Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything

Book Description

In just the last few years, traditional collaboration—in a meeting room, a conference call, even a convention center—has been superseded by collaborations on an astronomical scale.

Today, encyclopedias, jetliners, operating systems, mutual funds, and many other items are being created by teams numbering in the thousands or even millions. While some leaders fear the heaving growth of these massive online communities, Wikinomics proves this fear is folly. Smart firms can harness collective capability and genius to spur innovation, growth, and success.

A brilliant guide to one of the most profound changes of our time, Wikinomics challenges our most deeply-rooted assumptions about business and will prove indispensable to anyone who wants to understand competitiveness in the twenty-first century.

Based on a $9 million research project led by bestselling author Don Tapscott, Wikinomics shows how masses of people can participate in the economy like never before. They are creating TV news stories, sequencing the human genome, remixing their favorite music, designing software, finding a cure for disease, editing school texts, inventing new cosmetics, or even building motorcycles. You'll read about:
• Rob McEwen, the Goldcorp, Inc. CEO who used open source tactics and an online competition to save his company and breathe new life into an old-fashioned industry.
• Flickr, Second Life, YouTube, and other thriving online communities that transcend social networking to pioneer a new form of collaborative production.
• Mature companies like Procter & Gamble that cultivate nimble, trust-based relationships with external collaborators to form vibrant business ecosystems.

An important look into the future, Wikinomics will be your road map for doing business in the twenty-first century.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book to Read.......2007-10-02

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything

As I refresh my professional career for the second decade of the 21st Century, I decided ro read this book, and I was not wrong. This is a most read book for everyone that's looking to stay relevant in the digital economy and the disrupting collaboration paradign. I highly recommeded.

Good, but not critical enough and scores high on the buzzword-meter.......2007-09-12

The book gives a quick tour of the new collaborative ways in which people aggregate and process information. It points out that collaboration can also be applied to produce new 'stuff', outside of software and even applying to manufacturing. It makes for interesting reading for people who a) know something about open source and want to know about its business implications and b) managers who don't know about open source/collaboration but would like to.

It is, imho, less interesting for those who want in-depth answers to the real thorny _business_ problems around open-source. I.e. How to make money at it, if you want to. It hints at important questions such as rewarding the community at large, not losing the family jewels as you open up, etc. Unfortunately, it never quite gets down to specific recommendations beyond "you have to find the right mix of proprietary vs. open source IP".

Not to criticize it overmuch. Wikinomics often jars your thinking with insightful nuggets. For example, it cites Goldcorp as the example of a mining company which opened up its secret prospection data to outsiders. Wikinomics, probably rightly, uses that as a counter-intuitive example of enlisting external help for a type of company that never shares that kind of data. Hmmm, why not share? If the prospection data applies to land on which only your company can operate, isn't that a pretty safe gamble? I don't know, really, but the point is that the anecdote makes you think of things differently. Same with IBM's success at getting a new OS (Linux)almost for free, while gathering goodwill from the community and genuinely collaborating. How far Big Blue's embarrassing anti-trust proceedings seem now...

Less helpful is Wikinomics' recurring use of cherry-picked anecdotes by sector, rather than a broad analysis of various businesses. First of all, it rarely compares its chosen 'smart companies' to their competitors. Yes, BMW is opening up. Does that make their cars any better? How is their stock doing? vs. Toyota? How is their reliability? How innovative are their cars?

Red Hat is a huge success story in Linux, but its dominance also highlights the relative failure of other Linux vendors. No explanation is given for that - network effects? first mover?

I would have welcomed some case studies of failures for big corporations in opening up. What caused those failures? What can be learned from them?

Google is also cited as a big example of openness. That is only partially true and could have served to highlight the necessary(?) split between proprietary information and public openness. Google opens up its APIs and the search is certainly free. I am a big fan myself. However, they have not chosen to release much code back to the community (cf. MapReduce) , mostly by sidestepping the GPL because they don't distribute their software. Their choice, and probably motivated by good business logic. Apple also walks a fine line between leveraging open source and keeping its business very much a secret.

This is just the kind of case studies Wikinomics could sink its teeth into, but it spends way too much time gushing over all the boundless possibilities of collaboration.

Conclusion: a good eye-opener but take it with a grain of salt. Note that my perspective is that of a developer interested in open source _and_ business profits.

