Rating: 
Summary: Very thought provoking!
Review: I found this book to be very intellectually stimulating and informative. It is very obvious that Dr. Fogg has put alot of thought into his research and findings. Dr. Fogg presents his information in a very easy to read and an understandable format....especially for someone like me who may be somewhat naive to the influence that technology really has on every day decisions. The new knowledge that I gained through reading this book will not only help me in the business world, but will help me to be a better parent by being more aware of the influences that technology (namely computers) has on my children for the better or worse. The increased awareness that this book has provided me is invaluable - Thank you Dr. Fogg! I would highly recommend this book to anyone that uses computers at home or in the work place.
Rating: 
Summary: Theory, Theory, Theory
Review: I was really excited to read this book, but I find myself severely under-whelmed with the evidence the author provides.This is probably just a pet peeve of mine, but I typically prefer that my "facts" are proven outside of a classroom setting. I'm sure many people (especially college people) will taut the value of such research. But lets apply this to a real life question - If you need surgery, which doctor do you want to go to? The one who's done the most research in heart surgery, or the one who's performed the most successful operations? Most of the theories are referenced against the author's experience in a classroom, or with his students, or from a colleague, or from surveys conducted at a university, or from friends who had insightful ideas. If you are reading this book for the purpose of writing a paper you probably don't care about this. But if you are reading this book for research into developing a new product for use in the real world (and you aren't being funded by a bottomless grant) you may want something a little more grounded in (successful!) first hand experience. Some of the experiments referenced are just absurd - A traveling van that gives doctors a 20 minute virtual reality demonstration to help them sympathize with cancer patients? According to the survey the doctors took afterwards 60% of them would change the way they treated their patients. Therefore it was a successful implementation of persuasive technology. Does anyone actually believe that the doctors REALLY changed the way they treated their patients? How many of the surgeons said they would change because they were in a hurry to get back to work? Or didn't want to hurt the testers feelings? How about this idea... After exposing the doctors to the simulations - actually study their behaviors IN REAL LIFE to see if anything changed before proclaiming success! (Does anyone want to bet on whether or not the company that developed the van is based in California?) Ranting aside, its not a terrible book. And if there weren't so many glowing 5 star reviews, I'd have given it 3 stars. You will leave this book with several new ideas - some useful, some not. And if you don't mind everything being heavily based in academia, you'll probably like it a lot. But if you are looking to apply these ideas in real world business, don't expect to go marching confidently into your CEO's office waving this book and predicting a new era in corporate profitability. When you show him what your new idea is based on - he'll probably smack you.
Rating:
Summary: The Place to Start
Review: If you've ever wondered how technology is subtly and shaping how we think and work, this is the book for you. Years of scholarly research at Stanford has allowed BJ Fogg to use the foundations of rhetoric to show how web and other 21st century techologies affect how we make choices, sometimes subconsciously, and can be used to shape quite deliberately our expectations about the choices we make. Probably too much of an overview for the engineer, IT, psychology or advertising professional, the book is nonetheless a very thorough treatment of the subject for any of them, and for the general reader, with lots of well-researched citations for those who want to know more. Good layout and design, with attractive visuals and illustrations throughout bring the subject to life and reinforce the solid and provocative points Fogg is making. Arthur C. Clark once said "the best technology is like magic" and BJ Fogg tells us how the magic of technology is influencing the choices we make. For anyone working on e-business, or wanting to understand why the website is working (or not), or giving orders to your web designers, this is the book to have.
Rating:
Summary: The Place to Start
Review: If you've ever wondered how technology is subtly and shaping how we think and work, this is the book for you. Years of scholarly research at Stanford has allowed BJ Fogg to use the foundations of rhetoric to show how web and other 21st century techologies affect how we make choices, sometimes subconsciously, and can be used to shape quite deliberately our expectations about the choices we make. Probably too much of an overview for the engineer, IT, psychology or advertising professional, the book is nonetheless a very thorough treatment of the subject for any of them, and for the general reader, with lots of well-researched citations for those who want to know more. Good layout and design, with attractive visuals and illustrations throughout bring the subject to life and reinforce the solid and provocative points Fogg is making. Arthur C. Clark once said "the best technology is like magic" and BJ Fogg tells us how the magic of technology is influencing the choices we make. For anyone working on e-business, or wanting to understand why the website is working (or not), or giving orders to your web designers, this is the book to have.
Rating:
Summary: Technology Designers & Marketers: Take Heed!
