Publishers Weekly
Allen's powerful voice and thoughtful vocals are the perfect medium to relay Penenberg's pronouncements about how such Web 2.0 businesses as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr are reconfiguring marketing models and the road to wealth—and how the mechanisms driving the growth of user-driven technologies are nothing new (remember Tupperware parties?). It's a snappy, topical read made even more memorable by Allen's performance: his vocal range is wide, but he wisely scales back his intensity to command our attention with his sheer charisma. A Hyperion hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 26). (Nov.)
Library Journal
Penenberg (journalism, New York Univ.) explores the "viral expansion loop" phenomenon, which simply means that growth is self-perpetuating as "each new user begets more users." He divides the book into three sections covering viral businesses, marketing, and networks. First, he examines the history of viral organizations ranging from Tupperware and Ponzi schemes to early online adopters Mosaic and Netscape. In the section on viral marketing, he illustrates how entities like Hotmail successfully combine word-of-mouth with "word-of-mouse" strategies. The notion of viral synergy is discussed in the third section as Penenberg describes how companies build or stack upon one another (e.g., eBay and PayPal). Throughout, Penenberg provides insight into the entrepreneurial minds behind the most successful and most disastrous corporate viral attempts. Financial concerns as well as technical issues of scalability are realistically addressed. VERDICT Of use to those interested in starting or enhancing a business, this will also appeal to anyone curious about the legendary rise and rebirth of Silicon Valley.—Judy Brink-Drescher, Molloy Coll., Rockville Ctr., NY
From the Publisher
"Penenberg has unlocked the secret to the most successful digital businesses. An indispensable read."—Robert Safian, Editor-in-Chief, Fast Company
"Instead of entrusting your business to a guru with an agenda and a ghostwriter, you should be turning to a pro journalist like Adam Penenberg, who understands the way media and money interact, has the critical faculty to engage with these phenomena in an unbiased fashion, and the technical facility to explain them to you in an entirely engaging, informative, and actionable way."—Douglas Rushkoff, author of Media Virus and Life Inc: How the world became a corporation and how to take it back
Seth Godin
"In tight engaging prode, Penenberg captures the essence of the ever-scaling power of the virus. It's not just for geeks anymore."
Ken Auletta
"Adam Penenberg's lively book opens a window to all of our futures."
Chris Anderson
"One of the most astounding things about the Web age is how the best advertising is often no advertising at all. Penenberg masterfully explains how this works with case studies of products that were designed to spread. Every product can use a dose of this technique; this is the book to get to learn how."
Dan Heath
"If you want to understand all things viral, this is the place to start. Penenberg's reporting gives us a ringside seat to some of the biggest viral success stories in history, from Tupperware to Ning."
Jeff Jarvis
"Penenberg discovers the perpetual motion machine for business and marketing. . . . Buy this book. Catch a virus. Make a fortune."
Douglas Rushkoff
"Instead of entrusting your business to a guru with an agenda and a ghostwriter, you should be turning to a pro journalist like Adam Penenberg, who understands the way media and money interact, has the critical faculty to engage with these phenomena in an unbiased fashion, and the technical facility to explain them to you in an entirely engaging, informative, and actionable way."
Robert Safian
"Penenberg has unlocked the secret to the most successful digital businesses. An indispensable read."
