Graphic created using Piktochart. By: Sienna Lee-Coughlin.


Hello readers, my name is Sienna Lee-Coughlin and I would like to welcome you to my digital book report for MARK 9057 on Mitch Joel's Six Pixels of Separation (2009). I chose this book because as a fellow journalist, I appreciated his approach to social media from a storytelling point of view and his realization that the two skill-sets—journalism and digital marketing—can make for a great combination.

The title is a play on the old saying that we're all connected by six degrees (we know someone who knows someone who knows someone...etc. You get the idea). With the advent of digital, there are no longer any degrees of separation; rather, we are all separated by mere pixels. It is this new reality, that everyone is connected, that is so powerful for a business owner. Joel explores this profound new climate in his Six Pixels, using case studies, personal anecdotes, and provides practical tips on the best tactics out there. The overall tone of the book is one of an entrepreneurial spirit, and his excitement about the prospect of connecting with potential customers through the click of a mouse shines through. Non-techies can appreciate his approachable, down-to-earth voice and the practicality of his instruction.



Words of Wisdom from Six Pixels of Separation 

Read on for five passages from Six Pixels that I thought were worthy of highlighting. There are so many important lessons to be taken away from Joel's 288-page volume, and these are just a sampling of the ones that stuck with me after closing the last page. 

This is the overarching theme of Joel's book: in the age of digital, we no longer live in a world of six degrees of separation, but down to six pixels of separation. This means that we have the potential to be connected to everyone in the world (who is on social media, anyways) through the effective use of digital platforms.
Joel quotes Wired magazine's editor-in-chief Chris Anderson, when he stated that "Your brand is not what you say it is...it's what Google says it is." This is an extremely valid point, Joel agrees. In the digital age, the traditional mass media model has begun to crumble, as it is often the millions of customer reviews by complete strangers that we trust when researching a new product or service than the sponsored press releases or advertisements that pop up at the top of Google. The internet is a powerful place and businesses must be careful, Joel writes, because "the first page of search results defines you" and "either taints you or teases the consumer to push on and read more, comment, or get others' perspectives."

In business settings, we often discuss the return of investment in any campaign or endeavour. In terms of social media, the ROI is defined by trust and community engagement, Joel argues. In the new economy of today, customer loyalty and engagement is the most important return on any investment in social media. He recommends six ways to build trust in what he refers to as the "trust economy": consistency, choosing a global username, choosing one good picture of yourself, adding value to the conversation, using honest and prompt online etiquette, and speaking like a human and not a press release.

Joel urges his readers to have a reality check: no matter how effective you think your anonymous accounts are, or how strong your privacy settings are, you are naked on the Internet. "Everything is being tracked and individuals are getting better at identifying just who is behind" your username, Joel states. The sooner you accept this and act accordingly the better.

This is an excellent reminder that regardless of how tech-savvy we are, and how well-versed in tweeting and snap-chatting we are, at the end of the day it's all about having a thoughtful and effective strategy. And how do we develop a killer strategy? By knowing our brand. "Know what you stand for," Joel writes. "Do something everyday to make sure your actions (and words) speak as loud as personal brand already does."

Buy the book here and let me know in the comments section what you think! I highly recommend it. Happy reading :)



via GIPHY

Video created using Boomerang app, converted to a GIF using gyphy.com. By: Sienna Lee-Coughlin.


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