5 comments about Let's Connect: Using LinkedIn to get ahead at work.

1. Many people get an invitation from a friend or colleague to join LinkedIn. They accept, sign up, get a couple of other links and then wonder, "now what?" So they sit with a LinkedIn account and do nothing further with it.
   
   Others may put a little more effort in it; they invite their friends and colleagues, check the size of their network regularly and feel happy they're making progress. And yet, they're still not using LinkedIn to its full potential.
   
   If you're one of those people who has an account but doesn't quite know what to do with it, then Ajay Jain's book is for you. Not a how to use LinkedIn manual, Let's Connect: Using LinkedIn to get ahead at work is a guide to using LinkedIn strategically.
   
   Jain's book is a nice mix of practical strategies and quotes from LinkedIn users illustrating how they've used the methods Jain is writing about. These mini case studies add real authority to Jain's book and are interesting reading.
   
   For example, Jain writes about strategies for using the Answers section of LinkedIn to your benefit. You can pose questions to conduct market research or to get ideas to solve a business problem.
   
   You can also use Answers as a subtle form of marketing; by asking questions related to your field of business you put your name - and perhaps your website - in front of potential customers who may visit your site or start a conversation. Or they may invite you to become a connection.
   
   Let's Connect includes some ways for using LinkedIn that I hadn't considered. If you are hiring an employee, looking them up on LinkedIn can potentially find you information that you couldn't get elsewhere. While candidates tailor their resumes to the position they're applying for, they may have a more complete resume on LinkedIn.
   
   Furthermore, if they are connected to someone you know personally, you may get more information about this person than by contacting their past employers. You also know that any recommendations are real and haven't been altered by the candidate.
   
   Jain also provides some information about LinkedIn that is not widely available. For example, you have a lifetime supply of 3,000 invitations. When you've used them up, that's it. Forever.
   
   This is one piece of information I've never seen publicized on the site. As a result of reading Jain's book, I'm a little more choosy about who I send invites to. In fact, for people who are not currently a member of LinkedIn, I'm considering sending them invites by regular e-mail so that I don't waste an invitation on someone who may not be interested in joining LinkedIn at all.
   
   Overall, I enjoyed reading Let's Connect. I'm planning on using some of Jain's strategies to build my own network and my own business. If you're a member of LinkedIn - or thinking of it - and aren't sure how to use the site effectively, Jain's book is a worthwhile purchase.
   
   Andrea J. Stenberg
   [...]



2. Ajay Jain's book, Let's Connect, is a worthwhile introduction to LinkedIn, the professional networking site for business people and professionals. Many LinkedIn users have contributed their ideas and perspectives to Let's Connect.
   
   Jain explains that LinkedIn is more than a bigger rolodex. He goes on to discuss the importance of quality versus quantity of network. He explains many advantages of connecting online with other professionals, yet cautions users to be careful with whom they are connecting. You'll learn how to avoid pitfalls and what you should expect from the site and your participation. The LinkedIn site continues to grow and change, but this book will give you an idea of how to use it to become a valued member of a global business community.
   
   This book is aimed at those considering LinkedIn. But it's also useful for people who have not yet discovered the opportunities to demonstrate their responsiveness, generosity, and expertise by using the question and answer (Q & A) features.
   
   As for this reviewer, LinkedIn has resulted in new and now ongoing client relationships. If you want to know what it is, why you should use it, and get suggestions from users who are making it work for them, then get this book.



3. I enjoyed this book as someone who is specifically interested in Online Social Networking properties. The Author is definitely an expert in using LinkedIn and provided numerous facts about the service that the average person would not know. I did not know that there is a limit to the number of invitations that a user can send out (3,000). There were too many quotes from people that I had never heard of to suit my taste but that would not prevent a new user from gaining a lot of value from this book.



