Gillin not only goes into great detail about the power of The New Influencers but provides an exceptional collection of real-world examples that combine to create a veritable "How To" for anyone considering a conversation-based approach to marketing.

As a small business owner I am overwhelmed with the marketing opportunities presented to me on a daily basis. From Print ads to Online Media I have thousands of options with a small amount of experience in any of it. Paul Gillin lays out social media marketing in an easy to understand format. This is not a "How to" or "For Dummies" book, but a journey through a media with history and commonsense principles that makes your mind explore. Countless times throughout this book I had to stop and "Google" what he was talking about. Not that he confused me by his content, but I became inquisitive on what I could be doing in my market.

With the advancement of the Facebook and Myspace generation, my challenge to reach them was in my mind un-acheivable. After reading Paul's book I now feel that I am just a few clicks away from them.

Who should read this book?
Small Business owners who are looking to leap ahead of the competition, or any marketing consultant is frustrated with the failure of conventional media.

Final thoughts- I am looking forward to advancement of my business through the understanding - "not just participating" in Social Media Marketing. If you are interested in my journey please follow it at: http://www.modernphotographics.com. Don't forget to listen to our new podcast, and I hope enjoy reading our Blog.

Thanks Paul for uncovering a very overwhelming yet unexplored market.

I am half way reading the book and so far the book has capture my attention of how micro persuasion can eventually lead to centre stage headline. The book also differentiates between the mindset of a journalist and a blogger. The book also mentions the approach the blogosphere has adapt itself in seeking the truth of any issue in comparison of normal journalistic work. I am eager to know how the book will show marketers to use the social media to create better conversation & engage the customers.

A veteran magazine man and tech enthusiast, Gillin in a good position to point out the many things that distinguish new media from old. If you're new to social media, this book will help you make sense of it all.

I like Gillin's analogy of the campfire. The campfire is probably the oldest social venue on the planet. The top-down style of communication that has defined mass media for 150 years is artificial, but it was the best we could do given the limitations of technology. Now technology has changed the rules, and it becomes possible to recreate the campfire in cyberspace.

If you're a PR person or marketing person and you want to influence the influencers, you must find them and understand what's relevant to them, Gillin says. But be aware that influence is not easy to measure. It doesn't lend itself to a single number, and no single search engine can provide a definitive blogger ranking. You have to consider quantitative and qualitative measures.

The trouble with books about blogging and social media is that they become outdated almost as soon as they're published. So, if you're going to read this excellent overview of the new dynamics of marketing and public relations, read it now. Gillin, a career journalist, backs up his ideas with plenty of research, real world examples, and mini-biographies of movers and shakers among the "New Influencer" community.

For me, the two best parts of the book came at the very end, where Gillin reflects on the tensions between old and new journalism, and describes how the evolution of technology since the 1950's led to the incredibly interconnected world we operate in today. Fascinating stuff.

This book will be helpful for any journalist or marketer who wants to get up to speed on marketing and PR trends and best practices.

I bought this after reading all of the glowing reviews, but I guess I should have read between the lines. When other reivewers say this book is the one to buy if you're clueless about social marketing, they aren't kidding. If you know even a little about blogging, which is what this book spends most of its time on virtually ignoring other forms of social marketing, then you'll be left with a bunch of stories about awesome bloggers would did awesome things with little to no real advice on how to do something awesome yourself. Gillin seems to worship the ground bloggers walk on and spends most of the book, including all of the first couple of chapters, saying so. There are endless profiles and anecdotes but little "how to". By page 40, I found myself saying "so what?" a lot. If you like reading profiles and "case study lite" type stories, then get this book. If you're looking for information on how to actually engage in social marketing (especially other than blogs), influence people and use social marketing to improve your business, a quick search on the net would turn up more useful (and free!) information.

