Socialnomics... The book...

When you are looking for news or information do you turn on the TV or your computer?

Do you even have to search for it any more?

Socialnomics, by Erik Qualman, walks us through the rapid evolutionary growth of social media and how it has changed / impacted our lives.

Things have changed dramatically, we are no longer looking for things online (information, news, reviews), it is finding us on our mobile devices while we're sitting in the movies, driving in our cars, or waiting for us when we wakeup.

And this is not a one way push of information, it's a two way conversation, because companies will hear from us regarding their products and behavior, they don't dare ignore us because our thoughts and concerns will reach more people by twitter, Facebook, and YouTube faster and more thoroughly than their advertising budget ever could.

Companies are making the shift from "creating and pushing" to engaging, listening, and reacting to our needs.

Socialnomics is an easy and insightful read whether you want to understand how social media can help your business or if you simply want to understand how it shapes today's society.

A great example is the chapter on how Barack Obama's success was driven by social media, it has forever changed the face of political campaigns.

One of my favorite lines from the book is "live your life like your mother is watching, because she probably is".

On a recent trip away (without my family) I was surprised by how much we used Facebook to communicate, unlike the telephone, it allowed us to communicate at times when it was convenient for both sides.

The new social media world is here, we can either learn to live in it, or be left behind.

If you are part of the first group, Socialnomics will give you a better insight of the new world and help you better navigate in it.

It gets two thumbs way up.

You can learn more about (and from) Erik at his blog or Search Engine Watch where he is a contributing writer.