Word of Mouse: 101+ Trends in How We Buy, Sell, Live, Learn, Work, and Play
Marc Ostrofsky
Simon & Schuster (2013)
“The new rule in business: Money doesn’t grow on trees; it grows in databases!”
The title of my review is one of Marc Ostrofsky’s several dozen observations and it correctly emphasizes the importance of building a database of one’s friends, suppliers, business prospects, clients, and even competitors. I agree with Ostrofsky that “the person or business with the best data will always win the game” if (HUGE “if”) they ensure its accuracy and sufficiency, and, know what to do with the data.
In Word of Mouse (clever title), Ostrofsky shares just about everything he has learned about (a) creating or recognizing business opportunities, (b) evaluating them, and then (c) taking full advantage of those that seem to have the best potential. He also explains how to find and then use the tools that his reader will need to grow personally and get ahead professionally. Several of the insights shared in this book were first introduced in his previously published book, Get Rich Click!: The Ultimate Guide to Making Money on the Internet (2011). If anything, they are even more relevant – and more valuable – today than they were several years ago, not only in terms of online commerce but also in terms of how people “live, learn, work, and play.”
These are among the passages of greatest interest and value to me:
o Ten Tools to Help You Build Your Brand (Pages 31-34)
o Plug In: How to Monitor Your Brand (34-35)
o Nine Golden Rules for Maintaining Your Personal Brand (36)
o Ten Ways to Maximize Google+ (39-40)
o Old and New Answers to How We Learn (49)
o Lynn Truong’s Twenty Best Mobile Shopping Apps for Your Phone (86-88)
o Four Trends in Mobile Shopping (104-105)
o Seven Apps for Employee Productivity (141)
o Eight Tips for Successful Crowdsourcing (148-149)
o Here are ten cool apps that already use Augmented Reality (187-188)
o Thirteen Ways to Protect Your Child from Cyber Predators (209)
o Seventeen Facts to Consider When Traveling on Business (210-211)
o The “A 2 Z” Rules of Online Success (219)
o My Secrets for Your Success (220-221)
I commend Ostrofsky on his skillful use of various reader-friendly devices that include “Plug In” mini-commentaries, dozens of Quick Response Code (QRC) links, “Did You Know?” sections, and end-of-chapter “Summary Points” (Chapters 1-8). He also makes excellent use of mini-case students that illustrate especially valuable business lessons to be learned from real people in real companies encountering real challenges as well as opportunities. These devices focus the reader’s attention on especially important material and also facilitate, indeed expedite frequent review of that material later.
The “word of mouse” is rapidly becoming the official language of what I characterize as the “world of mouse” and the best data are its most valuable currency. Marc Ostrofsky has written a book that will help business leaders become fluent in that language, and well aware of the most significant trends that will affect their organization and marketplace, whatever the size and nature of their organization may be. Bravo!