As an admitted technophobe, I don’t usually read books about social media. So I was reluctant when asked to review Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees, and Grow Your Business by Barry Libert. Yet, I’m glad I did. [Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book for review, with no other remuneration.]

This book was less about the technological aspects of social media than I expected (fortunately, or I never would have finished reading it!). Social Nation is more about building an online community that involves listening and empowering customers and stakeholders. “Customers want more than transactions. They want connections.”

Libert makes the case for why business needs to make these connections via social media. He prescribes a set of principles on how to accomplish this, citing examples of companies who have been successful with social media “to create real value, spur innovations, and use the wisdom of the community to generate products and ideas.” Social Nation also goes beyond customers to advocate a broader community that listens to and engages employees, as well as organizational stakeholders and other business partners.

The chapter on “How to Get Started and 10 Pitfalls to Avoid” is helpful. But my favorite chapter is the one that covers how to “Mind Your Online and Offline Manners” – this chapter, by itself, is a must read for everyone who uses social media.