4. The book's subtitle "Using LinkedIn to get ahead at work" shows exactly what it is all about.
   
   The 200-page book is better than a regular manual on how to use technical features of LinkedIn, the most successful professional networking site nowadays. (Such manuals can get outdated even before their publication date I believe, as the technology is being developed very fast)
   
   The author put together LinkedIn members' best experiences and collective wisdom in the chapter "Ten Ways to Get LinkedIn to Work for You" as follows:
   
   -Your Ever Expanding Rolodex
   
   -LinkedIn Answers: a Global Focus Group
   
   -Networking Plus
   
   -Branding and Marketing Yourself
   
   -Hiring People
   
   -Finding a Job You Love
   
   -Finding Vendors and Service Providers
   
   -Running Background Check
   
   -Entrepreneurs: Get Opinions and Investors
   
   -Selling and Brand Building
   
   The LinkedIn professionals cited throughout the book range from the experienced and famous to new members.
   
   It reflects the fact that the book is helpful for everyone, as really LinkedIn is, in developing one's career, getting contracts and professional contacts.
   
   "Do you want to be Linked In or Linked Out? The choice is yours", as the author suggests in his introductory chapter.
   
   O.K.



5. I have spent some time at bookstores reviewing the different LinkedIn books and this by far is the best. Not only is it well written, informative and organized, but it's a quick and easy read (almost like a "tips" book). I was able to get up and running within a short time and feel like I knew what to do. I can see the value in LinkedIn for networking, job hunting and business development.

No comments about Accounting- Chapters 14-26.

5 comments about Bill Gross on Investing.

1. If you don't already know it, Bill Gross is arguably the best bond fund manager in the world. He manages one of the largest funds in the world through the Pacific Investment Management Company.

   Although the book is titled "Bill Gross on Investing", it has a fair amount of emphasis on bonds. Bill Gross makes a case for investing in bonds as opposed to equities. He argues that we are now entering a different era which he calls the "Era of 6 Percent". And in this era we are not likely to see the kind of high-octane equities prices we have been accustomed to in the past 20 years. Hence, the case for bond investing.

   Along the way, Bill Gross also teaches various concepts of investment which would be useful to the interested investor. In fact, it is his avowed goal of this book to make the reading of investment fun. His background as a former navy pilot and a former successful Las Vegas card-counting gambler also makes for an interesting read.

   All in all, I found his views and approach refreshingly different from the many other books emphasising equities as the way to go. This book has made me more aware of bonds and the range, flexibility and versatility it can bring to one's investment portfolio.

   For those interested in reading more about bond investing, I would also recommend The Bond Book by Annette Thau and Beating The Dow With Bonds by Michael B. O'Higgins.




2. obviously i'm in the minority here, but i can't say that i learned anything from this book. he's a great bond fund manager, but imho he just doesn't convey any useful info in this book. his prose is fine, but i didn't learn a thing.



3. I waited anxiously to receive this book and I have to say regretably that I am totally disappointed. There is some useful information in it but it was written, IMO, as a theory as to what was going to happen in the final few years of the 20th century and Mr. Gross got it wrong. We saw the biggest rise and fall in the history of the market, not the 6 percent that Mr. Gross predicted. Rather than focusing so narrowly on what he believed was going to happen in a specific time period I was hoping for a general book and am disappointed because this book is dated.



4. This book is well written and easy to read, with a fun and humorous style. In this book you will learn about bonds, you will also learn about Bill's life - which is interesting. The book is set in the late 90s so one must bear in mind that the predictions for growth are different to what actually happened since then - but thats the nature of predicting, not a faulty of the book. Nevertheless, it has an eminently sensible basis and gives advice of how to handle the possible "6% growth" investment scenario outlined.
   
   Most interesting of all and why I put "good thinking" in the title of this review is that Bill highlights some good economics by making a link between demographics and investment prospects.
   
   This book is a great read and will add to your investment education as well.



5. this book is just the paperback versoin of "Everything you've heard about investing is wrong!" by the same author published by Random House. I found out only after purchasing it. Really hate the new publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc! Why did they change the title of the same book just to sell more copies? Couldn't they indicate this explicitly to the potential buyers?

No comments about Marketing Metrics and Financial Performance (Marketing Science Institute (MSI) Relevant Knowledge Series).

5 comments about How to Attract Money Using Mind Power.

1. "How To Attract Money Using Mind Power" By James Goi Jr. is a gem of a book. I have read many books on mind power. So many are wordy with so much filler. Not this one! James keeps it simple and to the point. This is a book I will read over and over. Very highly recommended!