The New Influencers is an insightful overview of how marketer's can integrate social media into their branding and awareness programs. It provides a candid assessment of an emerging phenomenon, with practical examples and an honest and straightforward assessment of today's realities, the roles we all play, and how to welcome emerging and often hard-to-manage tools to influence a market. This is a must-read for all PR people, journalists, marketing firms and CEOs struggling to deliver messages to evolving markets.

The market is quickly getting flooded with books on social media platforms and techniques. The New Influencers rises above that noise by providing an excellent overview of the marketplace as well as a great deal of practical advice you can put to use today.

Author Paul Gillin, the former editor-in-chief of ComputerWorld magazine, presents a thoroughly researched look at how yesterday's word-of-mouth model has evolved into the socially-networked world we live in today. Gillin does a great job of keeping things interesting by mixing in a number of interviews and profiles of noteworthy influencers. This book also has a fantastic companion website that provides updates and bonus material, including the audio recordings of several influencer interviews.

This subject is definitely a constantly moving target but Paul Gillin does a remarkably good job of summarizing the social media of today as well as a glimpse of the future. If you're involved in any sort of marketing you definitely need to read this book.

I bought this book after hearing Paul speak at the Public Relations Society of America International Conference in October 2007. Just finished reading it on the beach in Oahu (will have to shake out the sand before I bring it back into the office).

This engaging and well-written (though it could use some more proofreading) book provides many real-world examples and practical advice on how those of us with deep roots in the traditional marketing and PR worlds can respond to the challenges and opportunities of new media/social media. I will use Paul's book as a guide to help me:
1. Find the new influencers in my market; and
2. Much more important, make sure my organization becomes an important infuencer.

Thanks, Paul

"The New Influencers" is the right book at the right time. Paul Gillin has taken a snapshot of the chaos that is known as Web 2.0, specifically the social networking aspects, and broken down the opportunities for marketers and "C level" executives. It's incredibly difficult to take a breath when you're in the throws of keeping up with technological trends and their impact on consumers, this book puts the breaks on- allowing the reader to make sense of it all in a timely fashion.

Terms like; "conversation marketing", "blog swarms", "supernodes", "special interest communities", "transparency", "link economy", "tagging", "peer power", and "aggregation engines" are just some of the terms in today's Web 2.0 lexicon. If you feel overwhelmed by the Web 2.0 speak, give this book a read.

"The New Influencers" puts a rational perspective on what's happening from a guy who knows technology. Paul Gillin incorporates several illustrative stories that tell the short but important history of Web 2.0 and its key players. Taking the time to write this book and tell the relatively short history of Web 2.0 is the key here. If you don't know the players and the technologies by now, how will you prepare for Web 3.0 which may be just around the corner?

Marketers aspire to have that one-to-one with consumers in which there's two-way communication. With the rise of the social media, marketers have scrambled to attach themselves to the coattails of phenomena such as MySpace, Facebook, Second Life and others. Enthusiast sites, blogosphers and online portals where customers can express themselves, be heard, and connect with their peers certainly holds appeal and promise. But the fact remains that some elements that come along with two-way communication are - in a word - terrifying.

As Gillin writes, "Powerful voices are emerging: people and groups who have the capacity to move markets and challenge institutions". Never before has one consumer had the potential to directly impact the company's business and reputation. These "new influencers" are passionate, outspoken and they now have plenty of platforms to be heard.

Gillin navigates you through the ins and outs of this social medium. He gives real-world examples of what works, what doesn't, and why. If you have only one take-away from this book, understand rule #1 is that you must be genuine in your intentions as well as your communications. The New Influencers will know the difference and respond passionately for better or for worse.

But if you're brave enough to put your customers in the driver's seat AND you're genuine in your commitment to provide a service to them, you just may witness your customers transform into powerful brand advocates and champions.

