Networks Books

Be sure and buy the digital version, so you can be stuck reading it with Adobe's sad excuse of an ebook reader.

Learning to troubleshoot, whether it's hardware or software or router for that matter, requires and understanding of the way troubleshooting works. Cormac Long put together and excellent reference manual to make sure you have the ability to make router work with little help.

In the first three chapters you get material on testing and diagnostics and the tools you'll need. Chapters 4 & 5 take on topics like serial communications, X.25 and frame relay. Finally in chapters 7 & 8 comes the routing protocols like RIP, IGRP, EIGRP, OSPF and BGP. There is also trouble-shooting help for other operating systems like Novell, AppleTalk, and IBM and switched Ethernet. Long includes review questions, hands-on exercises as well as diagrams, figures, tables and screen shots.

Overall a very complete reference manual to have with you.

I passed the CCIE lab 2 months ago. I fortunately bought this book in April and it was my number one reference by far! Packed with complex configurations and troubleshooting scenarios. All are explained in a detailed step by step manner. It covers everything EIGRP,OSPF,BGP,DLSW,IPX,Apple the works. I feel the need to express my gratitude to the author especially when I saw a review that is completely at odds with the other glowing reviews. I notice this reviewer (unlike the other ones) gives no information as to why they formed this opinion... Interesting... Anyway, my advice is simple- don't ignore a book that could help change your career, like it did mine.

Not much I can add to the already glowing reviews of this book, but I'll try. I used this along with several other books in prepping for the CIT exam, but this is the one I'm already rereading after successfully passing the exam.

Plenty of real-world information is packed into this highly-readable book. This one might not have the hype other Cisco books do, but it should. Just enough screen readout to illustrate what's going on. Great review questions.

I really cannot recommend this book highly enough. I started using it late into my CIT prep and found myself wishing I had gotten it earlier. Do yourself a favor and pick up this excellent work. I look forward to the author's next book!

I found this book the best for indepth detail into troubleshooting a variety of issues. Goes further than any of the other troubleshooting books( Syngress and even Cisco's CIT book) and actually the best Cisco book that I have read. It covers troubleshooting BGP and DLSW, unlike any of the other books and has been extremely useful for the job and for studying for the CIT exam.

A very good reference guide for any new/existing cme/cue deployment. Specifically the sample config guides were very useful. Overall this book is well written.

Cisco IP Communications Express: CallManager Express with Cisco Unity Express (ISBN 1-58705-180-X) is an all-in-one resource for configuring, managing, and troubleshooting the Cisco CallManager Express (CME) solution. It is almost 900 pages and is well organized into five parts: overview, feature operation and applications, administration and management, maintenance and troubleshooting, and appendices. If you are involved in configuring or maintaining the Cisco CallManger Express, this book will provide you with all the information you need to get your work done.

Cisco CME is an integrated solution offered by Cisco for meeting the IP telephony needs of small businesses or branch offices. The CME solution, which consists of the call processing feature and the voice mail feature, runs on the Cisco routers ranging from the 1700 series to the 3700 series and beyond. Whereas the CallManager suite offers centralized approach to building out an enterprise wide VoIP network, the CME is meant to serve the needs of smaller businesses or to integrate seamlessly into the larger, enterprise solution.

The book is well written and starts out with a high level architecture of the deployment scenarios for CME. The second part gets into the features and applications side of the solution. This part is where the crux of the book lies. It presents a detailed coverage of the commands used to configure the CallManager solution under various scenarios such as implementing different call features, integrating VoIP with PSTN, and deploying CME as part of a larger CallManager solution. This part presents a thorough coverage of Unity Express (UE), the voicemail module of the CME. The third part relates to the management of CME. Particularly useful in this part is a real-life configuration example as it illustrates and brings together a lot of the material covered in the earlier part of the book. Part four gets into the essential topic of troubleshooting the CME solution. It provides useful tips and solutions for common problems found in deploying the call processing and voice mail aspects of CME. This is definitely a very useful section of the book. The last part, the appendices, has reference materials and scripts used in the book to make daily tasks easier etc.

One of the strong points of the book is a multitude of sample configurations. The authors provide sample configurations throughout the book to help illustrate the concepts being presented. This sample configuration goes a long way if the reader has the task of actually configuring CME. The other strong point of the book is the depth of coverage given to each topic that is discussed. With the exception of a handful of topics (one in particular which I'll mention), the book never glosses over any topic; rather it covers it in detail, ensuring that most aspects of the topic are addressed. The exception to this was the coverage of the D/A module(s) used for attaching analog devices to CME, such as a fax machine. Given that analog fax machines still constitute a critical part of any business, I would expect this topic to be covered in detail. However, I found that no configuration examples were provided on how to configure this in the CME suite.

In summary, this book is a great all-in-one reference for configuring and managing CME. I would highly recommend it to any professional tasked with working on Cisco's CallManager Express.

overall this book is very good. I like the examples it presents to make thing clear, and also the broadness of topics it covers.
Since Cisco IP Telephony evolves so quickly, I wish Cisco will release newer editions with updated technologies. in particular I was hoping this book should contribute some to SIP and its deployment in UCME environment.

I've used this book as a main reference for my first complete implementation of CCME and CUE. I said "main" reference instead of "only" reference, because there are few small gaps to be filled by Cisco on-line documentation, but the deficiencies are too small to justify anything less than 5 stars. Additionally, there is a lot of general (IP and traditional) telephony information so even a relative beginner, after reading this book, will be able to intelligently interview future users (Chapter 5 is simply brilliant!), design quite complex system with many fancy call features, and even create scripts for quite sophisticated Auto-Attendant options. Certain concepts are not explained in complete detail (for example dial peers or voice ports), but deeply enough for the needs of CCME.

A must have book


This book is a great tool for full and complete understanding of Cisco's IP Communication Express. The structure is geared to first provide a foundation with an overview, then moves into design and implementation the book is organized into different parts that provide great coverage of all aspects.

Part I starts with introducing IP Communication. The coverage begins by taking you on a journey into what Cisco IPC is, the benefits of IPC, and the architecture of IPC networks. The one thing you notice is that the authors took great care in organizing the chapters. Each chapter is well written and easy to follow along. This makes the book a great choice as either a first learning book or as a refresher book for experienced professionals looking to augment their knowledge. One of the first chapters shows you the features and functions of the various gateways, WAN interfaces and IP phones available for use in an IPC network. This allows you to pick the best equipment for your particular solution. I believe this is great because it allows you learn some features of the product in order to decide if you would like to research it further; this helps streamline the process of design and political issues. Another section of the Part 1 goes over the architecture of IPC. You will learn the ins and outs of what happens at a low level. You will learn a-lot of core information; get an introduction to equipment and technologies that can be utilized.


Part II of this book is where the fun begins. Chapter 4 goes over the IP phones in more detail. You are taught about features and how to configure the individual phones. The chapter is short and to the point. Chapter 5 is an incredible book where the engineers' ears will perk up. Call Manager Call processing features are presented in this chapter. The topics here include hunt groups, call parking, shared lines, intercom, paging and much more. I really like the configurations and examples in this book. With this chapter you will be able to quickly implement the CM features.
The next chapter deals with Connectivity to the PSTN. The focuses in this chapter are signaling and how to handle the inputted digits. One of the only faults I think with this book is that chapters 5 and 6 should be swapped.

Part III and IV cover Administration, Management, Maintenance and Troubleshooting
Now is really where the techies cheer up. Here is all the goodies on how to setup CME, UE, and what to do if problems arise. The gold mine is located in these 2 parts.
These chapters provide the reader with detail and examples to help reinforce all that is being explained.

I don't want to spoil this book or be long winded so I will say the remaining pages of this book are well worth the read. It covers everything you need in order to obtain a solid understanding of Cisco's IPC. There is no area that isn't covered with attention to detail. The authors provide quality information that is very useful in all areas of understanding and implementation of Cisco IP Express. The reader will come away with exceptional and relevant knowledge to do anything needed with IPC. I got this book to help augment my 4+ years with Cisco Voice products, I feel that it did help cement my knowledge and also taught me quite a few new things.


Brion S. Washington

This book, Collaborative Communities, adds significant value to your understanding of bringing together multiple organizations to serve the all the desires of a certain customer segment. It puts your business in a facilitators role the definitely extends a huge competitive advantage.

Well organized book, I think the end of chapter summaries really save you time. Solid bibliographical references make it easy to get more from practical examples included in each chapter.

You will not be disappointed with the wealth of insight available if you are willing to read past "the most profound implications of the rapid shift." The authors are very enthusiastic in their language, but the underlying message is powerful.

As an entrepreneur, my time is precious and I rarely read all the articles and books on my "to do" list. However, since I knew the authors professionally, I decided to pull this book to the top of the pile. I'm very glad I did.

I enjoy business books that you can read in a couple of hours but that still have plenty of substance. COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITIES fills that bill. It details how business models have changed along with the growth of technology and believes that for the foreseeable future COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITIES are the way to go. If you are interested in insights into strategic timing, information infrastructures and how to build a profitable collaborative community, this book is an excellent choice.

"I read a lot of business books and COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITIES is the best I've read this year. It combines philosophy and practicality in an easily digestible manner. It helped me understand what collaborative communities are and how to transform my company into one. I recommend it for anyone interested in the subject."

Collaboration is a popular business buzzword but I haven't found many who can describe clearly how to make it work. This book is like a light in a dark room. It makes the process clear. It goes into a detailed history of how the evolution of technology has increased the power of the consumer to the point where it takes a collaboration of companies connected by the Internet to define, produce and deliver the right products at the right price. The book answered a lot of questions for me. I am looking forward to the sequel. I highly recommend this book! Buy it.

Many years ago, I read a book by Wilson S. McWilliams (The Idea of Fraternity in America) in which he provided a broad yet probing analysis of how and why Americans have formed and then sustained various kinds of groups. The groups' structure and purposes vary: military, commercial, religious, political, economic, social, athletic, etc. Most groups emerge as a result of what might be viewed as enlightened self-interest. Our nation's motto ("E pluribus unum") correctly suggests one of the basic principles of Colonial solidarity. McWilliams' concept of "fraternity" is quite similar to Shuman and Twombly's concept of "community" even as the two books written by these authors, obviously, also have a different structure as well as different purposes.

In the Preface, Shuman first acknowledges the "conventional wisdom" that if a given business is based on a good idea and that idea is effectively implemented, the business will succeed. Then he rejects it: "In reality, no matter how good a business idea is, no matter how well the idea is implemented, as soon as you open your doors for business [literally or virtually], you will find your business has to change -- not just minor adjustments and small shifts in marketing or product design but radical [italics] change." Shuman then asserts that what he calls "The Rhythm of Business™" (TROB) is the most reliable process by which to develop and grow successful businesses of every size and type, not just today but yesterday and tomorrow. (The Rhythm of Business is the title of Shuman's previous book.) Given this methodology and all of the new technologies, Shuman then shares a "second thought": the business pattern required for the 21st century "is what I call the Collaborative Community™."

In this book, Shuman and Twombly (with David Rottenberg) develop that "second thought" by incorporating -- integrating, actually -- technology with TROB inorder to enable their readers "to stay in touch with us and continue to develop their understanding of how to achieve and maintain success in our new networked world." What they envision, in essence, is a new "fraternity." The material in the book is organized within three Parts: The Revolution in Business, The New Reality, and The New Business Pattern, followed by a "References" section for those who wish to extend and enrich their understanding of various issues addressed in this book.

For whom will this book have the greatest value? Probably owners/CEOs of small-to-midsized companies; especially those who are perhaps struggling, now, with the always-difficult transition from entrepreneurship to professional management. Decision-makers in larger organizations will also derive substantial benefit from this book, especially if they are primarily responsible for business units or even departments within those organizations. Those who share my high regard of this book are urged to check out Fitz-enz's The E-Aligned Enterprise, Segil's FastAlliances, and O'Dell and Grayson's If Only We Knew What We Know.

Yes, the global communications and logistics systems does make it easier and even necessary to involve the globe in your manufacturing, marketing, and distribution systems. The idea of the "Flat World" is now in everyone's vocabulary, but I think it is a bit overdone. Just because information CAN be communicated anywhere, made in more places than ever before, and shipped from and to almost anywhere, does not mean that anywhere is equivalent everywhere.

Still, I think this book is interesting in the way they describe using your expertise to market and build just what the customer wants using global infrastructure by orchestrating the resources of a number of firms rather than building your own infrastructure and having to market to utilize your capacity rather than focusing on customer needs and desires.

We are seeing the problem with this theory, though. As American and European manufacturers moved their plants to other parts of the world, these places predictably learned. They are now either buying up Western brands or creating their own and bringing them to market in the West. Oops. They didn't stay in their role in the back of the orchestra, did they.

So, while this idea has some merit, the old rules of manufacturing, marketing, and aggressively competing in the marketplace with every tool (weapon) available still apply. You would be smart to think through handing the keys of your kingdom over to third parties based on these concepts. Rather than merely supporting your efforts, they may decide to push you aside and move in.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

What is supply chain orchestration? It's an outsourced service that some use in fragmented supply markets to have someone else select and manage a supply chain for each purchase order. For example, a retailer wants to offer a supply of pants in various styles and sizes. Rather than bid among hundreds of suppliers for raw material, zippers, buttons, sewing, and packaging, the retailer might hire a supply chain orchestrator to perform those roles for a fixed price per garment. Although buying the supplies well would save some money, the big gain comes in putting the supplies together so efficiently that large costs like markdowns, needing lots of inventory in shipment, and last minute air freight are reduced.

Who does this sort of thing? Li & Fung, an eight-billion-dollar firm is in this business, and co-authors Dr. Victor K. Fung and Dr. William K. Fung share their perspectives among plenty of examples of how others try to perform the same functions with less good results.

Many such books end up seeming like advertisements for the firm being described in part, but Competing in a Flat World escapes that narrow message with plenty of description of general principles for strategy and operations. The key differences between traditional management efforts and this new business model are summarized on page 194 in table 12-1. If you don't have time to read the whole book, start with that exhibit.

The book's insights build on the observations of Thomas Friedman in The World Is Flat in describing the implications for business of converging technology, globalization, and the reduced effect of distances on costs and performance. If you thought that the Friedman book was interesting, this one will fascinate you more by drawing out more valuable points.

Because of the involvement of Wharton professor, Yoram (Jerry) Wind, the book has a professional academic feel without being inaccessible. There are many figures to illustrate the conceptual points that make the book easier to comprehend.

I was pleased to see that the authors appreciated that being good at supply chain orchestration will eventually require a focus on providing the same kinds of products to customers in the nations who are the low-cost producers for the offerings . . . a point that most Western-based businesses miss. I was also glad to see that the book drew on the idea of global contests to develop better models, but the discussion was pretty perfunctory. In many cases, such contests will be more important in global competition than supply chain orchestration will be.

I thought that the book didn't go far enough into getting into the specifics of how knowledge is acquired, tested, validated, retested, and distributed into a large organization that is a supply chain orchestrator. As a result, it's hard to know how important the value-added is for customers.

Many global commodities trading companies have often played similar roles in acquiring and distributing food, energy, and metals. I was surprised that the book ignored those organizations which provide similar streams of capability.

But for an introduction to network orchestration issues and opportunities, it would be hard to find a better book today.

The phrase, "flat world" is one of those that would have been best left unused, substituted by a more accurate one. In databases, a flat file is one where the data is in one large file with no relationship connections. When there are multiple entities with connections between them, we use the term relational database. Also, the phrase "flat world" seems to mean that everyone operates on the same level surface, which is hardly the case. There are now and always will be advantages to locating specific business activities in one location over another.
In the context of business and this book, the phrase "flat world" is used to refer to the situation where business entities have complex relationships with entities in other countries. The manufacturing process is one where the phrase "country of origin" for a product no longer has any real meaning. The parts that are created to make the final product are often manufactured in several different countries and in many cases different steps in the assembly are performed in different countries. In this situation, the only phrase that is applicable is, "country from which the finished product is shipped."
This modern world means that there are companies that serve the role of what the building trades call "general contractor." This is the person or company who organizes all of the steps in the building of a home, from the first spade of excavation until the last bit of landscaping. The general contractor may not even so much as pound a single nail in the construction, yet is essential to the development of the final product.
This book is generally a case study of a company called Li & Fung that is the manufacturing equivalent of a general contractor. Having relationships with organizations literally around the world, Li & Fung is the brains and organizational prowess behind the manufacture of many goods without actually doing any manufacturing themselves. This requires an enormous amount of organization and timing, as segments of the end product are assembled in different countries, following the path of least cost. Those segments must then be shipped to sites in other countries, where the supply must be timely enough to keep the next plant functioning.
If you are interested in the way business will be done from now on, then this is the book for you. As a political junkie, I listen to some of the candidates for the American Presidency state how they are going to repeal American trade agreements, specifically NAFTA. This is of course ridiculous, the multilateral trade agreements are what have made this distributed assembly possible and any unilateral action would lead to a trade war and a very severe economic downturn. If you are a doubter, read this book and learn how deep the international relationships are between companies.

Li & Fung may be the biggest company you've never heard of, but it's likely you use things that have been touched by them at some point every day. In the book Competing in a Flat World: Building Enterprises for a Borderless World, Dr. Victor K. Fung, Dr. William K. Fung, and Yoram (Jerry) Wind examine the unique business model of the company, and how it succeeds in today's competitive environment.
Contents:
Preface: Competing Flat Out
The Orchestration Imperative
Part 1 - Focus - Firm and Network: Orchestrate the Network; Compete Network Against Network
Part 2 - Management - Control and Empowerment: Take Responsibility for the Whole Chain (Whether You Own It or Not); Empower "Little John Waynes" to Create a Big-Small Company; Establish the Three-Year Stretch to Balance Stability and Renewal; Build the Company Around the Customer; Follow the 30/70 Rule to Create Loose-Tight Organizations
Part 3 - Value Creation - Specialization and Integration: Capture the "Soft $3" By Looking Beyond the Factory; Sell to the Source by Bridging Marketing and Operations
Part 4 - Implications for Policy and Practice: Policy - Building a Borderless Business in a World of Nation-States; Practice - A Lever to Move the World
Conclusion - Are You Ready to Compete Flat Out?; Appendix - About Li & Fung; Notes; Index
Li & Fung is a supply chain management company that's been in existence for over 100 years. They specialize in being able to take an order for something like a production run of polo shirts for a major retailer, source all the raw materials, contract with factories that can create the shirts and package them, ship the product to the required location, and manage every step in between, all at a pace that would have been considered impossible not too many years ago. They are able to do this by creating vast networks of companies that have committed to work with them and respond at a moment's notice. Li & Fung have the systems in place to know where they can find the necessary supplies in the required volumes, find the quickest means to get those supplies to the designated production factory, and to find what factories in the network have the capabilities and capacities to fill the specific order. All of this comes together in such a way that Li & Fung doesn't have to own much of anything in the end-to-end chain. They bring value by orchestrating the entire network for the customer, and by knowing how to move things around the network so that production costs are low and response time is trimmed down to the bare essentials. Competing In a Flat World discusses each of these aspects of the Li & Fung business model, the challenges they face, as well as how their "flat world" model makes it nearly impossible for any one company to compete with them or to hold them hostage to demands at any point in the cycle.
If your business is one where you have to rely on other entities to produce your products, taking a thoughtful look at what Li & Fung has done might well open your eyes to a new way of managing your business. The examples in the book are real and numerous, and little of the material strays out of the practical realm. And if you're working with Li & Fung already, this can serve as an insightful look into what drives their business model, and how you fit into their world.

Victor and William Fung, group chairman and group managing director respectively of a Hong Kong-based multinational corporation specialized in sourcing, have partnered with Jerry Wind, a Wharton marketing professor and co-author of the illuminating The Power of Impossible Thinking: Transform the Business of Your Life and the Life of Your Business (2005) about strategic inflection points, to provide an exceptional how-to book focused on drilling down globalization to the level of existing businesses. The Fung brothers are authorities on the topic since their firm, Li & Fung, is one of the world's largest trading conglomerates managing the supply chain for high-volume, time-sensitive consumer goods through a network of sixty-six offices in over forty countries. Instead of investing in production facilities, the Fungs have mastered supply chain management by providing the convenience of a one-stop shop for customers through a coordinated package which runs the gamut from product design and development through raw material and factory sourcing, production planning and management, quality assurance, and export documentation to shipping consolidation.

Without the burden of unnecessary overhead, the Li & Fung business model has allowed the company to generate over $7 billion in annual revenue on an employee base of only 7,000. It is the unprecedented geographic flexibility of the firm's operations that epitomizes what Thomas Friedman talks about in his groundbreaking book, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century, when he elaborates on how the combination of information technology and instantaneous telecommunications has rendered the traditional need for a local labor market obsolete. Through the brothers' own example, Li & Fung has by necessity, a non-hierarchal organizational structure that allows them to respond quickly to customer needs. With this insightful book, they encourage firms to orchestrate among a variety of contracted suppliers and maximize technology and logistics to make the production process as seamless as possible.

This intricate coordination effort has been made even more complex by the escalating growth of niche markets demanding an even greater variety of products than what has been offered before. The need to service these segments concurrently has given rise to dispersed manufacturing which translates into multiple sourcing at different stages of production. The co-authors manage to explain clearly the steps that companies need to take to optimize their supply chains. Different industries have different levels of flexibility, and the scope and depth of Li & Fung's 9,000-plus network will not apply to all who read this book. Wind is particularly effective in showing how the lessons learned by the Fung brothers can apply to the non-manufacturing sector. It is not only the dynamic nature of managing the supply chain that remains pertinent no matter what industry, but also adherence to a consistent perspective on the customers' holistic needs.

The co-authors outline the three dimensions that make for a successful framework of supply chain management. The first is to balance the firm's interests with those of the network create by creating "big-small" companies that combine scale and agility. The second is the move away from traditional notions of control toward a specifically network-centric viewpoint given that the suppliers and consumers are more empowered than ever to upset the cart. The third is currently the most nebulous, the paradigm shift in the strategies and competencies necessary to succeed in a flat world. The co-authors wisely view this last dimension as a work-in-progress, as customer needs and the expectation to respond to them continue to evolve at an even faster rate. This is strongly recommended reading for the forward-looking executive.

You have to keep in mind that this is written by a real estate agent, so he really has an agent's best interests in mind, not yours as a buyer or seller. That said, the book does contain a complete survey of buying/selling homes (mostly buying, actually), assisted by online websites. I found the text too verbose, and I wonder if the publisher or author gets paid for the sites they recommend, for a lot of other useful sites aren't mentioned at all.

Over a year ago I borrowed this book from a friend, and read through it during the entire process of my first purchase of a house. It helped very easily to follow all that was happening, all the terminology, etc. and in some cases, to be ahead, and expect the next steps.

It was so helpful, that I decided to buy it for myself this year, as we're considering the sale of our place, and getting us a larger house.

If you're going to buy or sell a house, you have got to read it: it'll be of extreme help.

This book made my life so much easier by explaining in easy to follow steps how to do everything i needed to sell homes and purchase a new one. It is very thorough, covers all topics from A to z and the recommendations on web sites were right on. The author knows his stuff. This is the first Idiot's Guide book I've bought and I'm so glad i did.

I had to take the time to review this book because my husband and I almost lost our dream home. This superb book helped us save our transaction at the last minute and avoid a horrible lawsuit. Thank God a friend referred us to this book or we wouldn't be living in the perfect home for us. We were buying a home For Sale By Owner and were working with the most difficult seller imaginable. With the help of this guide we not only salvaged the deal, but got better terms and more repairs made to the home. Thank you so much to the author and publisher for writing this book-it's phenomenal. The negotiating chapter is worth thousands of dollars. And to all those buying or selling homes By Owner or even with Realtors-don't do anything until you buy this book. You will be so glad you did.

I got this book for my dad for Father's Day because he and my mother are planning on selling their home and buying a smaller home. the For Sale By Owner comments in some of the other reviews caught my eye because my parents want to sell their home themselves. I started looking through the guide out of curiosity and found myself reading more than half the book. Besides being informative and detailed, it's actually interesting and somewhat funny. i ended up giving it to my father early and he read the entire guide in two days. he said it was the first time he's ever read a how-to book from cover to cover and he's bought over 50! i recommend this book to all people who are planning on buying and selling a home in the future (which is just about everybody) because it is exceptionally clear, informative and jam-packed with advice, facts and data. And it makes a great gift. My dad loved it and is using it to get their home ready to sell By Owner.

Mike Dulworth reiterates what we all seem to know and still forget or neglect so often: Success is closely linked to knowing people and most importantly staying in touch with them as well as being of service to them.
Mike goes beyond describing and recognizing the tremendous effects of a network, he provides simple and effective tools to implement the few key steps to build and maintain my own network. I particularly liked the idea of the Personal Board of Directors, which at its core is nothing more than a formal request for permission to ask for advice. I personally implemented this tool right away and with minimal effort. After a few short weeks I already enjoy positive results.

Humans are social animals. Therefore, in both personal and business life, networking is an important force. For example, knowledge workers often face complex problems whose solutions require gathering information from people with a variety of expertise, whom they may not know personally. Author Michael Dulworth is the first to admit that much of networking is simple common sense, but doing it well, he says, requires planning. In this straightforward book, he provides a quick explanation of how to improve your networking skill, whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, and of how to use networks in your work life. The book includes an especially interesting section about analyzing organizational networks. Even though the book is short, it is somewhat repetitive. Still, getAbstract recommends it to recent graduates, workers and managers who want to improve their performance and get ahead in their chosen fields.

Mike Dulworth surprised me with his refreshing and expanded ideas about networking. This is not a "how-to" book, but rather a book which opens up the possibility of all kinds of networking opportunities. Have you thought lately about peer-to-peer networks, network accelerators, or PBODs? (Personal Boards of Directors.) What I learned in this book will keep me busy for years.

This book outlines the importance of connections, and introduces a metric to assess your networking skills and the quality/breadth/depth of your network. The Networking Quotient (NQ) is the ideal third dimension, to complement the frequently measured Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Emotional Quotient (EQ).

This book provides wonderful suggestions and motivation for each of us to extend our connections a bit further!

I enjoyed The Connect Effect and especially the Networking Quotient portion. The book includes a lot of autobiographical information about how networking has had such a positive impact on the authors life. I hope that it drives success in the VeraMax project as well.

This book teaches you how to think about designing web interfaces for social websites or websites with social features. You will learn a bit about the psychology behind what works well, so you can incorporate the knowledge into your own design.

The book explains how to prioritize features from the initial sign-up through active user participation on the social website. Many industry examples are given along with some of the reasons why each is successful or not.

The book is about designing the user interface and the overall web site experience. It can and should be read by all team members on the web project including: graphic designers, information architects and developers.

I think its an excellent book
Sadly I lost it after reading 1/4 of it
He knows his subject Design for Social Web
and it was very interesting what I read
and there are good diagrams

Judy

I used this book as one of three textbooks in a class I recently taught. This was one of two texts concentrating on social networking. (The other was Derek Powazek's "Design for Community".) The students enjoyed the easy style of the book and the case studies for what works and what does not. The book kicked off more than one interesting discussion on barriers to entry, what makes good design, and how to effectively incorporate social networking tools into a business or non-profit website.

I bought this book a few weeks ago and found it a great introduction to the concepts involved in designing social applications.

Many of the most amazing success stories on the web are social websites (youtube, myspace, facebook, flickr etc), yet books on this topic are hard to find. "Design for Community" by Derek Powazek is one rare exception, I consider it a masterpiece, but it was published in 2001 and it's out of print. Finally we've got some fresh, up to date material. Porter benefits from extensive, first-hand, experience in the field; he has a pragmatic, practical approach to problems, he deliver valuable advice without pretending to know "the ultimate truth" (like many authors do).

Until search engines get a heck of a lot more intelligent than they are now, the best source for web site recommendations is from human beings. Particularly humans passionate about their subject matter. Judy and Gloria won't waste your time with a bazillion irrelevant links. They know their subject matter, and they know a good site when they see one. They're also a stitch. Or perhaps two stitches. Buy this book!

In addition to extremely helpful tips throughout, this little book is jammed-packed with great sites that are nicely arranged. No more wasting time with a search engine for me! I give it two thumbs way up!

Judy and Gloria have done it again! They've boiled down all the obfuscations of the net into discussions that quilters will enjoy. They offer their picks for the best Web sites to find free patterns, free quilting how-tos, and even free stuff for doll-makers. It would be hard to find this kind of stuff with a searcher. The net information in this book is completely different from what's in their Quilter's Computer Companion. That's a good book too, but this is more updated and complete. This is a very easy book to read, learn from and enjoy.

This book is a valuable resource for quilters at all levels of computer knowledge. It explains away a lot of the "mysteries" of why your computer acts the way it does and points you in various directions to research out your own particular interests. Written in an easy conversational tone, it imparts a lot of information without talking down or over your head.

Every quilter should own this book. Thanks Judy and Gloria for putting together such a wonderful book. Keep up the good work!!

This book was thinner than I expected, but when I sat down and read it, I was impressed. It is filled with good, clear information. I have been using some of the tips to improve how I explain my business with good results.

Lorraine has captured -- in a short, easy-to-read 44 pages -- the most effective way to talk about yourself when time is of the essence! Never again be intimated when someone asks the dreaded question: So, what DO you do?

Lorraine Howell's technique of focusing on your audience and what they care about has had tremendous results for me and people I work with. This book is a great tool. Easy to read and apply. Useful for a wide range of people- from CEOs to small business owners and employees motivated to move up in an organization.

With "Give Your Elevator Speech A Lift" Lorraine Howell has taught me a brief and yet precise method of explaining exactly what I do in my business. The book took less than two hours to read, fully understand, and learn how I now answer when people ask, "What do you do?" In less than 30 seconds and just a handful of words I can clearly state the purpose of my business and what I do. After I give my "elevator speech" I'm finding people follow-up by engaging into an inquisitive conversation to learn more about my business and what service I can offer their business.
Sheila R. Demetrio, President
Demetrio & Associates

As a professional career coach, one of the most tricky aspects of the work I perform is to help people come up with a concise, memorable "pitch" that they can use in their job search networking activities. This message is so critical to creating a positive impression on people, and generating useful referrals, and yet many job seekers (and business people) fail to spend any quality time at all working on or practicing this crucial communications element.

This being said, I was extremely pleased to read Ms. Howell's book and learn more about the simple, proven framework she has used to help business professionals master the "elevator pitch" challenge. Her advice is spot on, her examples are very illuminating, and her step-by-step approach makes it easy for anybody to craft a more effective introduction for themselves that leads to highly positive business outcomes. Additionally, unlike many business books today, she sticks to the heart of the matter and doesn't add 200 extra pages of "padding" to belabor the key points she's trying to make. If only more authors out there followed this "quality, not quantity" approach!

Not only have I already incorporated some of Ms. Howell's suggestions into my own networking pitch, but I've started handing her books out to clients and business contacts of mine, as well, since I think virtually everybody stands to benefit from Ms. Howell's wisdom on this topic. Hope another volume is soon to come relating to other real-world communication challenges that professionals face in the market today!

I owned the previous edition -- I bought this version because it promised new utilties -- intrusion detection, admin tools, ... for the most part, I have been happy. [The old edition provided the tools on a CD -- the new book has a companion Web site] -- trying to download the tools through my firewall can be challenging -- especially anything that has to do with viruses ...

That said, however, the new content is good.

The book has a definite slant towards Windows. But then ...

I have been building lots of Web clippings for the Palm environment. I needed a way to authenticate users. The book's discussion on Wireless protocols helped me implement a solution that works for the Palm and Web phones.

The book does a fair job of covering OS issues -- I recommend getting a book specific to an OS (such as Linux Exposed) if you need to protect a specific type of server.

The discussion on protecting ASP scripts was pretty good.

Over all -- worth the investment of money and time.

Very up to date book. Excellent reading (even though this is a text book for me~ Not boring text material). Great book

If there is a hacker-related book -- I have it ... compared to others, this book was easy to follow.

My Web site must support secure credit card transactions. The book's chapters on digital certificates, SSL, and e-commerce made the process almost cut and paste.

I also like and recommend Hacking Exposed.

Overall, this is a pretty good, general, beginner's book to network security.

For me, my main goal was to learn more about the OSI Model and how it relates to various security solutions I am investigating. The book does a pretty good job with the OSI Model and it explains pretty well the various technologies and techniques out there.

The fly in the ointment for this book is the fact that it has VERY little on wireless security. In fact, it only has one chapter and this one chapter dealt with all the different flavors of wireless technology. I was particularly interested in security solutions for wireless LANs and this book only had a page on WLANs.

This book did not mention WEP or 802.11b or any of the 802.11x flavors out there. I had to glance at the copyright date in order to make sure that it was published in 2002! I find this omission very strange but at the same time network security is network security.

I am going to stick with my four-star rating because it is a good general book but don't expect much depth.

On another note, does anyone else but me find it suspicious that this book got 3 positive reviews in the space of a week and then little else over the last few months? :-)