2. This is a fantastic handbook that goes beyond attracting money; it inspires us to become the best that we can be, so that we can attract to us all that we are.
   
   This book is brilliantly designed to satisfy the logical mind, but more importantly, gives us the mystical secrets for creating, obtaining and holding on to wealth.
   
   If a picture says a thousand words, each word in this little book says a million!
   
   James Goi, Jr. has done all the work and research for us and bridged it in a coherent, easy to read manner. I predict this book will become a classic. If everyone had a copy of this book and followed the simple principles, life would indeed be abundant for us all, and the world would be a better place!
   
   Chandi Devi,
   theworldoftantra.com
   
   Author, "From Om to Orgasm: The Tantra Primer for Living in Bliss"
   
   co-host"The KarmaCaffe Spiritual Hour" [...]



3. After reading this extremely motivating , uplifting, thought-provoking, and inspirational book, I have been on a mission to implements its instructions. Truly, James, you have inspired me in a wonderful and rewarding new journey. I can hardly wait to reap the rewards and share with others! Thanks! May you keep going in helping others reach their money goals. Good job, well done.



4. "Reading James Goi Jr.'s book, How To Attract Money Using Mind Power, was one of the most enlightening and liberating experiences I have ever had. I found myself smiling with inspiration as I was reading it. In fact, I could not let the book down while I was reading because I was so invigorated to learn more about his expert advice on the view of how to write lists with goals, make use of logic, and try to make things happen in your life that may have once seemed to difficult to become a reality. If you want to become inspired, confident, and learn from an expert, you should read this book", Tara Kelly, July 26, 2008.



5. HOW TO ATTRACT MONEY USING MIND POWER
   
   The book sets out to bring to our awareness the stark potentiality of the enormity of all manner of things that we can achieve by simply using our mind power. Empowering, one cannot ignore or escape delving into the truth about their limiting ideas and attitudes towards money, forcing them to deliberate or identify the need to institute the limitless ideas toward making positive changes derived from the wealth of information extracted from this book.
   
   Structured in a logical format, one can easily navigate through the pages. Dedicated to each chapter is a page on concepts, a page on six simple steps and a page listing ominous quotes. If you want to see changes materialise in your life, take this handy book around with you, read the entire book more than once, allow the pages that jump out and speak to you help you to direct you on your positive path to enriching your life and the lives of others.
   
   Goi Jr. has packed a wealth of invaluable knowledge and information in a cleverly short and sweet manner. A short read, James outlines the steps leading us to realize the sweet things that money can help to provide.
   
   HOW TO ATTRACT MONEY USING MIND POWER by James Goi Jr, I highly recommend to anyone who is willing to make significant changes in their lives by increasing their finances.
   
   Delores Airey
   Author and Reviewer

5 comments about Tiger Traits: 9 Success Secrets You Can Discover From Tiger Woods to Be a Business Champion.

1. One of the staples in the business - motivation literature is the use of sports and sports heroes to illustrate a set of constructive traits the author shares with you. Here, Nate Booth has written a book that motivates the reader by illustrating the nine principles he provides in the book (and a tenth bonus principle online) through the life and career of the phenomenal golfer, Tiger Woods. The author is clear that Tiger has NOTHING to do with the book, does not endorse it, and is in no way affiliated with him. I guess this disclaimer is necessary in this age of total marketing, branding, and so forth. However, if you go to your bookstore and look at all the books based on the lives of various people without their endorsement, you could fill many shelves.
   
   The main focus of the book, as I read it, is about taking control of your life by finding out what you are truly good at (the author provides you with some sound ways to tell), to develop a compelling dream around that talent, to get the right role models - teachers - supporters who will help you along the path, being confident, getting the right mental models, talk through actions, continually improve, be likeable (as an aside, while Tiger is famous and charismatic, I am not sure he is necessarily likeable nor am I sure he is concerned about it), and giving back.
   
   Booth provides a post nine-hole (nine-principle) cool down where he summarizes of what he was trying to teach through the book and hopes the reader has learned. He also offers some recommended reading.
   
   The book is NOT only about Tiger. Booth provides some excellent quotes from all kinds of past greats, from Aristotle, Woodrow Wilson, Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Walt Disney, and even Jiminy Cricket (and many others). I enjoyed these brief quotations a great deal.
   