This book explores the new ways that people get information. In an age with technology that is becoming more advanced, people are logging onto the internet to get their news. With all of these people on the internet, they are bound to bump into one of the newest, most influential medias on the net: bloggers.
Bloggers are free to express their opinions on any topic, and many people are reading these blog posts. Gillin talks about this with great detail, and his grasp of the subject is quite impressive. Before reading this book, I knew that there were a lot of blogs and bloggers out there, but I was not aware of how often they were being read and the power that they have.
Gillin also talks about social networking is becoming more popular, and is giving a new way for people to find a spot to voice their thoughts.

The New Influencers is a detailed and thought-out explanation of the recent trend towards blogging and social media. Furthermore, it takes a marketing point-of-view and identifies opportunities marketers can take advantage of as well as warns against mistakes that marketers can make if not properly educated on the "rules" of the blogoshpere. I found the parts relating to transparency and credibility to be the most fascinating. Paul argues that because bloggers are so entrenched and devoted to the particular cause that they write about, that they are credible and not likely to fabricate their content. Although I personally have trouble believing that writers with no formalized "checks and balances" will write truthfully, Paul does provide decent examples and arguments that are worth considering.

I just hope marketers move in the direction of working with the influencers of social media instead of attempting to exploit and manipulate them. I would expect hostile retaliation and criticism if a company was exposed doing so. If anything, we are still in a period of transition and have still not yet seen the true potential of new digital communications. In face, I feel that two-way communication is still one layer in the ever growing and changing world of marketing.

From The War of the Worlds era to the New Influencer era, the author clearly points out the difference between the effects of old media and new media.
In old times, people just received what they can get from the media passively; they watched TVs, listened to radio, and read newspaper to get new information. The era of one-way communication with media has gone. According to the author, blogs now are the most popular two-way communication tool and will be stronger in the near future. Interpersonal communication no longer needs to be face-to-face; it works well in the blogs, too. People use blogs to communicate with their friends, strangers, or even customers to establish relationships. The author indicates the business function of blogs, telling us the importance of capitalizing on this new media tool.

In, 'The New Influencers,' Paul Gillan analyzes just how far the impact of the blogosphere and online technologies are felt. It moves seemingly at the speed of light and plays by its own rules. More importantly for marketers to understand is that blogs put the consumer in the drivers seat. Bloggers are honest about what they think and they're not afraid to advocate for or against a product. News and information spread like wildfire and this can serve to help or hurt businesses.

New Influencers helps marketers to understand the nuances of blogging culture and exactly how blogs can help businesses learn how to form new relationships with their customers to grow sustain and grow into the future.

It's amazing how Gillin managed to speak the mind of a generation that he obviously doesn't belong to. When I signed up to Facebook and Myspace early this year and I got hocked to the game of social networking, I personally thought that those networks can be a great advertising play, because of the enormous database of people's demographics, relationships, likes and dislikes that can be used for targeted advertising. And here comes Gillin to prove to me that what I thought about is true.

It's sincerely a very essential book for any marketer to read, Gillin talks about how social networks media has revolutionized the structure of traditional media, and the great impact the members of those social networks can have on current marketing trends. Gillin suggests that we're living at a time where marketers must establish a two-way communication scheme with their consumers, meaning, they need to exchange information with their consumers in the form of conversations rather than just delivering information in the form of advertising.

This book is more of an eye-opener, the whole idea of ordinary people in social online-networks can influence marketing products and services has actually always been there in the back of our minds - speaking on behalf of my generation - but we don't came to realize it until someone speaks this idea to us and put it in a very structured manner.

The only drawback of this book from my own point of view is that Gillin seems to be an observer of the entire situation rather than an analyst in many parts of the book. He focused on illustrating the general picture of how social media is vital in today's marketing rather than going deeper into the little nitty gritty of social media, he didn't draw a diagram on how to implement this idea and bring it to the advantage of today's marketing practices. So he sort of inspires the reader to come up with more questions rather than feeding them with answers, which makes it also interesting in so many ways, as long as it can motivate the reader to think more and take those little thoughts to a different level of realization, then I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Nevertheless, I believe it's a very important book for any marketing specialist in the modern world.

