Rating:  Summary: No good Review: I have a long list of books I would read before even considering Digital Darwinism. Unfortunately, I found out too late. I didn't find any information worth my time. From the top of my head I would recommend Customers.com, and Digital Capital.
Rating:  Summary: A very informative book Review: I have noticed two broad manners in which books about e-business are generally written. One is very academic - they are actually written by academics, the other is very casual - usually this is the case of books written by journalists, or business consultants. Both styles have their virtues. However, the academic style is sometimes too theoretical, with too much webonomics and too little business strategy. On the other hand, the casual style is sometimes too obvious - the proposed strategies are common sense, making it the kind of book that you can easily read while on the beach, or while riding the bus. Mr. Schwartz's merit is that he successfully combines the two approaches - theoretical and strategic. He talks about branding, dynamic pricing and value bundling (quoting a study by Erik Brynjolfsson, a distinguished MIT professor), but he also tells us how some of the most successful Web companies have actually made it. "Digital Darwinism" is therefore authoritative, and at the same time entertaining. I also think that such an endeavour justifies a second edition of the book, in which I would expect Mr. Schwartz to expand on the concepts that he has introduced, and add more success stories (since he has written an article about the Web initiatives that have proven to be the biggest blunders in e-commerce, he could tell us more about failure, as well).
Rating:  Summary: A good beginners's book on webonomics Review: I picked up Digital Darwnism from a library to get an understanding of what the e-strategies are and how some internet businesses successfully implemented them. This was one of the books recommended by my professor at MBA school to read as part of an eCommerce class. This is really a great book on e-strategies whether one is a novice with respect to internet businesses or an avid entrepreneur who's waiting to strike it big. The seven strategies - solution branding, dynamic pricing, affiliate marketing, value bundling, selling custom-made products online first before manufacturing them, cybermediation and integration of digital eCommerce with absolutely everything- that Schwartz presented are very interesting and truly practical. He has a narrative approach throughout the book. He compares and contrasts many companies, for e.g., AOL, Priceline, Yahoo, eBay etc who have or have not implemented the seven strategies and expands upon the success stories. It's like reading a story book. He also presents opinions of some of the highly successful entrepreneurs like Tim Koogle, Mark Andressen, Jim Barksdale etc which can give a good insight to the reader on the past, present and the future state of eCommerce. The main drawback that I found in the book is it's a little outdated when it comes to the implementation details of some of the companies. This is because the book was written couple of years back and there have been humungus changes in the internet infrastructure, software, hardware and a variety of paraphernalia which may prove costly factors if one wants to follow what has been presented in the book. It can be a good reference book for early stage internet business strategies. I haven't read too many books of such kind but I do like reading stuff off the internet as it's more up to date and current compared to Digital Darwinism. The concepts in the book can give a head start to any new internet business. But ultimately what matters for the business to be successful is great business model, state of the art implementation and highly regarded customer service
Rating:  Summary: Left the security of being an 'executive' to start my own E. Review: I started my own web based business five years ago when it was a wilderness and browsers and search engines were horrible. I read this book in one sitting and plan on buying a number of copies for business friends. I've read them all and this IS THE BEST of the lot. I've learned a lot; take your super vitamins, excercise, use a 'Light and Sound Machine to meditate and sleep, use neurosync behavior tools while you work, READ this book, and the only other book you need,'First, Break All The Rules.' I am of average intelligence, looks, personality, and middle aged. I've made millions since I started my own company and I didn't have the benefit of these TWO MUST HAVE books.
Rating:  Summary: A Refreshing Look at the e-world Review: I too read this book in two days and could not put it down. It truly makes you re-think the current state of our e-world.
Rating:  Summary: One of the best read I ever met Review: I'm knid of numb at internet business. Now, I know how impertant this internet business in nowaday. Also, I've got plenty of idea and items from this. If I have a chance, I would like to meet this author.
Rating:  Summary: Every hour you wait before buying this book, is lost !! Review: I've read quite some books on e-commerce after his first book "webonomics"( the best e-commerce book before this one).None of them was as good as Webonomics. This one is even better. No high level nonsens. Down-to-earth, real-life view on the e-commerce world. I suggest : after reading this review, buy this book !
Rating:  Summary: The best internet business book by far ! Review: If you are serious about internet business and you think BIG, this is the right book for you!
Rating:  Summary: Good review of examples, but few original ideas Review: If you follow the web and the industry closely, this book is NOT for you. Does a good job of reporting on existing industry players (as of 1999) but presents few original ideas, and in 2000, looks a bit dated (perhaps another testimonial of how fast this industry is moving?) If you have NOT been following the developments and strategies on the web, this might provide a good primer, but clearly should be a beginnning of your research, not the end.
Rating:  Summary: Good review of examples, but few original ideas Review: If you follow the web and the industry closely, this book is NOT for you. Does a good job of reporting on existing industry players (as of 1999) but presents few original ideas, and in 2000, looks a bit dated (perhaps another testimonial of how fast this industry is moving?) If you have NOT been following the developments and strategies on the web, this might provide a good primer, but clearly should be a beginnning of your research, not the end.
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