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America is an idea and the American Dream is for everyone: Why We Built empowr.com: The Experiment to Democratize Social Media
From a co-founder of empowr.com comes this "Why?" story behind the massive social platform, empowr, that’s been in the making for fifteen years.
Learn exactly what drove the participants (founders, advisors, success coaches and 1,000 employees plus 100,000 alpha test users) in their gigantic moonshot project.
After meticulously discussing the "Why?" the author then delves into how empowr has been designed to exploit the exponential characteristics of the web - via its tightly-integrated democratic, economic and educational platform - to deliver opportunity to people everywhere.
The book reads like a manifesto and a manual. One can’t help but come away with newfound or elevated inspiration to dream big, take on their own moonshot project and make a massive difference on the planet.
Learn exactly what drove the participants (founders, advisors, success coaches and 1,000 employees plus 100,000 alpha test users) in their gigantic moonshot project.
After meticulously discussing the "Why?" the author then delves into how empowr has been designed to exploit the exponential characteristics of the web - via its tightly-integrated democratic, economic and educational platform - to deliver opportunity to people everywhere.
The book reads like a manifesto and a manual. One can’t help but come away with newfound or elevated inspiration to dream big, take on their own moonshot project and make a massive difference on the planet.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2015
4 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 11, 2016
I don't usually read books that are about politics or economics, but America is an Idea is so much more. Part memoir, part passionate social commentary and history on democratic governments and part explanation of a new social media platform called empowr, this book kept me turning the pages. Written in first-person POV, Pousti is engaging, reflective and passionate in his narrative. Far from dry or boring. I was fascinated to see how technology has and is changing the world.
Michael Pousti is a computer scientist who develops high-tech avant-garde software. As an entrepreneur myself I couldn't help but admire his work and appreciate his motives and at times his self-sacrificing spirit behind work he believes will help not only his country but the world.
I have been an avid student of the Bible for 25 years and have keenly been observing the world affairs because much of what is happening today, even on a political level, has been prophesied. So Pousti's explanation and worry about democracy being broken rings true. He includes facts and graphs and I was honestly quite immersed as I followed his reasoning.
His lofty goal of trying to fix democracy and the educational system is impressive. I agree that an educated society is key to a better world, and that poverty and desperation lead to atrocities as we have seen in many countries. For this reason, I'm glad to have read this book. It was a true eye-opener for me in better understanding politics, world affairs, history and our educational system. Truly, there is a lot of info packed in this 194-page book.
So I eagerly anticipated trying out the empowr platform. I signed up, carefully read the terms and conditions and went through the short videos of step-by-step instructions on how to use this innovative democratized social media. Being someone who doesn't really like social media, I quickly realized this wasn't for me. The idea of gaining fans quickly with total strangers who were just posting content I wasn't interested in felt like a waste of time, even if by doing so I could earn money.
I think the empowr idea and platform is a good one but it needs to be tweaked so that busy business people can customize it to their advantage. I would have preferred to have had the choice of looking up users or citizens (as they are referred to in empowr) that posted useful content in my field. So am I giving up on empowr? No. It's in its infancy stages so I'm sure that with feedback, the founders will make it better.
I think that this book would be excellent reading for all students of political science, for entrepreneurs, computer geeks and those who love social media. I found it to be very informative, eye-opening and educational.
Michael Pousti is a computer scientist who develops high-tech avant-garde software. As an entrepreneur myself I couldn't help but admire his work and appreciate his motives and at times his self-sacrificing spirit behind work he believes will help not only his country but the world.
I have been an avid student of the Bible for 25 years and have keenly been observing the world affairs because much of what is happening today, even on a political level, has been prophesied. So Pousti's explanation and worry about democracy being broken rings true. He includes facts and graphs and I was honestly quite immersed as I followed his reasoning.
His lofty goal of trying to fix democracy and the educational system is impressive. I agree that an educated society is key to a better world, and that poverty and desperation lead to atrocities as we have seen in many countries. For this reason, I'm glad to have read this book. It was a true eye-opener for me in better understanding politics, world affairs, history and our educational system. Truly, there is a lot of info packed in this 194-page book.
