A broad book, its contents revolve around how to get prospects to find you through blogs, search engines and social media. Halligan and Shah also discuss converting customers and how to apply that to your business and web site.

The short first chapter explains what has changed in marketing, and how online technologies effected the change. The first part of the book provides little value with its brief coverage of your web site as a marketing hub and creating a remarkable strategy. Really, these first chapters set the tone for the rest of the book in that its contents are wide and shallow.

The bulk of the book rightfully focuses on “Getting Found,” with 100 pages devoted to the topic out of the book’s roughly 200. Despite that much coverage, it’s still elementary stuff. The section on converting customers only lasts for three chapters, and it needs more material than the five chapters of “Make Better Decisions.”

The “Make Better Decisions” section included a whole chapter devoted to picking a PR agency and another on how to hire the right people for your marketing team. The advice given on how to find marketers who are digital citizens, however, is outdated. For example, the suggestion to hire people based on their web reach recommends looking at how many followers they have in Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Most of us know that raw follower numbers have little value, with so many low quality users who know how to rack up the numbers.

The authors are also behind the Website Grader and Twitter Grader web sites, which they mention so frequently that at times it reads like a promotion. This book really is just a primer: You won’t glean anything new if you know the basics of search engine optimization, such as the difference between organic and paid listings, and you already know how to use social media tools and connect those tools with your business and web site. ”Inbound Marketing” does a good job for those who don’t have a clue about how to use social media for business and want to understand the bigger picture.

Have you read “Inbound Marketing?” Please share what you think in the comments.

Chris Brogan’s new book, “Social Media 101: Tactics and Tips to Develop Your Business Online,” offers bite-sized chunks that will allow you to make the most of social media, whether you fit into one of the categories above or you have a different set of problems. Each section is short — the book is 337 pages, divided into 87 different sections — but that structure elevates it from a how-to manual to a great reference book.

Sitting down and reading straight through “Social Media 101″ probably isn’t the best way to approach the book. Instead, since each section offers tips that you can take action on immediately, it may be best to dive into the sections you need right now and then get to work on implementing some social media strategy. Once you’ve got that section down, get into the next one.

The information covered in the book isn’t basic “here’s how to sign up for Twitter” stuff, though. Brogan has managed to condense discussions on topics like creating a community with a blog into something that you can act on. There’s a lot of big picture packed into this little book. That alone is enough to set “Social Media 101″ apart from the majority of social media books that have been coming out lately. It doesn’t hurt that Brogan actually takes the steps he discusses in the book — you can see how he’s implemented them on his own blog. He also points out plenty of people who are doing it right throughout the book, which allows you to take a look at case studies in action, not just the parts that Brogan wants to emphasize in his book. You can get a good overall picture of social media by reading the book, but if you look up who Brogan references, you can create your own master class in social media.

It is worth noting that “Social Media 101″ is geared to be an introductory-level resource. If you already spend your entire day plugged into social media, you may already be familiar with much of Brogan’s advice. Even though I’m active on social networking sites and in social media in general, though, I did find some interesting tidbits in the book. Brogan breaks out some tips for specific career paths, like real estate agents, that gave me some ideas on how other people are using social media, reinforcing the idea that it’s not just the platform that makes social media important.

I think that “Social Media 101″ may turn out to be a particularly useful resource when I’m working with someone who needs to get up to speed on social media — and fast. While I did receive a review copy, it’s a book that I would have picked up anyhow, just to have a copy to loan out to people who ask me social media questions. It’s worth taking a look at even if you’re at a more advanced level, though.

Have you read “Social Media 101?” Let us know what you think of it in the comments.

Related GigaOM Pro content (sub. req.): Social Media in the Enterprise

The new edition of the book isn’t just a rehash of old content. Scott has extensively rewritten the book, updating it to accurately reflect the latest opportunities to connect with buyers online. When the first edition came out, Twitter didn’t exist and Facebook was still very limited — you needed a .edu email address to sign up. Scott has also pulled in new examples, many of which came from people who used his book to effectively market their projects online.

The book weighs in at 279 pages and is clearly written for individuals who already spend some time online but who want to take their marketing effort to the next level. I’d recommend against skimming the book, though. There is a lot of information to digest, and while Scott breaks things up with lists and even boxed conclusions that draw attention, it’s important to actually read through everything in the book. If you particularly need information on a certain topic, like how to create an online media room or how to write persuasive web content, you can start with that chapter and then move on to the rest of the book.

