Book reviews, podcast reviews, observations and more

If it is at all possible to claim you can “collaboratively consume” an idea, this is what I am kicking off now with my book, DVD and whatever the heck floats past road tests.

After being an avid follower of the journey of Lisa from Open Shed and Co-founder Lisa’s blog I realised just how important it is to share the finds you make as you traverse the Internet. Reading Lisa’s overview of books, videos and ideas has helped inspire me basically because I can grasp what she gains from experiencing those books or films or what have you even if I do not have the time myself to watch, read and enjoy the entire product.

Sharing this knowledge is a great idea.

So I am taking her original idea and sharing it with you. In this, I will be covering the countless marketing books I own, but probably also the occasional psychology text, ideas on sociology, TV shows I watch, songs I hear- anything really that gets the synapses firing about a subject.

My motivations for this are fairly simple.

Firstly, I have long been cheesed off with the top ten lists marketing and social media “experts” persist in putting out that usually have the same tired points about the same social media.

And I think there are businesses, entrepreneurs, marketers and all kinds of people that have an interest in all kinds of spheres of marketing and business who feel the same.

It sounds harsh but in 2011, I would say of the average of clicking through onto a minimum of one blog per day to find out info (so that’s 365 blogs), I have only found a handful I gained extra insight from and only one I constantly return to so much that I not only have it book marked, I have it printed in my top drawer for easy reference when dealing with new clients – that’s a hell of a poor ratio, don’t you think?

I think as a marketer, we should do better for people who are curious, so this is a way for me to potentially bridge that gap.

Secondly, I read a lot and I do this because I enjoy it. It helps me sleep and relax. I have a voracious appetite for words and simply because I think immersing yourself in a topic on occasion can yield far better results in the long run.

Books and DVDs help me as a writer get better and better at my craft because I am consuming someone else’s writing, just as trying out new recipes helps a chef or attempting a new style of music can challenge and inspire a musician.

Trouble is, sometimes the ideas get lost when the next book is consumed. So distilling these texts for you is my way of making some sense of what I read to help retain it and also for me to have something to refer back to. I’m giving myself homework so I learn it better!

Thirdly, as much as I love the online world,

I am a firm believer in the need to unplug occasionally.

I think it helps with your attention span if you detoxify from the multiple window, multiple task world of online and channel your energy into something like a book or a film without reaching for an electronic device or some other form of attention splintering activity.

So if road testing books and so on helps give me a viable excuse to unplug for a while and may also encourage you to do the same then this can only be a good thing.

And it’s an excuse to be unashamedly creative

Finally, I am not just a marketer, I am a creator as well. And as such, I have long been looking for a way to introduce films and music and other things I discover onto this blog without seeming as though I am just posting for the sake of it.

By exploring and reviewing what I like and giving creative reasons for it, I get to indulge that long buried critic of mine without worrying about “breaking character”.  OK, so that’s a bit of a wanker reason but hey, at least I am being truthful.

To make suggestions or to tell me I have totally missed the point, you are welcome to comment here or contact me on Twitter via @noshamecreative – I love learning and helping, so if you want to join me on this journey, you are more than welcome!