   If you enjoy motivational reading and are interested in Tiger Woods, this is a book for you.



2. Nate Booth's Tiger Traits has a wonderful way of exposing the tiger inside each of us. Even better, Nate takes on the role of a seasoned, professional caddy and shows each of us how to play the championship course of life. As anyone who plays the game of golf will tell you, there's more than one set of tees to play from. After reading and applying Nate's observations, I will feel much more confident playing the game of life from the championship tees.
   
   When Nate writes about discovering one's natural talents, he gives us clear direction on what we should look for. When it comes to our individual weaknesses, he shows us how to manage them with honor.
   
   While many may buy this book because of its reference to Tiger, I recommend this book because it gives all of us a better chance to tap into the natural and developed gifts of the author, Nate Booth.
   
   In closing, I bought a copy of Tiger Traits for each of our five grown sons. It's a club I want in each of their bags.
   
   Ralph Williams
   Bottom Line University
   Colleyville, TX



3. Written by success coach Nate Booth, Tiger Traits: 9 Success Secrets You Can Discover from Tiger Woods to be a Business Champion is a unique guide to business and life lessons that anyone can learn from golf prodigy Tiger Woods. From "Identify and Develop Natural Talents" to "Be Confident", "Let Actions Do the Talking", "Be Likeable", and "Be Grateful, Give Back", each of the nine positive character factors is scrutinized at length, its benefits analyzed and illuminated through real-world examples. An excellent motivational and self-improvement guide sure to especially resonate with professional golf buffs.



4. Tiger Traits provides such powerful success secrets that I will be buying 6 more copies to share with my two sons and four closest friends. Nate has written an easy to follow "recipe for success", which is inspiring for all ages!
   
   Neil Wood
   author: The Magic of Working Smarter



5. Dear Dr. Booth:
   
   My name is Damien R. Euell, I'm 23 years young, and I wanted to just say "thank you" for your book, Tiger Traits. About a week ago I was cruising through the local Barnes & Noble book store and for some reason I was "drawn" to your book. Almost that 6th sense-- energy-- gut feeling that you get.
   
   I've read a handful of self development books and this is by far my favorite read. Tiger Traits is a very simple, very applicable, and very true to its creed. Like most entrepreneurs, and young at that, I am continuously searching for that extra edge in mental development that will help me along the way. The stronger I am, the more I can offer to our family business. Warren Buffett says, "always finish the day a little smarter, if you're not, you're making a huge mistake."
   
   Last year I moved down from Denver, Colorado to Katy, Texas to start working with the family business, Euell Energy Resources (www.euellenergy.com). We've been diligently working to rebuild the company; backlash from Enron almost caused bankruptcy. My father has instilled in me the values of never giving up, and to dream big dreams (Trumps version of thinking big). I'm excited about where we're going to end up.
   
   Again, thank you for compiling all of the information, knowledge, and advice into one amazing book. Have a great week.
   
   
   Best Regards,
   
   
   Damien R. Euell

No comments about Harvard Business Review on the Persuasive Leader (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series) (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series) (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series).

No comments about Nonprofit Mergers Workbook Part I: The Leaders Guide to Considering, Negotiating, and Executing a Merger, Updated Edition.

5 comments about Taking Care of Business: Establishing A Financial Legacy For Your Family.

1. Taking Care Of Business is one of those books that you read and its impact is so great that you want not only to read it again, but share it with others. Lee Jenkins combines financial wisdom with biblical principles and articulates this blend in a manner that has not been presented before in written form, but he does it in a way that is easy to understand especially to those of us not in the field of finance. Lee Jenkins' methodology in this book is also impeccable as one chapter's content builds the foundation for the next into a higher level reading experience and life changing message.



2. Taking Care of Business by Lee Jenkins has been a financial God send for a group of 9 couples in Kansas City, MO. Brother Jenkins explains what the Bible says about money and how to apply these financial principles in your life. He lays out why African-Americans have struggled in the area of finances and "Leaving A Lasting Financial Legacy" for their children and beyond. Taking Care of Business can help all peoples if they are willing to accept God's view on what the Bible has to say about money and be accontable to what the Word of God says. Money is a small thing, but it will reveal big things in your life! Thank you Brother Lee. We will continue to pray for you Martica, Kristin, Martin, Ryan and your ministry.