So I eagerly anticipated trying out the empowr platform. I signed up, carefully read the terms and conditions and went through the short videos of step-by-step instructions on how to use this innovative democratized social media. Being someone who doesn't really like social media, I quickly realized this wasn't for me. The idea of gaining fans quickly with total strangers who were just posting content I wasn't interested in felt like a waste of time, even if by doing so I could earn money.
I think the empowr idea and platform is a good one but it needs to be tweaked so that busy business people can customize it to their advantage. I would have preferred to have had the choice of looking up users or citizens (as they are referred to in empowr) that posted useful content in my field. So am I giving up on empowr? No. It's in its infancy stages so I'm sure that with feedback, the founders will make it better.
I think that this book would be excellent reading for all students of political science, for entrepreneurs, computer geeks and those who love social media. I found it to be very informative, eye-opening and educational.
October 30, 2015
Michael Cyrus Pousti in his new book, “America Is An Idea And The American Dream Is For Everyone” published by empowr gives us Why We Built empowr.com The Experiment to Democratize Social Media.
From the back cover: From a co-founder of empowr.com comes this “Why?” story behind the massive social platform, empowr, that’s been in the making for fifteen years.
Learn exactly what drove the participants (founders, advisors, success coaches and 1,000 employees plus 100,000 alpha test users) in their gigantic moonshot project.
After meticulously discussing the “Why?” the author then delves into how empowr has been designed to exploit the exponential characteristics of the web – via its tightly-integrated democratic, economic and educational platform – to deliver opportunity to people everywhere.
The book reads like a manifesto and a manual. One can’t help but come away with newfound or elevated inspiration to dream big, take on their own moonshot project and make a massive difference on the planet.
The American Dream! It is this dream that has motivated many to come to our shores and make a new life for themselves. Many have achieved great success because they were willing to work hard. Mr. Pousti feels that America is like a flower garden that requires weed pulling if it is to remain beautiful. The first half of this book tells of the American Idea and Mr. Pousti feels that the weeds were not properly pulled and the “Idea” may be dying. That is when the second half of the book kicks in as Mr. Pousti tells of empowr. empowr is a massive technology platform that redefines the American Dream for the 21st Century. Mr. Pousti makes some interesting points about what the “Dream” was and what it can become.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from IRead Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
From the back cover: From a co-founder of empowr.com comes this “Why?” story behind the massive social platform, empowr, that’s been in the making for fifteen years.
Learn exactly what drove the participants (founders, advisors, success coaches and 1,000 employees plus 100,000 alpha test users) in their gigantic moonshot project.
After meticulously discussing the “Why?” the author then delves into how empowr has been designed to exploit the exponential characteristics of the web – via its tightly-integrated democratic, economic and educational platform – to deliver opportunity to people everywhere.
The book reads like a manifesto and a manual. One can’t help but come away with newfound or elevated inspiration to dream big, take on their own moonshot project and make a massive difference on the planet.
The American Dream! It is this dream that has motivated many to come to our shores and make a new life for themselves. Many have achieved great success because they were willing to work hard. Mr. Pousti feels that America is like a flower garden that requires weed pulling if it is to remain beautiful. The first half of this book tells of the American Idea and Mr. Pousti feels that the weeds were not properly pulled and the “Idea” may be dying. That is when the second half of the book kicks in as Mr. Pousti tells of empowr. empowr is a massive technology platform that redefines the American Dream for the 21st Century. Mr. Pousti makes some interesting points about what the “Dream” was and what it can become.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from IRead Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
October 20, 2015
I was attracted to this title because of the big ideas supposed on the front of the book. The American Dream is for EVERYONE? I had to ask myself did I still believe this. I love America. I am an entrepreneur. There is no better place on earth to be an entrepreneur than America. No one who starts their own company does so to fail. We all believe in the dream. But for Everyone?In the World?
Because the front the of the book made me think and argue with myself I knew I had to read it. I expected it to be a rose colored glasses sort of treatise on how you too can be a millionaire. What I found instead not only shocked me, but made me think even harder about the challenges we face politically and economically. The more I read the more I discovered an incredibly well thought out and well supported outline of what challenges we faced in the past, how we are in line to face them again, and the new challenges that are coming. Mr Pousti uses cogent arguments and historical data to show how the World was saved by democracy and then how democracy is in peril. And why Democracy and capitalism being in peril could and most likely will lead to violent revolution. He shows how poverty and marginalization of many groups made people in the past follow radical evil like Nazism and Stalinism, and is now lending itself to terrorism with groups like the Taliban.
