Customer comments on this selection.
 The book title says it all
I'm not sure what I originally expected from this book, but I believe it was a valuable read. It is more like a text book than a touchy-feelie hug fest of the wonders of Web 2.0 - great, concrete ideas, but at times a little dry. Once I adjusted to the format, I found the overview to be thorough and well organized - telling a compelling story in a somewhat academic way - chock full of case studies accompanied by charts, tables, flow charts and figures that supplement the key points.
Overall, very useful and I believe the systematic approach has a lot of value, but it is definitely better suited for left-brain readers.
Marc Crudele
innerEcho - Atlanta, GA
 Clear, thought provoking, business altering!
Written in an engaging easy to read style; then you pour some coffee and the implications start to hit you. "If this, then..." and "Hey, we could make money ...". My favorite is "That's how they use the stuff I do! Wow!"
Information is presented with an idea, how it has been applied, some visual clarification, and then more meat on the concepts. Chapters have questions at the end and more notes at the end of the book. "Bravo!" for the end notes, moving them elsewhere kept the chapters powerfully concise and still provide more detail where you need it. Pages of bibliography help as well.
The author doesn't preach the new order but simply explains advantages of Web 2.0. Her explinations provide new ways to look at an established business, guidance for entrepreneurial spirits just building their next big thing, and even business collateral ideas that would support non-web brick and mortars.
My perceptions have been expanded and I'm seeing strong business advantage from applied technicals. If you're a geek who hasn't felt your work contributes to a larger whole, give this a read! You'll see the past clearer and glimpse the short-term future.
Fantastic book to be read again and again
While most people who have worked in the internet space are familiar with these concepts, especially for entrepreneurs, reading this book and thinking through all the end of chapter questions is extremely helpful. All startups can revisit these questions again and again. I think despite the fact that this book sits squarely in the time of web 2.0, it will remain useful and relevant even when web 2.0 seems 'old-school.'
The questions at the end of each chapter are so, so great.
Recommended business analysis of Web 2.0 principles
This is a great book that puts Web 2.0 in business terms. Normally, I read books that deal in gory technical details--not books that speak in business terms. But given that caveat, I felt this did a really good job describing Web 2.0 concepts and illustrating how they can be monetized.
The book illustrates the various points it makes through referring to sites that everyone now knows about: eBay, Amazon.com, Flikr, LinkedIn, Facebook, and of course Google. Each of these success stories show how some traditional business thinking was turned on its head in favor of this new Web 2.0 business model. Throughout the 6 chapters of the book, the author provides lots of market analysis, charts, and graphs. This information is combined with some interesting studies in sociology to create a read that is well-researched and informative.
While not a casual read, I'd recommend this book to managers or executives interesting in learning about how Web 2.0 principles can be applied to their business.
A Blueprint for leveraging web 2.0
As a non-techie, this book has been like a field guide in helping me fully understand how our generation's most successful web companies evolved. Leveraging on the best practices of web pioneers such as Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn and Amazon, Amy provides a practical guide into understanding the strategies behind the success and continued evolution of these great companies.
I found the format and structure of this book to be particularly useful because each chapter ends with a concise summary of the critical points, followed by a thorough set of questions that will help you internalize the lessons learned. Obviously the key to a successful web 2.0 business is a profitable business model - and Amy clearly describes how companies, large and small are capitalizing on the opportunities and monetizing their technological advances.
In the final chapter, Amy distills her message into a 5-step blueprint for building a web 2.0 business. Build on collective user value - Activate network effects - work through social networks - dynamically syndicate competence and Recombine innovations. The genius behind this book is its clarity and strategy focus. These 5 steps may appear challenging to execute, but if you look closely you'll find a lot strategies that have already proven successful.
I am excited to explore these topics in greater depth with Amy on one of LearnFromMyLife.com's upcoming short talk podcast series.
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