Book Review: World Wide Rave by David Meerman Scott

David Meermean Scott’s newest book  Book Review: World Wide Rave by David Meerman Scott was just released a few weeks ago so it only seems fitting to review it sooner than later.  Now you should know that I only review books that I feel are absolutely worthy to share with the rest of you and I was actually quite surprised by a few valuable nuggets that I pulled away from this book considering the contents of this book being something that I feel I know quite a bit about.  Much of what World Wide Rave discusses is exactly what the guru team and myself are accomplishing on this blog.  Heck in many ways I found my new job through Social Media and specifically this blog, so it’s not like I didn’t know that this stuff actually works.

“Okay, let’s be honest.  Marketers and executives aren’t really scared of social media and the idea of a World Wide Rave.  They are scared of the unknown.”  — David Meerman Scott

What is so interesting about this short and enjoyable read is that it’s chalked full of real individuals stories.  Everyone loves a good story and Scott drives his points home by giving you lots of examples of real people using the web in many different ways to create their own “World Wide Rave”.  To me that is the real appeal of the book.  Instead of a detailed guide, yes there are a half dozen rules laid out but that’s it, we are given lots of entertaining examples from many industries of individuals who have used the web to be successful and their takeaway tips.  Yes, there is even a great story of a University creating a World Wide Rave, a story about the University of North Dakota.  Nothing beats a good story!

I also loved how near the end of the book Scott tied Search Engine Optimization into viral marketing.  It is SO true and something I tell clients on a daily basis.  They ask how do I get links to my site and rank better in search engines… well you create unique and amazing content of course!  He hits the nail square on the head with the statement“Performing search engine optimization on a crap-filled site just makes it slightly less crappy.”

So in closing I recommend picking up this short book and learning how to use viral marketing and providing value to your community through free content and creating your own success online.  One exceptional piece of web content that the book mentions is IBM’s Social Computing Guidelines that for anyone looking to get more into the Social Media Marketing landscape look like a must read.

Photo Credit: World Wide Rave by dh

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Founder - who has written 222 posts on .eduGuru

Founderis currently the Manager of Consulting Services at HubSpot, a Co-Founder at nuCloud and  formerly the webmaster at Wofford College. Founderis an active contributor in the social media spectrum. Although his background is technical, he claims to know a thing or two about marketing, but mostly that revolves around SEO, analytics, blogging, and social media. He has spoken at multiple national conferences and done countless webinars on topics ranging from e-mail marketing to social media and Web analytics. He's definitely a fairly nice guy.

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9 Responses to “Book Review: World Wide Rave by David Meerman Scott”

  1. Says:

    I read this book on my way to SXSW and just couldn’t get into it. Definitely a few nuggets/tidbits worth putting in the back pocket, but compared to his previous book I just wasn’t impressed. Not worth the $22, IMO. Wait for paperback or library.

    Or just email me and I’ll sell you mine for $15. :)

  2. Says:

    Thanks for the review, Kyle. Glad that you found it “short and enjoyable” - that was my goal.

    Bradjward - sorry that you were disappointed. Shoot me your email and I will send you your money back (really). You’re one of the very few I’ve heard of who didn’t find World Wide Rave valuable.

    David

    • Says:

      David,
      Thanks for stopping by. Looking forward to the next volume!

  3. Says:

    Bradjward - I’ll buy it from you.

    David - I’ll shoot my email to you once I get the book from Brad.

  4. Says:

    Sorry for not clarifying further. Like I said, there are definitely applicable things from the book that I can put into practice. And I loved New Rules of Marketing and PR. There are people I will recommend this book to, but it just wasn’t for me personally.

    David - I think you do a great job, so please don’t take offense to my thoughts. I look forward to what you come up next. No worries on the refund, I’ll pay it forward to @tsand. If you haven’t seen him, keep an eye on this guy. He’s a WWR waiting to happen.

  5. Says:

    I’ve read the book and it’s a remarkable book with lots of ideas hidden inside it. Well done, David and I’m looking forward for your new book release…

  6. Says:

    Gotta love that @bradjward back peddle. I am half way through and I am enjoying it thanks to the iphone Amazon Kindle offer. Its a nice easy read so far and I would recommend it to anyone using traditional marketing alone (like my Dad) as a means to get a glimpse about how things work in the new marketing world.

  7. Says:

    I read this book, and it is the very good, qualitative book with a plenty of ideas and plans. I advise! Can go to me on a site:
    linkstodownload.com

  8. Says:

    yeah! cool article!!! -=^_^=-