The Ten Book Challenge

So there's this meme going around on Facebook about ten books that have stayed with you over the years. This is the sort of thing we used to do in the early days of blogging, so I'm going full circle and bringing it back to my blog.

So this is the challenge:

List ten books that have stayed with you in some way. Don't take more than a few minutes and don't think too hard. They don't have to be great works of literature, just ones that have affected you in some way. Tag some friends, and leave a comment with the link to your post, so I can see your choices...

My list (in no particular order) :

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

1984 - George Orwell
Under Milk Wood - Dylan Thomas
E - Matt Beaumont
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Northern Lights - Philip Pullman
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
H - The Story of Christiane F (It's harrowing. As is the movie.)
Flowers in the Attic - V C Andrews
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

There's a bonus 11th as it's a recent one that I only read in the last few weeks so I don't know how long it will stay with me but I can recommend it - Reasons to Stay Alive - Matt Haig

I found the challenge really hard as although I read all the time, I don't read that many books. And I didn't read that much when I was younger as it was too passive an activity for me. I preferred acting or singing or sewing or just going out. I wasn't particlarly one for sitting still and reading. Even today, I don't read that much as I don't commute any more. Having said that, I've read at least 26 of the books on this list and has highlighted a couple of others that could have made this list - The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgeson Burnett. And there are others as I read friends' lists too.

However, as with most people, there are some books that have stayed with me for one reason or another. And these are they, or at least the first 10 that sprung to mind.

If you don't have a blog, feel free to add your ten books list in the comments below.

The Everything Guide to Mobile Apps

The Everything Guide To Mobile Apps has brought together the insights of more than 25 mobile professionals, practitioners and pundits to identify market trends, best practices and key lessons learned in developing, distributing and promoting mobile apps. I’m pleased to say that I’m one of them and I contributed to the sections looking at social media and networking. The guide is aimed at SMEs to help them learn how to make and app, get discovered in the app store, create a successful marketing strategy and connect with customers and boost their businesses.

Mobile app downloads are set to reach 81 billion by the end of this year according to eMarketer, so the pressure is on for companies to tackle the business and technology challenges of making and marketing a winning app. Published at the end of March in print and on kindle in the last few weeks, this is probably the most up to date guide on the market.

The book is in an easy to read style, with key points highlighted as well as pointing readers to further useful and mostly free, resources. Even if you have some experience, you’ll probably find some useful insights in there that you hadn’t come across before. And it’s less than £10 in the UK at the moment!

The Everything® Guide to Mobile Apps is available now at Amazon in Paperback or Kindle

Have E-Readers Peaked?

I’ve been pondering about getting an e-reader. A dedicated one since I’m so easily distracted by my phone, laptop and tablet. It’s just too easy to switch to chatting on Skype or seeing what my friends are up to on Facebook or Twitter. I also feel I don’t read enough. It’s not for want of books. I have absolutely loads of them! I think I’ve bought them in the hope that you can read by osmosis by them simply sitting on your bookshelves for long enough. I fear that doesn’t actually work…
So I polled my smart friends on Facebook and asked for their recommendations. I wondered if there were viable alternatives to the Kindle. And if not, which Kindle anyway as there are several to choose from? Well, opinions were divided. There was much love for various versions of the Kindle but there were votes for the Nook and Kobo, and also for iPad and iPad mini (although, that wouldn’t work for me and how easily I get distracted). There was even a vote for the iPhone and, from a digital enthusiast, for old-fashioned paper books. I’m as confused as I was before I asked the question. With all the books on my shelves, it’s arguable as to whether I need an e-reader at all since I have several years worth of reading just a few feet from where I’m sitting right now. Hmm.
It raised some interesting questions about the future of e-readers and then I came across this article from MIT Technology Review which suggests that Amazon may well have undermined the e-reader market it created. It looks like sales of e-readers are falling in favour of general purpose tablets.

Of course, these are analyst predictions rather than actual figures for 2012 and 2013 so, we don’t actually know yet. And anecdotally, I see a lot of e-readers on the London Underground every day. And a lot of my friends are enthusiasts judging by their comments.
You may be thinking why this matters anyway? Well, as the author of the MIT article says, it matters because the future of book publishing will be influenced by what devices we use for reading. I’m convinced my reading overall is much higher because I’m online most of the time, but I am most certainly reading fewer books, magazines and newspapers as my time is taken up skimming twitter timelines, glancing at blog posts and reading the first couple of paragraphs of something and then moving on. My attention span is not like it used to be. And if I want to read anything longer than a few paragraphs and really take it in, I have to print it off and read it offline.
Even if dedicated readers become a niche hardware product, e-reading services like Amazon’s Kindle ecosystem most definitely will not be niche. Book stores are already in trouble on the High Street. It’s very hard to compete with what Amazon can offer online, even without the Kindle. But being able to pick up a book on one device, leave it and pick up the book again on another device, exactly where you left off, is almost magical and a very powerful reason for using.
So, will I be treating myself to an e-reader? Not just yet. I’m going to try and work through a few of the books on my bookshelves first.

