Six Pixels of Separation: Book Review

The title of Mitch Joel’s book, Six Pixels of Separation, is adapted from the idea of “six degrees of separation,” referring to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth. With the continuous development of social media and technology, “by way of introduction” is no longer necessary.  Joel explains, “We are all intrinsically connected through technology, the Internet, and our mobile devices [so that we] all now live in a world where we can know everyone-and everyone can know us.”

                                                                                     

Published in 2009, Mitch Joel’s book on business strategy in the age of social media is a laudable effort to tie in the disparate threads of the online world for those keen to experiment in this space.  Covering a broad expanse of concepts and ideas, from crowd sourcing, community building, content creation, to platform specific strategies, the book provides a good introduction to the world of social media and digital engagement.

Six Pixels of Separation is a book with practical advice about the Internet, online social networks and new media.  It is also a helpful and easy-to-read resource about branding, entrepreneurship and digital marketing communications. By using actual case studies and his personal experiences, Joel offers a readable, entertaining guide to the often over-whelming and constantly changing world of digital communications.

He talks in detail about the many ways that companies can create “new business models” by using online channels.  He discusses ways to, in his words, “harness the power that lies in online communities” and stresses the importance of clearly defining your business brand and strategy before getting involved in online communities.  Visible through interviews posted on YouTube, Joel enthusiastically encourages business owners to “embrace your digital footprint.” The book’s writing style is approachable and non-technical by breaking down concepts into an understandable language for all readers.

Joel quotes liberally from new age thinkers like best selling author Seth Godin, author of Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki, staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, Malcolm Gladwell and editor-in-chief of Wired, Chris Anderson, while he offers advice and insights on topics such as starting a blog, developing a community, and extending one’s business in the age of “Participation 2.0” (Mitch 110).  Regular followers of social media gurus will probably be familiar with many of the strategies proposed.

The building of social networks through either major platforms like Facebook or Twitter cam across as a “must do” strategy in the book.  Businesses can ill afford to depend on the power of mass media and the old broadcasting based model to get their messages out there.  According to Joel, they should cultivate their followings on a variety of platforms and work through consumer advocates and their connections to spread the word.  Here, readers are given a short introduction to each of these platforms including Wikipedia, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Ning and so on.  Readers are given a better understanding of the capabilities of social network sources and how they can effectively work for them.

A key part of the book discusses the growth of user-generated content, and the shift from mass media to mass content.  In the age of social media, users are putting up more avenues and sources of information online-text, audio, images, videos- on a variety of channels. According to Joel, with the empowerment of the democratization of media (the concept of Web 2.0), companies ought to work with their communities to engage rather than advertise and push products and services.

The rise of personal brands and tribes are the other heavily cited concepts.  “The age of ‘Me’ Media has resulted in individuals- employees and consumers alike- becoming more and more empowered,” explains Joel.  Through blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, and Youtubing, these digital denizens could carve out niches and brand names for themselves.

I particularly liked the section on the mobile web (Digital Nomad).  Here, Joel suggested that building a huge feature-rich website with all its bells and whistles may not necessarily work.  Instead, business venturing into this space should provide utility and simple solutions to consumers navigating a tiny 4 by 6 inch screen.  Quoting from Andy Nulman, Joel cited that Mobile Marketing (not advertising) is about the acronym N.O.W. The “N” is for nearby meaning customers need to be in your radius, close and local. “O” is for only, in which he says there has to be a limit to any offer (e.g. “Only 29 left” or “The offer is only valid for the next two hours.”). Last, “W” stands for wow, meaning make a compelling offer for consumers to attract attention.

Unfortunately, certain concepts may have changed from the time the book was published to the present. Some of the ideas suggested, such as podcasting, may be difficult to implement unless one has the wherewithal to provide stimulating audio content.  While the platforms are mostly free in the digital domain, the production of interesting quality content is not and therein becomes a challenge. I hesitate to say this book is a textbook for new media, but Mitch Joel has a plethora of updated sources including his blog (http://www.twistimage.com/blog/), interviews posted on YouTube and frequent podcasts uploaded on iTunes.

The mass adoption of social media channels also means that companies and business’ venturing into this space now will find competition much steeper.  While the concept of finding your own micro-niche and loyal following is a nice novel idea, making it work profitably could be a challenge in volume-oriented businesses.

With the subhead “Everyone is Connected, Connect Your Business to Everyone,” Six Pixels of Separation provides an easily readable introduction to the world of social media marketing.  Those who are new to the world of social media and mobile marketing would find it a useful source that is understandable and easy to follow.  The book was jam-packed full of stories and examples on how people and business’ have succeeded in the online world.

For more information or questions, please contact Krystle Cruz at cruzx093@umn.edu.