Rating: 
Summary: Weak
Review: Mark Breier represents everything wrong with the Internet Economy: his disarming enthusiasm masks his lack of intelligence and innovation. It's always bigger, faster, more more more with him, as though you could mask stupidy with an illusion of confidence. I am shocked anyone buys this book after his running Beyond.com into the ground. Having worked at Beyond since its inception, I must note that I've never seen 1. so much money blatantly wasted, 2. so many (200+) employees disgruntled under one roof, and 3. so many buzzword-rich corporate mottos used to mask the company's executive incompetence. I can only recommend this book as a resource for what NOT to do with your internet company.
Rating: 
Summary: Some Useful Advice and A Great Deal of Fluff and Irony
Review: Mark Breier's writing style is easy to read and quite enjoyable. I found many parts of his book to be insightful but lacking in any real tactical approaches. If you need to read a whole chapter on how important e-mail is, you shouldn't be in the Internet business at all. Many examples in the book are ironic given Beyond.com's current state of affairs. The author could do with a little less hubris and more common sense about why so many online business struggle despite the rules of the new economy.
Rating:
Summary: If he knew so much, why are all of his companies bankrupt?
Review: Reading this book today is like reading a book of jokes. When the author wrote this, he was riding the wave of "internet madness" that walloped Wall Street with outrageous stock prices for companies that never produced any profit. Mark Breier was simply a man at the right place at the right time and any insights he has on how to effectively run a business is hindered by the facts that both beyond.com and software.net are now nowhere to be found on the internet.
However, an enterprising entrepreneur can read this book and learn what not to do. In addition, there is a paragraph or two that talks about venture capital personalities you will encounter.
In summary, do not buy this book if you are looking for successful ways to run your business as a manager. Taking much of his advise will undoubtedly bring you to his final demise. (In fact, he is no longer a CEO; he is back to Chief of Marketing)
Rating:
Summary: Mark Breier is an idiot
Review: so, I'm standing in the hallway at Amazon.com, and Mark Breier is complaining about having to drink warm Pepsi. The vending machines only had Coke, so he had to bring his own Pepsi in, and was keeping it under his desk. A passer-by hears this and says, 'Mark, why don't you put the Pepsi in the fridge?' Breier looks startled, and then shouts at the top of his lungs 'BIG IDEA! BIG IDEA! PUT THE PEPSI IN THE FRIDGE!!!', runs into his office, gathers up several six packs in his arms, and runs back into the hallway, shouting 'PUT THE PEPSI IN THE FRIDGE!!!BIG IDEA! BIG IDEA!' on his way to the fridge. If you want to take managment advice from someone who can't figure out how to chill a beverage, buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Quick Business Refresher
Review: The 10-Second Internet Manager re-introduces us to the timeless business drivers - customer service, brand, operational efficiency, etc. Rather that simply rehash old ideas, Mark packages these business fundamentals with creative ideas for using the internet to adapt and optimize them for managing successful businesses in an age where customers expect solutions immediately.
Rating: 
Summary: Useful pointers, but are they enough!
Review: The book is all about how to get things done fast in the internet age. Particularly the sections pertaining to replying to emails. When "Inbox" is crowded with hundred's of email, a policy such as replying to a message within 24 hours is useful. This book gives such directions, but the policy that is to be manifested relies on the reader. This is one of those books that provide a good reading and if the reader is commited to improving his speed and efficiency then the real benefit will accrue. This book is NOT useful for recalcitrant folks who do not want to learn from experience. In many places, the author seems to indicate his selfish attitude by many references to "I" when in fact his entire team would have provided help.
