Rating: 
Summary: The Anatomy of Buzz
Review: This was a pretty good book. I learned how to build "personal networks," and advertise with virtually no capital at all. Most of the book is easy to understand, and Rosen really seems to know the science of social networks very well. The only thing that I did not like about The Anatomy of Buzz, was that it did not exactly illustrate how to apply "buzz" to your type of business. That section of the book was very vague. Overall though, it was a pretty good read.
Rating: 
Summary: The authoritative guide on buzz marketing
Review: To put it simply, buzz marketing is a technique of getting people to talk about your product and spread the word. Instead of purchasing an advertisement in print media and hoping that potential customers will read it, or purchasing expensive television ads, the basis of buzz is to get friends, experts or other "hubs" to recommend the product or at least to talk about it. How successful is a correctly implemented buzz program? It continues to break sales records and speed the acceptance of new products in phenomenal fashion. Often referred to as viral marketing, it spreads the same way a virus spreads, from one person to another, between friends, relatives, co-workers and any other social group that you belong to. This book discloses the principles of buzz marketing, when it can be used, when it is not successful, how it has been most successful in the past and the basic principles that make it work or fail. Thoroughly detailed with many examples, it is an excellent source of information on how to market your product or service in this manner. Probably the best book available on buzz marketing, it is definitely the most thorough that I have come across. I had the chance to try some of the techniques recently on an experimental basis and had tremendous success opening up new market areas with ease, speed and efficiency. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Tried and true ...
Review: Tried and true solid word of mouth sales techniques supported by case studies. If you believe word of mouth is still the most effective marketing tool then this book is for you. Interesting read and easy to get through. Best suited for those new to marketing or those who need a refresher course in basic sales, marketing and public relations.
Rating:
Summary: A whole lot of yada, yada
Review: When we run across a book that looks good (the cover), sounds good (the flap) and might just 'read good', we get excited. Heck, we might even talk to a friend regarding 'this cool new book we're going to read', creating the buzz about which this author writes. So you can imagine it is quite a let down to find the book to be one step from an exceedingly long and drowsy MBA assignment. Rosen's basic point: buzz is borne from a product or idea that is interesting, exciting, and understandable. Unfortunately he failed to consider these points when executing his own offering. In Rosen's favor though, he does have experience as a VP of Marketing for a company that designed a successful product which was marketed primarily by buzz, so there is no doubt he is familiar to some degree with what he writes, but we would have been more impressed (and inclined to talk positively) if Rosen's tale had been one with a wider appeal. Selling very specific software to a small and very specific group is, to us, not as exciting an achievement than if the very book in which he had written the anecdote had been buzz-worthy. Our other gripe arose as we read yet another anecdote based solely on Rosen's personal experience. Readers get more inspired if there are examples of a variety of other people being successful with the book's concept: 'If they can do it so can I' is the thought, and Rosen's reliance on anecdotes describing how he has been affected by buzz (instead of creating it) is less than stimulating. Few notions are more compelling than knowing the author writes from successful experience, and not just successful research. At the end the author includes a chapter entitled Buzz Workshop, as well as a glossary of terms. Our advice? Read these two items and get all you'll need from this book-unless you want the sleep. --LiteratePlanet.com
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