The New Influencers is an insightful look into the emerging world of viral marketing and its use of the internet space. In the 21st century, the good old fashioned "word of mouth" has gone hi tech and is more powerful to make or break products than ever before. Surprised and often unprepared marketers and big companies alike are starting to pay attention.

Paul Gillin uses colorful examples of David vs. Goliath scenarios in which a single guy from his bedroom with nothing but a computer and a tape recorder is able to draw attention to an issue and change the way AOL does business. It is both empowering and a little scary, forcing us to realize that the roles of leaders and followers have forever been redefined.

The book offers valuable tips on how to gain the benevolence of the new influencers and play by their rules. Honesty, good product and openness is nothing new from the traditional PR but self criticism, a specific voice and interesting content is the real challenge in the highly competitive "blogosphere". Gillin gives great examples of successful blogs and their owners' path to glory.

The book is a well written attempt to define the uncharted territories of the new social media and this unprecedented phenomenon that challenges to take over the century old power of big publishing houses and mighty TV companies. Today everyone can be a writer, editor, publisher and influencer of his or her peers. It is literally, power to the masses.

I wouldn't go as far as to agree with Paul Gillin's dire prediction of the demise of big media but I acknowledge the book successfully measures the pulse of the innovative ways our society reads, writes, buys, likes and criticizes.

The book's contents are well written and well arranged. Especially, it is very useful and informative for new-age marketers and PR. Gillian used the real world example to create a clear picture of new social media's phenomenon. He also gave the actual profiles of the new influencers and how they successfully impacted on markets through the use of new media including bloging, podcasting, and web-video marketing. Knowing this will get marketers ready and make a right move for the next change in the marketing world. Moreover, don't ever underestimate the power of individuals in influencing on the whole market. You don't have to believe every thing in the book. But, at least, it will open your eyes and, automatically, make you look at the cyber world closer.

Paul Gillin uses his book as a large case study of the reasons why social media should be a part of your company's marketing efforts. Logistically he explains the maintenance of keeping a blog: how it works, the rules that bloggers "live by," tracking systems, and every and all things relating to blogs. More importantly though, he expresses with great passion the importance blogging will have on the role of public relations and marketing. His belief is that blogs will change the way these two disciplines are organized and implemented and he provides solid proof that supports his opinion.

Gillin begins by highlighting the significance blogs have gained in today's marketplace. He explains that "Powerful voices are emerging: people and groups who have the capacity to move markets and challenge institutions" and points out that these people can be found on blogs. An interesting point that he alludes to is the idea of "conversation marketing" which as he explains is "dialog with customers in which useful information is exchanged so that both parties benefit from the relationship." Gillin goes on to underscore his opinion by stressing that traditional media is on its way out and the power now lies with individuals and small-group influencers.

He explains how these influencers or "enthusiasts" gain their power and how marketers can use this power to leverage their companies. The most important thing to understand, as Gillin points out, is that bloggers are truly passionate about the topics they blog on, and therefore are very transparent and genuine. He defines "transparency" as "principles that include honesty, integrity, humility, open-mindedness and fairness." And with these attributes comes the ability to recognize when a blogger is not being genuine - a reason Gillin points to as to why corporations should be sincere about their blogging purposes and make absolutely sure they are ready to pursue it. He stresses that "Corporations shouldn't blog unless they know why they're doing it."

With this passion and sincerity goes trust and consequently influence. Gillin explains that "Enthusiasts" have significant influence because peers trust peers. These people are passionate about what they blog for and therefore build credibility since it is believed they know so much about the topic. Gillin points out marketers could leverage this credibility by aligning themselves with key players.

According to Gillin, corporate America needs to learn to accept openness and not punish it, or blogging will fail them. Marketers must not be afraid to trust blog facts as the general public helps maintain a level of fact checking that uses the model of Wikipedia. The credibility of blogs is one of the main reasons that marketers should heed more attention to them. With the levels of influence this credibility creates, anything said on blogs can either help or hinder a company's reputation.

