Book Title: Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone

Author: Mitch Joel

Publisher: Business Plus

Year of publication: 2009

Rating: 7/10

AS we move past the novelty of being in an interconnected world, the next area of focus is naturally – how do we harness it effectively?

"The big idea in a world of Six Pixels of Separation is to embrace community as the new currency... In a world where we are all connected, one opinion quickly turns into everyone's opinion." So says Mitch Joel, president of Canada-based digital marketing and communications agency Twist Image and author of Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone.

For entrepreneurs and established businesses especially, the rise and prominence of social media has been both a boon and bane.

Few have managed to create a comprehensive approach fully maximising the tools available in their marketing and branding efforts.

It is for these people that Joel writes this overview of the current digital marketing realm. He writes clearly and enthusiastically with plenty of case studies scattered throughout the book to make his point – perfect for workaholics to digest with its snack-sized breakdowns.

This is in no way a how-to book, but rather an argument for "why" and a guide to what ways one should engage the virtual audience and subsequent conversations.

For example, Joel notes the ineffectiveness of traditional advertising and the needed shift to content creation:

"The business growth comes because people who are enjoying the valuable content you provide for free are also inclined to follow the theory of reciprocity. It's built into us."

Considered the first in a wave of similar books to come, Six Pixels provides a much-needed context for those who find themselves a little lost in the myriad of Web 2.0.