Even better than his really drilling down to the actual problems we face and how they came about, is the fact that he has designed a system to fix these problems. A way to fix our failing education system, government system, and economic system. He and his team have spent 15 years developing a method to harness your skills at social media and make them pay. Yes, make them pay. Without the high barriers to entry that membership fees inevitably create.
This method, plan, idea, what ever you call it, is for everyone everywhere. But saving everyone we ultimately save ourselves and the idea of America.
Because the front the of the book made me think and argue with myself I knew I had to read it. I expected it to be a rose colored glasses sort of treatise on how you too can be a millionaire. What I found instead not only shocked me, but made me think even harder about the challenges we face politically and economically. The more I read the more I discovered an incredibly well thought out and well supported outline of what challenges we faced in the past, how we are in line to face them again, and the new challenges that are coming. Mr Pousti uses cogent arguments and historical data to show how the World was saved by democracy and then how democracy is in peril. And why Democracy and capitalism being in peril could and most likely will lead to violent revolution. He shows how poverty and marginalization of many groups made people in the past follow radical evil like Nazism and Stalinism, and is now lending itself to terrorism with groups like the Taliban.
Even better than his really drilling down to the actual problems we face and how they came about, is the fact that he has designed a system to fix these problems. A way to fix our failing education system, government system, and economic system. He and his team have spent 15 years developing a method to harness your skills at social media and make them pay. Yes, make them pay. Without the high barriers to entry that membership fees inevitably create.
This method, plan, idea, what ever you call it, is for everyone everywhere. But saving everyone we ultimately save ourselves and the idea of America.
December 23, 2015
I thought reading about empowr would be both inspiring and educational, so it was with great eagerness that I approached America Is An Idea And The American Dream Is For Everyone - Why We Built Empowr.com, The Experiment To Democratize Social Media by Michael Cyrus Pousti - the new book from one of the company’s co-founders.
Regrettably, not every book you pick up turns out to be what you expect it to be.
If you are interested in politics and economics and how they shape the world of technology (and ultimately, lead to the development of empowr), you may find this book interesting. However, if you are expecting a more traditional business book that focuses primarily on empowr - like I was - you will be disappointed to find that discussion only encompasses a small portion of the book.
The majority of America Is An Idea And The American Dream Is For Everyone serves as a platform for the author to express his views on how political and socio-economic conditions around the world let to the creation of empowr. Although I believe the author makes some good points, I found the book very hard to read and focus on.
If you enjoy engaging in political discussions or find economics fascinating, by all means check out this book - you may find it right up your alley.
However, neither of these topics appeal to me, and at times, portions of this self-described “manifesto” sounded like political propaganda.
For those of you who are interested in learning about empowr, I’d recommend checking out the videos on the company’s website.
To read this review in its entirety, visit Create With Joy.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Regrettably, not every book you pick up turns out to be what you expect it to be.
If you are interested in politics and economics and how they shape the world of technology (and ultimately, lead to the development of empowr), you may find this book interesting. However, if you are expecting a more traditional business book that focuses primarily on empowr - like I was - you will be disappointed to find that discussion only encompasses a small portion of the book.
The majority of America Is An Idea And The American Dream Is For Everyone serves as a platform for the author to express his views on how political and socio-economic conditions around the world let to the creation of empowr. Although I believe the author makes some good points, I found the book very hard to read and focus on.
If you enjoy engaging in political discussions or find economics fascinating, by all means check out this book - you may find it right up your alley.
However, neither of these topics appeal to me, and at times, portions of this self-described “manifesto” sounded like political propaganda.
For those of you who are interested in learning about empowr, I’d recommend checking out the videos on the company’s website.
To read this review in its entirety, visit Create With Joy.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
November 3, 2015
America is An Idea and The American Dream is for Everyone is an intriguing, thoughtful look at what is happening in the world around us. Explored are ideas on what strategies are successful and which seem to move through an established cycles of concept-growth-success-stagnation-failure. The author applies these concepts to politics - both North American and Globally - to businesses and to the education system. Several of the concerns he presented are ones that had been on my mind for quite a while now, so it was interesting to get his take on them. I found myself many times in agreement with his assessment of the situation.