Finally, over the course of the book Gillin uses several pertinent examples of successful blogs and how marketers have leveraged them. These include HackingNetflix, Google Blogoscoped, and Adrants. A perfect example of how not blogging can hurt a company accompanies the HackingNetflix study. Netflix was ready to work with the blog creater after they realized the significant influence the site held. However, Blockbuster refused to associate with it and the missing connection caused the company some problems.

Gillin does an excellent job of explaining the way blogs work and the importance of using one for your marketing efforts. His insights, explanations, examples and passion behind this trend will serve as the perfect "how-to" guide for your marketing department on how to get on the blogging train. In today's culture any marketer would be remiss for not reading this book.

Gillin's The New Influencers is a good read for marketers, bloggers, or anyone that wants to learn more about social media. Gillin gives a simple, understandable overview of the sometimes confusing and ever-changing world of social media. He is able to bring readers up to speed with social media by providing real world examples of marketers' effective and ineffective experiments with social media. He also profiles several influential bloggers who have had an impact on specific markets while making a lucrative career for themselves using little more than a home computer.

The New Influencers is an eye opener for those not familiar with the new field of social media, its history and impact on the marketing world. Before reading the book I was skeptical of the concept, but reading the book has made me more interested in blogging and more interactive type of communication. To that end, I have even created a Facebook account and signed up for a few Google blog alerts. Additionally, I am even in the process of exploring the feasibility of implementing blogs in my marketing projects. This is a must read for any modern marketer or those looking to promote their products or services to a more wide scale audience.

Through real life examples and personal interviews with the leaders in the blogosphere, Paul Gillin has really captured the essence of this growing phenomenon. The insights offered in this book, both positive and negative, give marketers the tools they need to work this into their social media plans. The challenge to marketers is how are they going to use a resource such as blogging to their advantage - reach a large audience for almost no money...

Paul Gillin's New Influencers gives you everything you need to catapult your brand into the new era of marketing. Through positive and negative examples, you will learn the ins and outs of blogging and podcasts. The success stories are inspiring, and the chance to learn from other's mistakes ensures that you won't repeat them with your brand. You also learn quickly how to leverage these significant people.

Additionally, Gillin does an excellent job of defining the nuances of social media and its impact on companies. You walk away with the realization that if you don't embrace the changing landscape, your brand may be discussed all over the web.

Upon completion, you'll not only want to read every blog and listen to each podcast profiled, but you'll begin to think differently. Both new and veteran marketers can learn a great deal from this book.

This book is a must have for anyonw wishing to understand how the media industries and consumers are changing. Whether you're brand manager, an advertisier, a media specialist or just curious, you will enjoying this easy reading book.

Paul did an excellent job in describing the landscape of social media. The book seems to be a little bias towards blogger who are journalist. This would make one think that writing style dictate who are influencers not their knowledge. People in corporate communications, public relations, reputation risk management, and marketing should read this book. It is the future.

I'm one of the New Influencers! Yes, that's right. I write book reviews on Amazon about products that other people sell. I'm either helping or hurting those sales. Thus, I'm a new influencer within the meaning of this book.

I liked this book a lot. It was well-written and very informative. Not that it told me anything I probably didn't know since I use the Internet in a large part of my day-to-day life. But it documents what I believe to be reality when it comes to using the Internet to promote and market oneself, his services, and his products.

The book has 17 chapters as follows:

1. The origins of social media
2. From chaos, structure
3. Enthusiasts
4. Influencer profile - the Gadget King
5. Measures of influence
6. Corporate conversations
7. Influencer profile - the Corporate Renegade
8. Small is beautiful
9. Putting "public" back into public relations
10. Influencer profile - the Marketer
11. The talkers
12. Influencer profile - the Sound Man
13. Tools of the trade
14. Influencer profile - the Toolmaker
15. Going viral
16. Influencer profile - the Guerilla
17. Next stop

This book will help you harness the power of the Web in order to further your marketing efforts. You can play the game as a mere participant. Or, after reading this book, you can play the game as a leader and having the masses working for you for free the way Amazon has me writing book reviews. 5 stars!

Paul does an excellent job explaining how the playing field has shifted in the age of social media and explains how companies can leverage it to their benefit.If you are someone who is new to social media or a veteran you will take away some valuable insights from this book.

Paul Gillin has provided a tremendous resource for everyone involved in marketing and public relations. Actually, for anyone who wants to learn what this 'New Media' revolution is all about. The book is supported by numerous real world case studies that demonstrate the power of new media and the rise of The New Influencers.

What I especially liked was the diversity of topics covered, everything from political and military blogging to consumer marketing and online activism. This book is the best I've read on the new media and its impact on marketing and PR.

What makes The New Influencers so credible is that Paul Gillan combines his experiences going from an old media publisher to a new media company, with a vision of how that transformation is only the beginning of a broader trend toward the explosion of social and professional communities. He draws on his work life, research and observations to explain why and how marketing must transform from being an annoyance to a source of give-and-take value for customers. As a Web entrepreneur and marketing professional I not only received great ideas from this book but was able to form a better mental model of how these trends apply to my businesses. Nice job Paul...congratulations.

THE NEW INFLUENCERS: A MARKETER'S GUIDE TO THE NEW SOCIAL MEDIA covers blogging, podcasting, and other consumer-driven influencers which are affecting how media and marketing work. It identifies these new methods, their goals, and how either large or small organizations can tailor an effective marketing routine around them, and it also examines the foundations of how these new influencers are bringing 'word of mouth' advertising to life.

Just finished reading The New Influencers - this book outstanding and I strongly recommend it to everyone in Marketing and Public Relations. I also recommend it to those business people just wanting to understand and leverage the new world of 'social media'.

Paul does a great job of explaining the forces that are driving this shift as well as profiling individuals and companies that are succeeding. His background as a reporter and editor makes the numerous profiles of key influencers very insightful. He has also included several interviews with key influencers that are excellent.

Being in high tech PR and corporate communications, this book is right in my sweet spot. But I also recommend it to anyone starting or running a business/orgainzation as a excellent tutiorial for successfully using social media to drive your business.
Bob O'Brien

For any of you who like me have been Luddites about the social media phenomenon, Paul Gillin has written a crash course that will bring you quickly up to speed on its origins, its workings, its key players, and will suggest ways in which you can leverage social media like blogging and podcasting to your advantage. Clearly and entertainingly written, it's a valuable investment of time, whether you're an independent consultant, a public relations professional, a product manager, or a marketing executive.

Congratulations to Paul Gillin on a masterfully written book - I learned more from this book than I have from any recent reading (Naked Conversations, Wikinomics, Flawless Execution, Made to Stick, Crucial Conversations, The Long Tail, Mavericks at Work ...). Paul eases you into the world of social media, Blogs and Podcasts in such a skillful way, you can't wait to get to a browser and join the conversation.
You will take away a well rounded knowledge of how social media works, why the marketing strategies of the 90's are becoming increasingly ineffective and practical advice on how to tap into and leverage The New Influencers.
This is a must read for sales, marketing, business executives, communications professionals, heck just about everyone!

This is the most useful book I have read in 2007.

Paul Gillin seems to have a natural knack for seeing "the big picture", and he can translate the critical concepts for the rest of us in a way that is entertaining and enjoyable. Gillin reveals the current market forces influencing people to make decisions and gives useful tools and information about how to apply this to our jobs as publishers.

When the world of media as we have known it changes, we need to adapt. Gillin does an insightful job at not only conveying these changes, but talks about what they mean for you, your image and your brand. He gives examples and tools for how both large and small players have engaged customers and potential customers in a much more powerful way. An essential read for any marketer who wants to gain a competitive edge.

Renee Blodgett, Blodgett Communications & Down The Avenue