Naked Conversations -- A Book, A Blog -- Necessary Reading for Communicators

So, I took a break from my work Friday and was tooling through CW, IABC's magazine.  I didn't get through the whole magazine, but I did read Neville Hobson's review of Naked Conversations.  If you are hanging in the PR blogosphere, you most likely have already heard of this book, this blog, its authors and Hobson.  But if not , I wanted to point you in the right direction. 

If you are at all interested in learning more about how blogs (and other social media) are changing the way businesses talk and engage with their customers, you have to check out this book, which was written by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel.  The book is one of the most talked about business books in publishing history because the authors solicited their readers (blog readers) feedback via their blog while they were writing the book.

Hobson explains that Scoble and Israel included 50 case studies based on interviews with more than 50 who are involved with blogging.  Such people ranged from corporate CEOs to small business leaders and to self employed individuals.    The book makes the point that

"corporate communication is one-way and that customers are tired of being talked at.  They want to be talked with, to be engaged by people in organizations in a way that 'strips out all the crap that gets in the way of understanding and trust.' "

This is a definite read for anyone in the communications profession.  As communications vehicles change and as more customers enter the blogosphere, companies will have to understand how to enter in to the conversation with the same means or be left behind.

Technorati Tags: Blogging, Business Blogging, Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, Robert Scoble, Neville Hobson, Shel Israel, Naked Conversations