Captivating Connections.

check it out: love what you do.

Recently, I had the pleasure of meting Dorothy Cann Hamilton, founder and CEO of the world-renowned French Culinary Institute (The FCI). She was also the creator/host of Chef's Story, a 26-part television series on PBS, author of the complimenting book, Chef's Story, and creator of The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine, which received James Beard Foundation Award in 2008. She’s now written the book, ‘Love What You Do’, an inspirational and educational book geared towards those not only looking to enter the culinary world, but anyone looking to start or change their career.

 

The book adopts a step by step process, demystifying the actual career decision process (both in general and within the culinary field), and guides readers through the job hunting process.

 

Dorothy, who has over 35 years of teaching under her belt, including in vocational education, is a major believer in the power of someone empowering themselves and transforming their lives. Especially with the recession that recently ravaged the country, as she explained, “you never know what’s in store for you. You can’t be afraid in life because there’s always something in the way.” Her belief, of being happy with what you do, is the reason she pushes people to “grab this life and get everything you deserve out of it,” a major driver behind turning her book into a workbook. It’s a powerful message that transcends age, sex, and current career/job/employment status. It’s an inspiration message, especially in this holiday season.

 

If you’re interested in checking the book out, you can find it here.

social media marketing for dummies.

The Social Media Marketing for Dummies book is out, and MediaPost snagged an interview with its author, Shiv Singh, vice president and global social media lead at Razorfish. Check it out here.

And check out a selection of the dialogue here:

Q: What's the most common mistake brands make when it comes to social media?

A: Marketers often make the mistake of trying to do too much too quickly. Many suffer from the "me too" syndrome. If a competitor is doing something special, they feel the pressure to do the same -- even if it is out of sync with their brand or their customers. This pressure comes from the marketer's bosses, the social media specialists, the analysts, the advertising agencies and the media.

It is extremely important to recognize that as a brand, you can only participate successfully when you have permission to do so with your customers (or have a way to create that permission). Along those lines, it's important to start with strategy and do something that makes sense for your brand, that is in alignment with your business objectives and resonates with your customers.

B&N joins the e-reader fray.

"Barnes & Noble which has long left open the possibility of introducing its own electronic reader, is expected to unveil on Tuesday at a news conference in Manhattan what it is calling the Nook.

The device features color touch-screen controls and a gray-and-white reading display. It will cost $259, matching Amazon.com's most recent price cut for its latest edition of the Kindle.

According to an advertisement that Barnes & Noble placed in the Oct. 25 issue of The New York Times Book Review and which was distributed to publishers on Monday, the Nook will permit readers to lend their digital books to friends and download books wirelessly.

what women really really want.

Looking for a new book to read? The LATimes has the rundown on 2 new books looking at women that "

give retailers and makers of goods insight into the decision process of this consumer powerhouse."

"As 'Women Want More' points out, the majority of consumer spending in the U.S. is controlled by women, and the authors of this new book predict that the purchasing power of women around the world will continue to grow. They also suggest that the expansion of women's spending will help lead the way out of the current slump.

This book and another recently published title, 'Why She Buys,' go some way to guiding retailers and consumer goods manufacturers on how these increasingly powerful customers think and shop.

In 'Why She Buys,' Bridget Brennan begins with a traumatic afternoon at a car showroom. The author and her husband are contemplating buying a BMW 540i model. They are impressed by the smooth test drive and the Teutonic engineering. But then Brennan notices the inadequate cup holders."

julia child still going strong.

Not bad, lady:

"Almost 48 years after it was first published, 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' by Julia Child is finally topping the best-seller list, bringing with it all the butter, salt and goose fat that home chefs had largely abandoned in the age of Lipitor."

the battle of e-readers continues with open systems.

It looks like Sony is coming to e-reader game ready to play...

"Sony has suddenly become a champion of open standards, at least in the e-book market. The company says it will scrap its own proprietary technology and support the open ePub format for its Reader e-book devices.

The move is clearly a thrust at Amazon, which has gained an early lead in the e-reader race despite launching the Kindle more than a year after Sony's Reader. Sony doesn't want to see Amazon use its closed system with the Kindle to build a an unassailable position in the e-book business the way Apple has in digital music through iTunes and the iPod."

to e-read or not to e-read.

So i've been having the debate on whether or not to invest in an e-reader. It would be great to be able to read books (as well as get my business school textbooks) in a convenient on-the-go format. However, I actually like having hard copies of books, especially since I enjoy highlighting, underlining and writing notes next to ideas or lines I really like.

Apparently I'm not the only one having this debate.

"According to a recent survey by The NPD Group, 40% of consumers were either only 'somewhat interested' or 'not interested at all' in owning one of these devices, such as Amazon's Kindle or the Sony Reader. Only 37% said they were 'somewhat interested' or 'very interested' in buying one."

So what are the reasons listed? 

"Of the 40% who were not interested in owning an e-reader, 70% said they still prefer the look and feel of actual books. Other reasons included the devices' general inability to display pictures in color and the dearth of reading material other than books, such as newspapers and periodicals, says Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at NPD.

'[The market] faces some addressable challenges," Rubin tells Marketing Daily. 'We're seeing consumers express demand for other types of content [beyond bestsellers], which are the core of these programs.'"

Do any of you guys have an e-reader? Are you thinking of getting one? Why or why not?

b&n goes after amazon.

"Barmes & Nobles bookstore chain on Mondayunveiled its challenge to Amazon’s Kindle e-book service with an expanded online store selling more than 200,000 e-book titles for both laptop computers and mobile devices.

The chain also said it would provide the e-book store for a wireless portable e-reader being developed by Plastic Logic, a UK-based technology company, that is scheduled for launch next year."

amazon makes a play for college kids.

So, what do you guys think? Can colleges finally really embrace e-books? Does Amazon have a shot with the new larger college textbook-friendly Kindle?

They’re hoping so…

“Amazon's Kindle, launched in 2007, hasn't wowed academia. The electronic book reader is too expensive for many college students, the screen is too small and plain for the diagrams and illustrations found in a typical textbook, and book selection is limited since top education publishers have released only a fraction of their titles in a Kindle-friendly format.

Kindle may start getting a warmer reception in colleges come May 6, when Amazon launches what is expected to be a larger version of its Kindle e-book reader that is more suited to academic publishers. Six universities including Case Western, Pace, and

Princeton

are partnering with Amazon and major publishers to supply students with the new device in the fall, The Wall Street Journal reports. Details of the name of the device, as well as specific features and price, have not been released. Amazon declined to comment on the report.

By entering the nascent market for higher-education e-books, Amazon is attempting to expand the audience for its Kindle platform. Amazon could also use a new device to pursue a slice of the high-volume business of college book sales, valued by the National Assn. of College Stores (NACS) at $5.4 billion in the 2007-08 fiscal year. Amazon's technological possibilities are legion. The Kindle could carry science textbooks that update according to new discoveries, as well as classics that feature Internet links to historical notes and literary criticism.”

get up tp date on your recession vocab.

For those nerds who like to be up on their vocab, this is for you:

With the downturn arrive many perplexing terms, like “collateralized debt obligations” and “wraparound mortgage,” so in a way the timing of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s reference book, The American Heritage Dictionary of Business Terms, which went on sale March 25, could not be better. After all, inside are straightforward definitions of many newly ubiquitous terms, like “no-doc loans” and “cash-out refinancing.”

But whether the timing is good news for the publisher depends on whether you tend to see your 401(k) account as half empty or half full.

The book could strike some as instantly dated, since it went to press before the author, David L. Scott, could include such recently minted terms as “toxic assets,” “TARP” and “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.”