A couple of days ago I received a phone call from Niro Rasanayagam, Co-Director of the Small Business Development Center in Lynchburg. She wanted my recommendation on a few social media books to buy for use in their lending library. I’m recommending three books, not because their aren’t many more out there. There are tons. I simply haven’t read them all.

My knowledge of social media is experiential. For the most part, I’ve learned what I know thus far, by using social networking sites and reading more blog posts than I can shake a stick at. I’ve been blessed to interact with great thinkers in the social media space. And I’ve made great friends along the way. There have been a few books that have shaped my understanding of networking, tools and the greater digital space. Here are my three:

Work the Pond, LinkedWorking and Trust Agents.

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Work the Pond by Darcy Rezac. OK, technically, it’s not a book about social networking. It’s a book about old fashioned networking but it provides a fantastic foundation for understanding the basics of networking with people in real life. Then you can work on your online networking skills. Great content and a super layout job make this book an easy read. Darcy says what I wish I had!

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Linked Working by Lewis Howes and Frank Agin. This is a great resource for understanding how to use the features LinkedIn offers. It’s written to give users very practical, tactical tips. When I read this book I had been using LinkedIn for 3-4 years and still learned a few things.Though LinkedIn has rolled out numerous new features since the book was first printed, you still should have this book on your shelf.

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Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. Chris and Julien have teamed up to write a New York Times Bestseller than takes the sometimes complex and intimidating issues of social media and makes them easily translatable. Ultimately the social web is about relationships. Here are my notes on Trust Agents. You must buy this book!

What Am I Missing?
Obviously, there are many other titles on shelves and in Kindles. What have you read, that was really good and worthwhile, about Twitter, Facebook, You Tube and other social media channels? Please leave a comment to tell me about your favorite social media resources.