Barry Libert's Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees, and Grow your Business is not your typical social media book. In fact, it read more like a philosophy book. And no, not an Immanuel Kant or Friedrich Nietzsche sleeper, but more of a general A.C. Grayling piece of work. That means the book deals with complex ideas in simplistic terms that every-day people can understand. In comparison with many of the other social media books and articles I've laboured through, the book is mush easier to get through.

The book is a short one in comparison with most business books, but that doe snot mean it suffers for it with a lack of depth. The books comes across as a well-thought-out series of ideas brought together in a loose narrative. The voice of the author is alive and well in the book, which is something most business books don't usually offer. That being said, this book should not be approached as a one-stop-shop for how to move your business into social media, or an expert's guide to social media. The book should be read as a good entry level work about social media, a good touch-up for social media advocates/experts, or to understand the philosophy and some of the bigger ideas with social media as a whole.

The book also has a few unique features worth mentioning. The book, and the online accompanying website, have a social media test to help you gauge your understanding of social media. This is a good test for beginners right through to experts to make sure your social media ego matches the reality of your skills. The book also discusses 10 major pitfalls companies and people fall into when trying to create their own “social nation.” The more important pitfalls mentioned include: Running a social nation like a traditional business, under-investing in social initiatives and giving up on them too soon, neglecting inspiring and motivating your followers, underestimating the power of your social nation, not relying on partners, and trying to develop your own social software and analytics when there are easy-to-use ones already developed to suit your needs.

The book relies on some quotes taken from some famous, and no so famous, individuals. In truth, one quote, by Thomas Watson, sums up the main message of the book: “To be successful, have your heart in your business and your business in your heart.”