In the end, I support his assertion that democracy, education and the economy all need an infusion of new ideas. Each of these are crucial to achieving and maintaining long term success, whether applied to a company or a country. As a plan of attack, Pousti puts forward several ideas developed over the last 15 years of research that are incorporated into his company's goals - hand the controls back by allowing everyone an equal say, give clear feedback to judge the results achieved, offer financial rewards to all who participate, ensure a regular change of leadership to encourage change and avoid stagnation, and recharge education by offering motivated instructors who are compensated based on the success of their students.
Whatever your thoughts are on these issues, I would recommend this book highly. I found myself considering new ideas and directions as well as gaining a clearer picture of the global situation and current events. It will challenge you to THINK. The only negative - the Table of Contents. It definitely needs a simpler, clearer layout.
In the end, I support his assertion that democracy, education and the economy all need an infusion of new ideas. Each of these are crucial to achieving and maintaining long term success, whether applied to a company or a country. As a plan of attack, Pousti puts forward several ideas developed over the last 15 years of research that are incorporated into his company's goals - hand the controls back by allowing everyone an equal say, give clear feedback to judge the results achieved, offer financial rewards to all who participate, ensure a regular change of leadership to encourage change and avoid stagnation, and recharge education by offering motivated instructors who are compensated based on the success of their students.
Whatever your thoughts are on these issues, I would recommend this book highly. I found myself considering new ideas and directions as well as gaining a clearer picture of the global situation and current events. It will challenge you to THINK. The only negative - the Table of Contents. It definitely needs a simpler, clearer layout.
October 20, 2015
I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.
There is a lot of information in this book. Not only is it a good resource for people who are getting ready to start a business, but also for those who have been in business for a long time. What’s different about this book, though, is that it also explains the different economies and what has affected them over the years. It states that our government is broken (I think most of us believe that) and ways that could help fix it. I agree with Mike Pousti that poverty and lack of education are two important things that need to be fixed.
The second half of America is an Idea… is about empowr and how it works, as well as the author’s vision of how it could work in the future once there are millions, or billions, of users. He believes that it could ultimately redefine the American Dream using technology and helping educate people along the way. By educating them, they will bring themselves out of poverty. It’s a wonderful idea and a great dream and I hope that his vision works.
There is a lot of information in this book. Not only is it a good resource for people who are getting ready to start a business, but also for those who have been in business for a long time. What’s different about this book, though, is that it also explains the different economies and what has affected them over the years. It states that our government is broken (I think most of us believe that) and ways that could help fix it. I agree with Mike Pousti that poverty and lack of education are two important things that need to be fixed.
The second half of America is an Idea… is about empowr and how it works, as well as the author’s vision of how it could work in the future once there are millions, or billions, of users. He believes that it could ultimately redefine the American Dream using technology and helping educate people along the way. By educating them, they will bring themselves out of poverty. It’s a wonderful idea and a great dream and I hope that his vision works.
November 2, 2015
So WOW! I opened this book turned the first page to the head hurting table of contents with each section surrounded by black lines and I expected this book to be filled with technical jargon. Boy was I surprised that it read like a person journal in the beginning and then a bit like an informational blog towards the end. I feel like this book has taught me a lot about social media, empowr, politics, government, and a bit of history. This learning was actually interesting to I felt like I was joining the author on his journey. I would recommend this book to everyone looking to learn about empowr.
View my full review at: http://hubpages.com/literature/Americ...
I was sent this book for free for only my honest and unbiased review.
View my full review at: http://hubpages.com/literature/Americ...
I was sent this book for free for only my honest and unbiased review.
October 31, 2015
"America is an Idea and The American Dream is for Everyone" by author Micheal Cyrus Pousti is the kind of book that gets you thinking about ideas that you have. The book is well written and makes you start to understand why some things are done a certain way. The author has written his book so others would know about empowr.com. I give this book a 4/5. I was given this book for a review and these are my opinions.
- See more at: http://dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/2...
- See more at: http://dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/2...
September 16, 2015
Jaw-Dropping!
Reading this book caused my brain to lit up. Surely this is the road to prosperity. Oh, my! Let's Go!
Reading this book caused my brain to lit up. Surely this is the road to prosperity. Oh, my! Let's Go!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews