Non-sewing diversions

I’m going to start taking a bus to work soon, so I picked up some books to read. I am not so much into fiction books, but more into non-fiction. Here’s what I’m reading.

Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel

Now, if this isn’t a timely book to read, I don’t know what is, seeing as I’ve recently joined the blogosphere and am in the communications field. My new job will likely be interested in pursuing this trend somehow. In fact, I’ve already started a very brief discussion with my future colleague about it. Robert Scoble is the great blogger, Scobelizer. I’m into about chapter three so far, and I can see where my father (late direct marketing guru – or at least he was in my world) would have been all over business blogging. I can also see many areas where my current company is failing to embrace the new era. But, alas, for now that is not my problem.

First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

This book is written by the Gallup Survey folks and they did a huge survey to find some trends among a wide variety of companies as to what attracts and retains talent. I’ve just read the first dozen pages and I can tell you so far it is very accurate data, from this employee’s perspective. Someday, I hope to be a good manager and this might be helpful. It’s also helpful just to know this stuff for plain old relationship building.

I’ll maybe offer up more thorough book reports when I’m done with them.

And should anyone criticize me for not adhering solely to a sewing focus on my blog: oh, patooey. It’s my blog. :) Maybe I’ll diversify my blog into a second, separate non-sewing and more work-related blog, but for now, this works just fine. When I’m done with book number one above, I’ll know more about good blogging. Oh, and did you know there is a book out about how to blog? Goodness gracious.