Rating:
Summary: The 1 Minute Review of The 10 Second Internet Manager
Review: The past few years have really zoomed along, haven't they? The Internet and technology have transformed business and the workplace in ways previously unimaginable. Business owners, managers, and front-line employees have to work differently now to compete and win in the global marketplace. Mark Breier is an e-commerce consultant in California who has successfully built web sites for Amazon.com and Beyond.com. He has written a contemporary and useful update of the classic best-selling book "The One Minute Manager" for the rush-rush Internet age marketplace. "The 10-Second Internet Manager" is (appropriately) a quick and easy read. The book covers topics such as the price of not acting quickly, the proper uses of e-mail, and servicing and getting feedback from customers. It also covers hiring and firing employees, efficient use of meetings, the importance of a strong brand, and (now especially pertinent!) financial and financing matters for technology and internet-related firms. Old or New Economy business owners, managers, and front-line employees will find Breier's accounts compelling and useful in their everyday work lives. Particularly useful for busy executives (with little or no time to spare) are the chapters on e-mail, customer service, and managing meetings.
Rating:
Summary: useful (mostly for shallow readers) but also irritating
Review: This book exemplifies the Internet Bubble with a capital B: 95% marketing hype 5% substance. The author gloats about such practices as having the company's system admins optimize the email login services so that he could get his mail few seconds faster. No mention of how much that actually cost the company. Another interesting story, how while Breier was making a presentation to a brick and mortar company (read value oriented) he was criticized by an older manager as not having anything substantive to offer. Breier's explanation: some people just don't get it. P>This is one of the most irritating books I have ever read. The author never takes a break from selling or hyping you -- a perfect example of rich x-Stanford students selling internet hype in Silicon Valley, making millions doing it, and leaving average Joe holding the bag. It all sounds great until you actually start thinking about it. What is scary is how other CEO's had endorsed this book while beyond.com was trucking along; a lot of CEOs who must have a lot of eggs on their faces.
Rating: 
Summary: Clear and Concise
Review: This book is able to express all the necessary skills required to make it as an effective manager (dotcom or otherwise). I read this book in under 2 hours, but don't let the # of pages fool you. It's all the information you need concentrated into the time you have to read it (almost none). The tips presented can help anyone that wants to succeed, from the experienced manager to the office newbie. I was able to immediately use the information provided, especially the email tips!
Rating:
Summary: Ideas for Managing on Internet Time
Review: This book is basically an Internet version of Mark McCormack's classic, What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School. His basic point is how you can get more done in less time, with fewer errors, and less effort. That is essential in any fast-paced situation. Anyone who has wondered how an Internet CEO expands a business rapidly will get valuable details that can be applied to anyone's business in shrinking elapsed time. If I say all of those nice things, why didn't I rate the book higher? Basically, because it seemed to me that all of Mr. Breier's principles serve to create many transactional interactions, but do relatively little to create and extend trustworthy relationships. Just because someone e-mails me three times a day doesn't mean that I feel any closer to them. Mr. Breier often seems to confuse more activity with effectiveness. For example, his claim to fame is as a marketing thinker, yet the weakest of his principles had to do with picking brand names. In fact, the name of his business, 'Beyond.com,' seems to me to be a perfect example of a name that will be hard to turn into a meaningful brand. With a better brand name, the cost of building could have been vastly less. He is pleased to report in the book that appearing mostly undressed on CNBC got him lots of impressions for the company's Web site. I agree that it got lots of impressions, but at least some of them had to be bad impressions. I was particularly surprised that he missed the lesson of The One Minute Manager, which this book is supposed to update. The main idea of that book is to encourage people by catching them doing something right, and praising them. They they get things done without much support, other than helping them learn. Mr. Breier's world would not permit the time to do that. His book is filled with lists of do's and don'ts -- far more than most people will be able to remember, each of which must be executed in ever faster amounts of time. Who would want to live like that? At a time when Internet business models are rapidly becoming obsolete, I had expected that he would remind people to stay ahead of the competition with evolving business models and to treat and help employees and customers better than anyone else does. I looked in vain for those important priorities. The closest he gets is telling people to 'make feedback your friend.' The book's concept is a good one, but the execution just isn't there. Those who have trouble speeding up their activities will probably get some good ideas here, though, as a time management book in the Internet age. I gave the book three stars for its ideas on that subject. After you finish this book, consider what your top three priorities should be to ensure the most rapid and sustained success. How can your organize what you do to accelerate progress in those areas? How can you organize your time to make your work more fun and meaningful to you? How can you improve the lives of those you come into contact with? Feel free to add any other dimensions that you care about to these questions.
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