Leslie PostonBesprekingen

I received this book through a GoodReads First Reads giveaway.

Social Media Metrics for Dummies isn't the sexiest book you will pick up; however, you use any form of social media (twitter, blogs, facebook, google+, etc.), you should pick this book up. This book is the typical low-stress and easy-to-understand For Dummies format; and it will teach you how to create and track statistics on your social media presence.

Before I begin to gush about this book, I need to talk about the For Dummies series in general. I love the For Dummies books, because they give you a basic understanding of any subject (from algebra to opera) and provide you with the resources of where to go to next if you need more information on your topic. This is so helpful when you are a bit overwhelmed by a subject. Also, For Dummies books usually have great figures, pictures, diagrams, and inset boxes to help you further understand trickier subjects.

Ok, let's talk about Social Media Metrics for Dummies. I received this book at the perfect time in my life. I decided that I wanted to start getting more into social media (twitter, blogging, etc) for my reading and book reviewing (check out my profile for more info1) recently. One publisher sent me an ARC; however, they wanted me to tell them how many unique visitors my blog gets. Well, I had no idea, but I thought this would be good information to have. A few days later, I received this book, and I learned how to track the number of unique visitors my blog receives (and a whole lot more!).

This is a great book for people who want an introduction to tracking your social media metrics. Leslie Poston suggests lots of free options, so the reader isn't expected to start shelling out lots of money. I know that this is a book that I will return to over and over again.

A very basic book. Not a lot of food for thought. A bit disappointing. Many of my Twitter questions that inspired me to purchase the book were never answered.

A very basic book. Not a lot of food for thought. A bit disappointing. Many of my Twitter questions that inspired me to purchase the book were never answered.

A must, must read for anyone who hasn't yet figured out Twitter's potential to revolutionize web-based communication, especially pertinent for those who wish to build their networks and market themselves as writers, artists, or persons of business.

A peculiarity of these books is that, if you add "is" as the third-to-last title word, the titles become true-or-false propositions. E.g., "Math is for dummies" would clearly be false, and "Astrology is for dummies" would certainly be true. So, as far as I am concerned, would "Twitter is for dummies" be true or false? The book left me unsure, and I may have to try opening a Twitter account to come to a conclusion.

From a beginner (already had a basic account set up on Twitter) point of view, I found this book very good in getting an overview of the Twitterverse. There are a lot of handy tips to maximise your enjoyment of the social aspects, as well as maximising effectiveness for business-related goals on Twitter.