade.” Continue reading “Think India” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, General

Building a WordPress Blog People Want to Read

Building a WordPress Blog People Want to Read

by Scott McNulty

This is a good book about setting up a blog using WordPress, but the title is misleading. It is not a book about content. It’s a guide to setting up, customizing, and maintaining the WordPress platform for blogging.

There are two main options for blogging with WordPress. You can set up a free blog hosted on wordpress.com.  This is easier, but the functionality is limited. Or you can download free software from wordpress.org and install it on your own web server. The book concentrates on the latter approach. Continue reading “Building a WordPress Blog People Want to Read” →