Now Is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs

by Geoff Livingston

Now Is Gone seeks to help businesses embrace Social Media intelligently. Readers can learn if their organization is ready, how to begin, the predominant participation is marketing approach that other businesses are using, social media marketing strategies, and general social media insights. In addition to best practices, the book is laced with case studies that demonstrate corporate successes. This primer provides the quickest way for executives and entrepreneurs to figure out social media marketing.

Genres: Nonfiction

194 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 2007

About the author

A former journalist, Geoff continues to write, and has authored four books. Most recently he published his first novel Exodus in 2013, co-authored Marketing in the Round, and wrote the social media primer Welcome to the Fifth Estate.

Professionally, Geoff has advised more than 10 members of the Fortune 500, including AT&T, Cox, eBay, Ford, General Dynamics, Google, PayPal, Pepsi Co., Procter and Gamble, SAIC, Verizon and Yum! Brands. He has also advised numerous start-ups, mid-cap companies, and nonprofits, including United Way of America, Live Earth, The Case Foundation, Razoo, Environmental Defense Fund, the Philanthropy 2.0 Project, Tekelec, Network Solutions, Vocus, the Washington Nationals, and Sully Erna (Godsmack lead singer).

Geoff organized the first Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington in 2011, an event that raised $2 million for more than 1000 nonprofits using online media tools. He also started and sold social media boutique Livingston Communications (2009). He was won awards from the Society of New Communications Research, the American Marketing Association, the International Association of Business Communicators, as well as an Axiom Award for Now Is Gone.

Reviews

[Cj Rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sure this was very relevant to marketers when it was published—in 2007. And yes, I knew that when I started reading. Maybe I’m just an old battleaxe, but sometimes I find it interesting to see much has changed, or not.

“…where there is money to be made, the market will make the rules…it’s all going to be owned and operated by companies that are trying to wring every dollar they can out of it.” -Scott Baradell

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is precisely what it claims to be: a practical primer for new media. Moving right to the heart of every topic it covers, Now is Gone is straightforward and on the mark, with a succinct recap of salient points at the end of every chapter.

This is not a tome of theory -- nor should it be. This book is more of a field guide: how to get involved with new media, social media, social networking, how to do it right, how to hopefully avoid certain pitfalls along the way, and to be ready, willing and able to admit culpability in the case of a misstep. Every executive, entrepreneur AND student ought to read this work, because moving forward, the activities and philosophies covered are going to be heart and core of nearly every company out there. New media, especially as covered by this work, is as much, or more, about customer relationship management than it is about PR or marketing; perhaps I should rephrase. PR and marketing, maturing to meet social media as described in this book, are the future of CRM.

Now is Gone returns again and again to the concepts of community, conversation and transparency. Without a doubt these values and practices are becoming, must become, predominant in the culture of any company hoping to succeed and thrive in the evolving, globalizing, always-on business world and consumer community. The people formerly known as the audience are smart, in touch and growing more and more used to getting the "inside story" on the products and services they consume, to having their voices heard, to having their opinions matter. It makes nothing but the best of sense to work with these powerful forces, rather than against them, and Now is Gone offers valuable insights and real world examples relevant to these critical matters without wasting the reader's time with ivory tower nonsense.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice overview of what social media marketing and PR is, why it matters, and the principles behind getting involved. This is not a "how to".

At this point (only one year after publishing), most of the info in this book is available to anyone with a passing knowledge of RSS feeds, but if you're trying to educate the C suite, this book is a good place to start.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very simple primer on Web 2.0. This is a good outline for those people who may not have encountered new media, although there were very few concepts here which I hadn't already encountered many times over in blogs. This is the problem with books on the emerging new media - things change so quickly that books rapidly fall out of date.

[Infinite Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to read this one - it's on its way from Amazon.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I interviewed the author and put it on a podcast... available here: http://gnovisjournal.org/audio/book-c...

[Bethharte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geoff did a great job with this one. Excellent case studies.

[Colleen]

Now Is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs by Brian Solis (2007)

[Lori Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

An optional-read book on social media for the knowledge worker, manager, executive, or entrepreneur.