Six Pixels of Separation: A Business Primer on Embracing a Social Mindset

Most books about social media are written for marketers. They’re filled with buzzwords about pipelines and funnels, and offer rules and guidelines for leveraging Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and whatever other social networks may be relevant right now.

Six Pixels of Separation isn’t that book. First, it’s written for business people. Second, it is crammed with great advice about the changing landscape and why entrepreneurs need to embrace social business. Third, because it’s a business book, Six Pixels is still relevant (gasp!) a year after its initial release.

“You don’t have to be tech savvy to be great at working the online channel to build your business,” writes author Mitch Joel. Rather, he says, “look at these tools as another way to grow your business and pay no attention to the technology behind the curtain.” Six Pixels does just that, from identifying the five C’s of entrepreneurship 2.0 (connecting, creating, conversations, community, and commerce) to urging business people to think in ripples (“powerful conversations that are generated when you share your content”).

What I like best about the book is that it both posits a social business mindset and offers concrete steps to integrate social elements into your business. Some examples:

• Embrace the Era of “Snackable” Content. Joel talks about the fact that the days of immersing yourself into your reading material are largely over. Rather it’s important to get “very comfortable with the idea that you are now skimming, grazing, and perusing everything.” As a result, your content must likewise be “short, punchy, memorable, fun—and, most importantly, simple.”
• Recognize that the Conversation is Happening. Joel points out that people are already looking at you and your business, so it’s important to be listening and to know what they’re saying. He then offers seven concrete steps for undertaking your own brand audit.
• Capture Tribal Knowledge. How often do you wish you could capture institutional history and “the way things are done”? Joel looks at how businesses can use wikis and other collaborative tools to do just that.

Six Pixels of Separation works because it’s snackable content at its best. Well-written and filled with actionable takeaways, it’s a good read and a helpful guide to embracing a social mindset in your business.

Reviewed by Daria Steigman, founder of Steigman Communications, LLC and author of the Independent Thinking Blog.