Twitter Power by Joel Comm

Ok let’s get three things out of the way before we go any further.

One - I loved this book! (so much for building suspense and withholding opinion until the last possible moment) You see this book was a bit of a surprise to me. I thought I was going to hate Twitter Power, that it’d be all ‘businessy’ and in fact I only started reading it because G had left his copy lying around (and I was avoiding work). So the ‘loving’ sort of crept up on me.

The second, is that I am a huge fan of Twitter (@Caroline_S).

And the third thing you need to know is that because the Internet moves ridiculously fast, some of the subtleties of the book will be left incorrect with time. This is not a problem as such and it is not the fault of either Joel Comm or the publisher, rather the way of the modern world. For example Twitter altered the way @reply messages are distributed (this will make sense if you tweet - honest!) and by reading Twitter Power you’ll understand why Twitter users were so upset about the change. This change happened between the book being written and it getting onto the bookshelves. However, it doesn’t really matter. The advice given remains relevant, sound and truly interesting.

Twitter Power is a great starting point for anyone looking to become a user of Twitter. If you are a beginner, then you will find Comm’s approach nonthreatening. He eases the reader into the world of Twitter with a simple, step-by-step guide to setting up an account and starting out on your Twitter journey. Yet to see this book as an ‘how to Twitter’ guide would be a mistake. Comm also offers good advice that will be helpful to even the most experienced Twitter Ninja. He offers insight into how to tweet in a way that will give your followers the most value. He explains effective strategies on how to help build your following in a way that will last. He also dedicates pages to talking about Twitter tools and which ones will make your life easier (for me, it’s TweetDeck).

The strength of this book lies in the detail. I read this book as an sort of experienced Twitterer (I joined over 2 years ago) but to be honest it has changed the way that I interact on Twitter. I learned how to join and develop conversations, of ways to build trust and how to find followers that are both interesting and useful.

So, in a conclusion of sorts, I think I can promise that no matter what your Twitter experience you will find this book useful. (Twitter Power can be bought here)

And, the rather nice people at Wiley have agreed that I can give away a copy of Twitter Power by Joel Comm. All you have to do is leave a ‘please pick me’ comment by 3pm (GMT) July 12, then I’ll pop all names in a mug and ask a small child to select a winner. This competition is open to all.