The book makes for an ideal guide for web workers: Scott mentions readers of the first edition who have used the techniques he writes about for everything from landing a new job to raising donations for a non-profit. You can easily apply the techniques to your work no matter what kind of web work you do.

Even if you already have a copy of the first edition of “The New Rules of Marketing and PR,” it’s worth taking a look at the new edition. If you’re just getting started with marketing anything on your web, from yourself to your web site to a product, you should read this book from cover to cover. “The New Rules of Marketing and PR” is published by Wiley and is priced at $19.95.

Have you read either edition of this book? Let us know what you think of it in the comments.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

How Barnes & Noble Can Avoid Getting Netflixed

Those in corporate jobs that come with a daily commute get a few chapters’ worth of advice on how to convince the boss to let you work from home. The authors only address this for a small part of the book, so if this is important to you it may be better to borrow the book from your library. It probably would have been helpful to split the book into two: one for corporate employees looking to work from home, and another for those who want their own businesses. The two groups have different needs and requirements, and Lister and Harnish concentrate more on the latter in this book.

The book gives you most of the information you need to figure out the whole “work from home” thing. Unfortunately, the book barely touches upon how to deal with health benefits, a big concern for many self-employed folks. The contracts and proposals chapter are also lacking detail.

If you’re a regular WWD reader or already work from home, you probably won’t get a lot from this book, unless you’re thinking about switching gears and starting your own business. But if you’re thinking about becoming a web worker, “Undress for Success” is a well-rounded beginner’s resource. Visit the book’s companion site at undress4success.com.

What tips do you have for people looking to dive into web working?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

Too many technical writing books and periodicals take an academic approach to the subject matter, which isn’t useful for readers who need real world advice to get their job done. Gentle’s practical approach opens the book up to anyone seeking to engage with their potential and existing customers online.

The book has lessons for all web workers, whether they are technical writers or not. That’s because the future Gentle paints for technical documentation isn’t just going to affect writers, but everybody who supports their customers via the web and social media. Her view of the future deftly shows how social media can take the place of tired old documentation standards — like print user guides — with planning, concise writing, and design skills aiding in the transition.

As well as being an excellent introduction to social media technologies in general, if you’re contemplating moving content to a wiki you’re going to find a lot of value in this book. The book’s coverage of wikis built upon the author’s real-life experience with the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Project and working as a senior technical writer inside a major technology corporation. The is a highlight of the book, because she nails down the challenges of using social media — and wikis in particular — for writers and other content creators through real-life experience, versus the academic pontification that sometimes weighs down technical writing books. She also makes smart and appropriate usage of examples, focusing on well-known wikis.

The other element I liked about the wiki coverage is the author’s attention to the planning and management aspects necessary for a successful wiki implementation. Based on my own experience with wikis, these elements can be more integral to the ongoing success of the wiki, rather than the technology itself.

The fresh insights in this book transcend the technical writing profession; many web workers could learn something from it, or be challenged to think further about the role of the social web in engaging and supporting customers.

Have you read “Conversation and Community: The Social Web for Documentation”? Are you using the social web for customer documentation?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

Warnke says that Wal-Mart and Sam’s Warehouse Club Founder Sam Walton’s last words were, “I blew it.” How could one of the richest people in the world think this? According to the author, Walton wasn’t reflecting on his massive wealth and business successes, but rather on missing family time.

“ONO, Options Not Obligations” explores changing your mindset to live with an options-oriented outlook rather than just an overwhelming obligation to become a rich entrepreneur and provider. Living as a “family first entrepreneur” requires a commitment to overarching change while working past the fear of not having enough money to live the kind of life you want. Warnke, a recovering alcoholic who has dyslexia, shares everything about himself to show how it’s possible to live an ONO life.

Warnke covers all the bases, including working with finances, figuring out wants vs. needs and managing time. The last part of the book goes into acting on your new thinking process. It’s easy to go back to key parts of the book later on, since every chapter ends with a bulleted list of key points covered.

You don’t have to be a parent to benefit from the book. If you have dreams of traveling, working fewer hours, or spending more time on a hobby, you can apply ONO thinking to enjoy the things you love and put an emphasis on what matters to you. Warnke inspires, enlightens, educates, and gives practical assignments to help anyone ready and willing to live the ONO life.

Do you find that web working leads to more or less of a sense of being burdened by obligation? What strategies do you use to deal with work/life balance?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks