Publications and Media Books

This will expand your reading horizon by ten-fold. I couldn't read this many books in my lifetime. Russ Kick must be one of the best read people on the planet.

Not every section will be to everybodies taste but the breadth from politix to sex, religion to snuff films is amazing and covers a wide range of cultures and countries.

The reviews may sometimes seem just a touch judgemental, however their scope provides enough for you to make up your own mind on any subject.

The buying instructions and publishers info is invaluable, as with the feature pubilcation many are now out of print.

A book well worth the time to find a copy of.

For anyone interested Polyester Books in Fitzroy (Melb, Aust) may have one or two copies.

This is an excellent book that sheds light on some of the realities of television news and its perpetuation of various levels of racism. It critically examines news stories from TV affiliates around the country and exposes traditionally accepted TV news practices, evoking serious ethical questions. I will never be able to watch local news in the same way. Some of the examples are truly shocking.


This book is excellent!

I just finished reading Sheila McNamee and Kenneth Gergen's new book, Relational Responsibility: Resources for Sustainable Dialogue. (Sage 1999). I am so impressed. This book deals with profound issues, and the authors dig deeply into the quagmire of hurt and complexity that haunt all human relationships.

The authors call to our attention the way in which Western culture has seduced us into thinking that individual actions are individual responsibilities. If Jack offended Jill, then it is Jack's fault. Or, else it is Jill's fault. But McNamee and Gergen suggest that our lives would better if we had ways of keeping in mind that in most cases one cannot separate out whose fault it is. Neither Jack nor Jill intended the negative thing to have happened, but they both contributed to it. (I believe this would be what John Shotter calls "joint-action"). McNamee and Gergen don't suggest that we simply get rid of language that tends to hold individuals responsible for "their own actions", but that we greatly supplement them with language that would encourage the responsibility to be located somewhere in the relationship between the individuals.

But, thinking of Jack and Jill, and how they distribute fault between themselves: How can we keep in mind that the offense is not all Jack's fault, or all Jill's? McNamee and Gergen don't have a complete answer, but they have some good ideas. For example, they want to point out that when we talk about being of two minds about something, this tends to diminish the sense that an individual caused the problem. Jack offends Jill, and then he says, "I'm really of two minds about what I said." This diminishes the sense that either he or Jill are completely at fault here. A second example: These authors talk about using forms of speech that attribute the individual's fault to another sphere. This would mean that even if Jack offended Jill, it was not his fault because it was the result, say, of the stress he experienced at work. One more example: We might keep in mind the observation that the self is socially constructed. To the extent that we construct the self we diminish the simplicity of a self which is individually responsible.Remembering this might diminish the extent to which we see blame as centered on a single individual.

I think all of this is wonderfully inspiring, but my pleasure with this book is not only that it diminishes individual responsibility. It is the new way in which this book was written, the new form. The book consists of three parts. The first part consists of several chapters by McNamee and Gergen and these chapters outline their thesis. The next part consists of very short chapters by fourteen different people. These chapters are all reflections, some critical, some very positive, on the McNamee Gergen thesis. I was most impressed by the inclusion of the spouses of both McNamee and Gergen, both of which had some critical as well as some positive things to say. Finally, the book ends with a review of the feedback they had received from the fourteen contributors to part two.

I am tempted to call this book a kind of paralogue, to use Lynn Hoffman's phrase. There is a common shared topic, which is expanded upon by the two main authors. The additional authors read generously and connect their response to what McNamee and Gergen have said. Then, finally, McNamee and Gergen connect their conclusions in the afterward to the material presented by others in the second part of the book, just as paralogical conversation should do. A paralogue, then, seems to be an artistic written form of paralogy. Thank you Lynn Hoffman, for this great new.And thanks to McNamee and Gergen for the great example of a paralogue.

The chapter "Reception Research Toolbox" is worth its weight in gold. It walks you through the steps of preparing your interview guide, selecting participants, dealing with sensitive issues, and also makes note of little things like the value of bringing name badges for focus groups. If this is your first time to do audience reception studies--interviews or focus groups, you will be so glad you bought the book!

This is an author review.

Researching the Public Opinion Environment: Theories and Methods informs the reader on the rationale, purposes, theories, and methodologies involved in researching publics. The book is divided into four parts. Part one looks at theories and systems relevant to opinion research. Part two addresses the topics of monitoring and analyzing the media. Part three describes the basics of survey research, focus groups, Delphi techniques, stakeholder assemblies, and Q methodology. And finally, part four looks at the impact of the media.

Although a number of books have been written on public opinion, few address both theoretical and methodological issues. Graphs, tables, and sample analysis help the reader to understand applications described in the book.

