Praise and Posts for The Book

Advance Praise for The Book

I think Holtz and Havens’ book spells out this new form of online communication in an extremely clear and valuable way.  It drives home the point that social networking and blogging is only as useful and effective as the energy you put forth.  As CEO, if you are sincere in your belief that the consumer of today deserves an opportunity to be heard and you believe in your mission and direction for the company you lead, then this kind of communication is appropriate and necessary for future success!  Cindi Bigelow President, Bigelow Tea

Transparency is a necessary journey that takes effort and time, but has high rewards. Organizations of any size should recognize the value of being transparent and make employees part of the journey. Using effective scenarios and real examples, this book will help results coming from embracing authenticity in communicating to customers, partners and internal employees. Paolo Tosolini New Media Business Manager, Microsoft Corp.

Nothing is more vital in the world of business today than authentically communicating with clients.  Monologue has given way to dialogue and listening to the people who support your business builds the trust that will sustain an organization more than your stock price.  Holtz and Havens clearly demonstrate the value of articulating a strategy for transparency that can effectively transform your organization to become aligned with the mindset of modern media.

Michael Port Author of Book Yourself Solid and Beyond Booked Solid

Being better engaged with the marketplace than your competition is an advantage - transparency and authenticity are vital to that engagement.  Whether it's blogging, owning up to mistakes, disclosing labor practices, carbon emissions or financial results - engaging in an authentic conversation with the markets you serve brings nothing but opportunity.

Jonathan Schwartz CEO and President, Sun Microsystems

Anyone can say anything about you in the freewheeling nooks and crannies online. That’s scary for many companies and they have a tendency to shut up or shout out (neither effective strategies). John and Shel dive deep into the nuances of transparency and provide you with everything you need to know. Companies no longer control the message (maybe we never really did). But following the advice in Tactical Transparency, we have something even better—the ability to successfully influence millions of people by showing what we really are.

David Meerman Scott Author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR

Nothing is more important to building and sustaining a community than transparency.  People won’t listen to you in the world of new media if you’re fake.  Authenticity is the currency of social networking, and John and Shel provide great case studies and insights on how to maintain your brand’s integrity while still speaking your truth.

Alan Levy CEO, BlogTalkRadio.com

Honesty is the start of all success in a word-of-mouth world. This book will teach you how to openly embrace it, enjoy it, and expand your business. Andy Sernovitz Author of Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking

Imagine the challenge of learning the tactics of communicating in a world where technology renders instantaneous, unscripted experiences, where the will of the people is spoken loudly across multiple immediate distribution points, and where the world has easy access to much more of the data and facts. Holtz and Havens deliver a book that starts a whole new conversation, one around the business impact of transparency, and how corporate communications must change today to adapt, or risk much more down the road. Chris Brogan Social Media Strategist at chrisbrogan.com

This is not a book about new technology, but about new attitude. "Tactical transparency" is about loosening up, lightening up, shutting up, and joining the conversation. Holtz and Havens make a convincing case for how to use social media to rethink and transform communications. Packed with case studies from successful companies, this book provides a road map to success in the new age of transparency.  Anders Gronstedt, Ph.D. President, Gronstedt Group

Everyone knows that technology is changing the way we get and share information, what role the media and organizations play in our lives.  What people don't understand is what their role is and what they need to know to be successful.  Havens  and Holtz know and they are sharing their wisdom.  You will be smarter having read this book. Brian Reich Author, Media Rules! Mastering Today's Technology To Connect With and Keep Your Audience.  

Does your organization host an online platform for open collaborative conversation? Even if your answer is no, understand that there are a number of web destinations where your employees and stakeholders are likely engaged in discussions already, forming networks of relationships and representing your brand. Communications professionals are no longer in control of the message and your firewall is losing bricks. Understanding how to communicate in these new and very popular social spaces, and understanding how to represent your brand & values through transparent and meaningful actions has never been more important. In Tactical Transparency, John and Shel not only encourage but educate on how you, your employees, and all of your stakeholders can be true brand ambassadors in this new world. George Faulkner Author of Blueprints - Social Computing at IBM

Blog Posts, Interviews, and Reviews

Opening Eyes at BDI from Chris Johnson of dna13.com

Paull Young from Converseon's thoughts on Tactical Transparency

Connie Crosby
New Business Books

Tuesday night I attended a special Toronto Third Tuesday dinner for corporate communications celeb Shel Holtz. He was in town to speak at a conference, and a group of us were privileged to have him tell us about the work he did on his new book Tactical Transparency that he wrote with John C. Havens. He explained that companies are reluctant to embrace transparency because they believe this means giving away their business secrets. On the contrary, he explained there are areas that do need to stay confidential such as client information, business intelligence, personal information and health information, and that keeping these confidential is very different than acting in a transparent way.

You can find more information on the tacticaltransparency.com website. I am particularly impressed they have shared the audio of the interviews they conducted with 50 business executives for the book at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/transparency. I'm looking forward to reading and listening through all that and sharing my thoughts over on Connections, my Crosby Group blog.

C.C. Chapman with his review copy.

Jonathan Fields from his blog, Awake At The Wheel
Drive By Book Review for Tactical Transparency

Tactical Transparency is a fascinating exploration of how social media is fundamentally changing the way companies are communicating with their customers. It delves into the variety of new media tools, communities and strategies, from blogging to twitter, and it’s packed with real-life examples that clearly show how different companies are tapping technology to open up new lines of communication with their customers. (Fair disclosure, my experience with JetBlue and twitter is also mentioned in the book).

What makes it different - The book steps back and presents a clear and objective look at social media from the standpoint of the company. It shows how to use and, maybe even more importantly, how not to use it as a tool to move from messaging to communicating.

There’s been a lot of misinformation and fear, myths and facts in this area, making this book a bit of a breath of fresh air and a reality check. I also liked the fact that by featuring a number the social media-based tactical transparency efforts of some very large corporations, Holtz and Havens show that it truly is not just a little guy’s game. They demonstrate the value of tapping technology to be less opaque and listen to customers.

Who needs to read it -Anyone in an organization that’s been told “hey, you guys should be on [insert social media hub],” but doesn’t quite get what these new communications channels are about, why they should tap them and what the benefits and risks are.

Comments

[Joyce Evans]

I just finished the book via Kindle and enjoyed it a lot. I especially enjoyed the real life examples.

There is mention that a template for managing a transparency plan in chapter 17 was available on this site but I couldn't find it.