Title:  Grouped

Author: Paul Adams

Wondering how Facebook can or is affecting your retail business? Grouped by Paul Adams is a brilliant insight into the power of small social groups and how they can have such large effect on our society and more relevantly for retailers influence buying trends in their market spaces, demographics and geographical areas.

Personally, Grouped was FULL of ah ha moments for me, a truly informative and enjoyable read! Paul Adams, a researcher at Facebook and former Google employee, gives a very easy to follow explanation of how social networks work followed by how influence works within these social networks.  The book helps us understand the very powerful evolution of the web, where the computer and Internet as we know it is evolving to a more human form. From where we  have seen our computers pump out so much information that it becomes overwhelming to where they are moving now becoming something more of a relationship tool to enhance our connection with others, fulfilling that basic and primal need that we all have…to Belong!  Relationships that develop online influence in the most basic form, one that we have experienced in retail since day one … friends sell friends.

The book is very well put together, not only as a great read also well structured as a study guide with references to further action. Having read a number of Paul’s recommended reference books this really came together nicely.

For those of you looking for guidance and direction, or maybe even a little push in justifying your investment into Social Media. This book will do the trick.

This book gets a thumbs up (or should I say LIKE ) !

Reviewed By: Scott Smith