The material discussed in this book has numerous applications. Communicators can apply information acquired on key publics to plan and evaluate campaigns, track the extent to which messages have appeared in the media, assess organizational image, develop marketing strategies, and manage their issues. Students will learn an important job function that will give added credibility when they apply for jobs. Table Of Contents:

Introduction

I. Theory and Systems

1. Role of Public Opinion in Democratic Societies 2. Establishing Intelligence Systems to Capture Public Opinion

II. Monitoring and Analyzing the Media

3. Monitoring the Media: Asking Questions 4. Content Analysis Techniques

III. Research Methodologies

5. Survey Design and Sampling 6. Survey Development 7. Survey Administration 8. Focus Groups, Delphi Techniques, Stakeholder Assemblies, and Q Methodology

IV. Theories on Impact of the Media

9. Academic Debate over Media Effects: The Effects Continuum

Appendix A and Appendix B, References, Author Index, Subject Index, About the Authors

William McGaughey's Rhythm And Self-consciousness: New Ideals For An Electronic Civilization is a treatise on rhythm as the essence of human personality and talent in any performance, whether in music, athletics, or conversational wit. Divided into three main sections on Form, Rhythm, and Self-Consciousness, this book takes a hard, analytical look at each facet and how all three relate to the human psyche. Highly intriguing, especially for musicians, athletes, and philosophers alike - it would seem these three groups have far more in common than one would guess. Also recommended is the previous book in this series, Five Epochs of Civilization. Rhythm And Self-Consciousness is strongly recommended reading for students of philosophy and the impact that moving from print to an electronic culture has had on contemporary notions of "civilization".

Reveiwed by Bill Cooper for Reader Views (7/06)

Kevin Aguanno provides us with yet another good management tool to enhance performance, work ethics, internal relationships, and improved outcomes. Taking a concept every manager has dealt with and learned either through education or experience, he discusses a brief history of rewards, as well as a more in-depth and analytical approach to the benefits and deficiencies of various rewarding systems. He asks and answers really legitimate questions, such as why reward at all, how do we reward properly and consistently, and what kinds of rewards are applicable to what types of circumstances.

Mr. Aguanno also chats about the differences in rewards and recognition, then the various types of rewards, emphasizing the reward needing to be suitable both to the person and to the accomplishment. This 40-minute CD is full of good management principles, good advice, and good rewards ideas. I recommend it to managers, leaders, and students of those sciences and arts.

Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (9/06)

There are many things that can stall the completion of a project; stakeholders coming in at the last minute, customers trying to sneak in changes, and escalation, just to name a few. While it is common practice to blame the customer for these "last minute" issues the problem usually lies in a poor process or poorly-executed process. The good news is that these pitfalls can be avoided and successful project completion can be achieved.

In "So, You Think You're Done," Kevin Aguanno breaks project completion into two stages: "How to get final approval sign off" and "Everything that needs to be done post signoff." One of the key points in the presentation is that it is essential to think of, and plan for, the end of the project throughout the entire project lifecycle.

In the first stage the key components are dealing with, understanding, documenting and managing expectations, barriers and process required to get final approval, lifecycle issues such as support/maintenance/training, scope barriers, business drivers and the business metrics the company will use to determine the success of the project. By having a clear understanding of what the project is intended to accomplish, who will be responsible for signing off on the project (and ensuring their involvement throughout the project), and what is not included in the project (i.e. training) there will be less risk of these becoming a barrier to project completion or escalation.

The second stage begins after signoff and involves completion of all documentation, analysis, and reviews. This includes all legal aspects of closing and invoicing the contract, administrative activities, a review of lessons learned, any marketing that can be done from the project, and a review of the product life cycle. These activities are often overlooked or rushed as the team hurries to move on to the next project. It is important to give these processes adequate attention, however, as they have key value in increasing success and performance of future projects.

"So, You Think You're Done" is full of essential tools in ensuring a smooth and effortless project signoff process as well as guidelines for ensuring all legal and administrative issues are covered, all documentation is completed, and all value for future projects is derived. This recording is a great tool for developing key processes and procedures throughout the project management process, and a useful tool to revisit time and again.

Yalkowsky has written a gem here: quite possibly the best book on solubility in aqueous media I have read, and right up with the best on solubilization in the same. One of the interesting conundrums posed is: why do people float on the dead sea? But my favourite was where it was showed that James Bond would be unlikely entirely to dissolve if he were dropped in a vat of acid by Blofeld. Excellent.

This is an excellent book on the subject of Media Management for the students, teachers and professionals alike. The book helps the reader to understand the dynamics of today's media industry and prepares the media managers to work efficiently in an increasingly complicated media market.