Mobile Internet for Dummies

No, I'm not suggesting you're a dummy, dear reader. I'm just writing a short post about the new book in the 'Dummies' range from Wiley. And it's all about the mobile internet, a subject close to my heart.

Industry stalwarts and good pals, Daniel Appelquist and Russell Buckley, have contributed to the book alongside respected authors and industry experts to help normobs get their heads round and make the best use of the mobile internet.

Mobile Internet For Dummies explains how the Mobile Internet differs from the garden-variety Internet, and shows you how to:

• Find your mobile phone browser
• Use the Mobile Internet to surf, shop, blog, watch movies, and more — on the go
• Send and receive e-mail from your mobile device
• Locate other mobile applications
• Watch TV on your mobile phone
• Manage your kids’ access to the Mobile Internet
• Secure and name a mobile Internet site and acquire mobile Web development tools
• Build your own made-for-mobile Web site
• Use your Mobile Internet site to promote your business and generate revenue

With the help of Mobile Internet For Dummies, you’ll be able to stay connected wherever you happen to be, and maybe even make it pay off with a bit of income.

Get it at Amazon now in the UK Mobile Internet for Dummies (For Dummies) or in the US you can get it at this link Mobile Internet For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

The Tanla Guide to Mobile Marketing and Advertising

If you're reading this blog, then the chances are you have some interest in mobile marketing, advertising and media. And if that's the case, then the chances are you'll find Tanla Mobile's Guide to Mobile Marketing and Advertising very useful. (At least I'm told that it's very useful and worth a look - it's hard to judge your own work).

I wrote the guide for them and it was launched at Mobile World Congress back in February this year. It also has contributions from other experts in the field including Mike Short, Tomi Ahonen, Daniel Appelquist, Gillian Kennedy, Russell Buckley (of Admob and Mobhappy fame), Ben Tatton-Brown from MedioSystems, Gerry Drew from Tanla Mobile, Steve Flaherty and Jessica Sandin.

The content is based on the training courses I've been running for the last few years for the IDM, e-consultancy and the University of Westminster and covers everything from SMS to Mobile TV and discusses the implications for marketers.

The guide is available as a pdf download from the Tanla Mobile website slideshare*. There are a few hard copies available upon request. Just drop me an email to say who you are and where you are if you'd like a hard copy and I'll see what I can do.

*Update September 09: The guide was written in the Autumn/Winter of 2007 but I've had a few requests for it recently so I've put it up on slideshare for you.

Monday's mobile marketing tidbits

Blyk's delaying its launch until October. No bad thing as July and August are quiet times in retail. IMHO, Blyk should be launching in September to get the school, college and university kids signed up as they go back for the Autumn term, and that starts early September for schools and Sixth Form Colleges. Come October, we'll already be into half-term and well into silly season for Christmas which may be too late to launch something. I wonder if Blyk realises what an enormous task they've taken on? And I wonder if they've managed to sort out data charges so they can offer their customers a proper mobile content and media experience via wap or mobile internet?

Borders is extending their mobile marketing effort to provide sample chapters to customers' phones for free to promote new book titles. Details are currently a bit sketchy. I'm interested to see how this works in practice. The best example I've seen of this in the past was a poster campaign I saw at a railway station promoting a new thriller, Mr Clarinet. You texted in a keyword to a shortcode and by return, got back a link to a wapsite where you could read a synopsis of the book, part of the first chapter, find out more about the author and also click to buy the book. Perfect for whiling away 10 or 20 minutes while you are waiting for a train.

Three UK has launched 3next.mobi which is a user generated catalogue of stuff to do on your phone. A very nice idea where you can add applications and services that you like and add them in with your review of the service. It's free to join and not restricted to Three customers although it's designed specifically for Three's X-Series customers. Worth a look as an example of how to market content services. http://www.3next.mobi

And finally, Admob has now served more than 4 billion wap adverts, the last billion being published in the last 35 days. Way to go!