3. This is an excellent book. It explores and explains why so many people are in bondage to debt and living above their means. It also goes one step further and provides step-by-step methods to reduce or eliminate debt and bring balance to our financial lives.



4. I was most impressed with the comprehensive manner in which this text was written. The noted examples were founded in scriptures and life experience, and were completely applicable to everyday life struggles. It was also an easy read with timely information. Well done.



5. I really enjoyed this book. I took the time to read it during Christmas of 2007 on a train ride. Very detailed and well written.
   
   Pastor Whitmore
   Denver, CO

3 comments about Options for the Beginner and Beyond: Unlock the Opportunities and Minimize the Risks (Financial Times (Prentice Hall)).

1. Trading in options by regular folks looking for big returns has been catching on and I am not sure why. Are they really trying to use options to alter the risk of their retirement portfolios - either lowering the risk to ensure the preservation of capital or to add volatility with the design of increasing returns? Probably not. The average person is probably acting as a speculator and placing bets. For the market, this kind of behavior is a good thing because it adds noise that allows the professionals greater opportunities to profit. Now, think about what that means. You know the old saying about sitting down and a poker table and if you can't spot the patsy that it's you? Remember, options are an area of the market where there are only winners and losers. These are instruments where one side wins and the other side loses. However, in the right hands they are very important and useful financial instruments.
   
   This book is not a textbook on option theory, pricing, or how to use them in the context of lowering or increasing risk in a portfolio. It is a basic how to text for buying and selling options as speculative investments. The author, W. Edward Olmstead, is a math professor at Northwestern University and teaches a course in options. His experience with the topic shows because the text is clear, easy to read and to grasp. That is a fine accomplishment because learning how options work can be a mind bending experience for the first timer. Admittedly, he doesn't take the reader into pricing. Here, as an investor, you basically take the price given and make a decision. Of course, developing a position about what the price "should be" is what professional options investors do and if you are just licking your finger and sticking it into what you believe to be the financial breeze, well, just remember I warned you.
   
   Olmstead organizes the book into three parts. The first explains the basic concepts of what options are and some ideas about buying and selling them. His notions of when to buy and sell and how to use the way options change their value throughout their "life" are quite interesting. It would be fascinating to find out how well they work in real life and if they did, why these abilities to gain aren't simply priced away by people trading against them.
   
   Anyway, the second part goes into trading strategies and describes various kinds of spreads, collars, and so forth. Of course, these positions are geared towards fashioning risk for certain kinds of outcomes. They are not magic in themselves and are just as likely to end up worthless as any other set of options, but the downside and upside will be more specifically defined.
   
   The third part contains special topics (including DAY TRADING with options - oh boy, talk about walking into a financial mind field wearing lead boots), he touches on pricing and volatility and delta neutral trading.
   
   An interesting book that can help the beginner get some idea about options and can help those itching to trade in them begin to do so. Just remember the old childhood saying that knowledge is when you know the stove is hot. Wisdom is what you have on your fingertips after you touch the hot stove.



2. This book has excellent examples to supplement the excellent details about how to use Stock Options. Well written and easy to understand.



3. I have taken hours of classes on how to trade options. I have read lots of books on how options work and how to trade them. I have traveled hundreds of miles and spent thousands of dollars to learn how to become a better options trader. This book is sooooo... good if I had read this book first I would have made more money, loss less money, and I could have gained 100% more value from all the other options training I have done. If you are looking at trading options this is your starting point! If you already trade options then use this book as a review, becasue it has some very lucid explinations e.g.Chapter 29 - IV (implied volatiltiy) and the Black Scholes model. Now this will not be the only options book that you will get, and it does not go into super detail depth like a Sheldon Natenberg, but it is easy to read, it gets directly to the point and it's relatively small compared to other options books. The chapters are written independently of one another, so you can skip through the book and read exactly what you want. So if you just want to know how a double diagonal works then you read that chapter and your done. Thank You Professor Olmstead!They need to rename you Uncle Option :)