Review: It's 2003 and the initial excitement, innovation and greed that fueled the technology boom of the late 90s have all but disappeared. Yet left in their tracks are the tangible building blocks of an industry destined to continue changing commerce, education and social activism in profound and irreversible ways. For a fresh perspective on the forces shaping next-phase software and Web development, look no further than "Persuasive Technology" by Dr. B.J. Fogg, director of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University. Surely, academic research may fail to generate the enthusiasm of erstwhile launch parties and public offerings, but Dr. Fogg's work offers a purposeful key to helping us understand, and thereby design, more effective and sustainable (read: revenue-generating) interactive technologies. Proposing a new analytical model called "captology", short for "computers as persuasive technologies", Dr. Fogg is the first to address the increasingly important role of computers in actuating attitudinal and behavioral change - in other words, the ability to persuade users to take a particular action: to buy more, play more, lose weight, quit smoking, register to win, etc. For technology researchers accustom to the tenets of Usability - essentially the evaluation of functionality and "likability" - captology goes a significant step further, addressing the extent to which an interactive device (be it a website or mobile phone) succeeds in changing users' attitudes and behaviors. The importance of this research is unquestionable, if you can imagine (or personally relate to) an online marketer anxious to sell more goods, or a smoker who turns to a motivational website to help him/her quit. It is no longer enough for a website or software tool to be "user friendly"; its intended objective - as a tool of persuasion - must be achieved. Through the study of captology, designers have a new framework for building products, services and promotions that succeed in generating the results they seek. What could be more timely and constructive in this period when all sectors - commercial, educational, social/civic and more - are straining to yield measurable, bottom-line results from their technology investments? Thank you, Dr. Fogg, for the fresh and purposeful approach. Your timing couldn't be better! Cate Riegner
M.A. Communications, Annenberg School for Communication. University of Pennsylvania
Principal, Media-Screen Consulting
Founder, artAngels.org
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional book
Review: Over the last five years I've read several web design and technology books but none compare to this exceptional publication. I am not one to voice my opinion often but this book certainly deserves it. To quote Mr. Jakob Nielsen, "B.J. Fogg has created an important new discipline, one that is of vital importance to everyone...." In my opinion, no serious designer should be without this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very forward thinking!! This stuff is great!! WOW!!
Review: The author clearly communicates how human behavior, advertizing, computer scientists and clever businesses are using techniques to get us to do what they want. Why not read this and understand how and why? INCREDIBLE!!
Rating:
Summary: Theory is Technology
Review: Theory is what all Technology is based on the theory is just that a starting point for new things to happen not an end point and this book gives you a good basis in just that.
Rating:
Summary: Persuasive Technology - a review
Review: Think you are in control of your life? Think again! Persuasive Technology is an ?eye-popping? look at how we are being influenced everyday by devices and computers. The use of technology for persuasion in the future will expand beyond mere advertising, marketing and sales. Your success in the future is dependent on understanding how captology works and how you are or can be manipulated. Awareness and education are the first step towards embracing new technologies and using them to your advantage. You could sign up and study at the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford to learn more, or you could read the book! Dr. Fogg clears the ?fog? and mystique around captology and persuasion by interactive devices. He offers frequent thought-provoking examples of captology in everyday life. In Persuasive Technology you learn how persuasive technologies are already influencing you, and how you can use your new found knowledge to your advantage. What is captology? In the book you will learn that ?captology focuses on the design, research and analysis of interactive computing products created for the purpose of changing people?s attitudes or behavior.? As you will learn, persuasion has always been with us. Governments have long been known to attempt to influence their citizens. Some years ago, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) had a series entitled ?Films of Persuasion?. The show examined how the government produced movies aimed at changing citizens? attitudes and allowing the government new power. What is different today? Interactivity! With interactive persuasion, persuaders now ?adjust their influence tactics as the situation evolves?. The book is easy to read and ?human engineered? for easy use and optimal retention. Each chapter is complete with references for further study and notes for clarification. Key points are visually summarized in tables in the chapters. All in all a well thought out format and presentation. The first five chapters cover the groundwork needed to understand captology. Later chapters discuss credibility and ethics. The book concludes with a glance to the future of this emerging field. Persuasive Technology gives you the resources for understanding how you are or can be persuaded by technology. It also provides skills for reseaching, designing and using captology. B.J. Fogg has given us the golden keys to the future. Whether you are a businessperson, or student?or just plain curious, you will gain insight and power. As Spiderman once said, ?with power comes great responsibility?. Use you new knowledge to your advantage, but be gentle dear reader. After completing the book you will find that you have a great new power ? knowledge of captology.
Rating:
Summary: very interesting and thought provoking book
Review: This book introduces the reader to concepts and challenges associated with the use of information technologies for purposes of persuasion. I found the book very interesting-especially since it discusses several areas of research and everyday life. It is full of rich examples-the writing is clear and engaging. I congratulate the author for his unique ideas and efforts to introduce us to new concepts (or even old concepts in a new context).
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