An interesting read........2007-09-04

I liked this book, and it opened my eyes to many other "community-driven" technologies/companies. While I thought a lot of the ideas were very "common sense", it was well written, and had some great anecdotes. I recommend this book for anyone interested in social networking, building communities, etc.

The community is the company.......2007-09-02

Wikinomics is about opening your company to the world where communities come together, individuals share ideas, intelligence, peer produce, innovate; the communities are driven primarily by self-motivation or respect from peers. The idea is awesome; the authors are right that this is a new era; some of the most successful companies in the world use wikinomics; the most successful Internet companies are based upon it. The companies cost is dramatically cut, they become trustworthy, and individuals create what they want.

But the book is almost irritating to read. They paint a world where wikinomics is practically perfect, where the communities created by the company are utopian, and the companies who refuse the wikinomic ideology as evil. According to the authors, the companies that don't jump on the bandwagon will ultimately fail because they can't compete with speed and innovation that wikinomic companies can produce (compare wikipedia with any encyclopedia).

The reality is the communities created are often not egalitarian. Digg is a good example -- the community is driven by a faction of a top 100 users who control the front page content, any article or comment outside the digg mindset is quickly buried, and websites have been created where you can pay to get dugg.

In addition, the book ignores wikinomic companies who have failed completely or to a large extent (amapedia, a million penguins, la times wiki editorial, the thousands of 2.0 clones) and they give the reader no idea how to start a successful web 2.0 company. The book is also too long and each chapter adds little to the last. The entire book is read in the first chapter.

While I feel companies opening up to the world is an awesome concept and many of the ideas in the book are right, I would have preferred a more balanced book which makes this book unsatisfying. In the end, I still question whether wikinomics is just a bubble going to burst.

Required reading for Strategic Thinkers.......2007-08-29

In this interesting and example filled book, Authors Tapscott & Williams explore how convergence of the New Web (technology) and the Net Generation (demographics) have reduced transaction costs within the knowledge economy (or the knowledge element of the industrial economy) to create or allow for mass collaboration. Citing four (4) principles underlying this mass collaboration - openness, peering, sharing, and acting globally - they identify seven (7) trends that are transforming existing business models and challenging leaders to create entirely new business models.
1. Peer Production - building intellectual property bit by bit thru open source
2. Ideagoras - buying and selling solutions to problems / research
3. Prosumers - new product design by consumers/users (think hackers)
4. New Alexandrians - sharing science / thinking on a massive scale
5. Platforms for participation - global stage for partnering to create value and build new businesses
6. Global plant floors - transport technology across borders/organizations for local fab labs
7. Wiki workplaces - really workspaces, where playgrounds replace more traditional business processes
While one may argue with the distinctions between these seven, somewhat overlapping trends, the authors provide ample examples to stimulate thinking and help the reader see how this new world might be integrated into current business models or force us to create new ones. This book is recommended as required reading for anyone responsible for strategic thinking - for themselves or for their business.

Call Center Management on Fast Forward: Succeeding in Today's Dynamic Inbound Environment

Average customer rating:

Unbelievably good
Wow! So This is How Call Centers Work!
Call Center Management ~On Fast Forward
Comprehensive handbook for management
Excellent book to get started and graduate yourself

Call Center Management on Fast Forward: Succeeding in Today's Dynamic Inbound Environment
Brad Cleveland , and Julia Mayben
Manufacturer: Call Center Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0965909301

Book Description

This is the only book available today that provides a very readable, step-by-step guide for managing an incoming call center. The book combines theory with practical advice and is filled with over 100 charts and graphs, several case studies and an extensive glossary and index.

Customer Reviews:

Unbelievably good.......2007-01-12

It's hard to explain just how good this book is, but I'm going to try.

When I first ran across this book (late '90s), I had no prior call center analytic experience, but used this book to save my company over $4 million a year. It explains the basics of call center management, analytics & behavior so simply and effectively that you are likely to make huge value changes just by implementing those basics.

If you are already a call center whiz, and your company's call center are running smoothly with excellent customer service levels, there is still value here, but it's modest.

If your company is NOT doing its blocking and tackling, with repsect to its call centers, then this is a gold mine.

It literally is the highest ROI book I have ever purchased in terms of time and money.

Wow! So This is How Call Centers Work!.......2002-08-22

I've generally been an IT Director and Project Manager, so I read this book to get a better idea of my customers' needs. I was pretty excited to discover that there's at least one good summary of what call centers do and how they do it. For my own sake--and perhaps yours--here's my summary of Brad and Julia's summary:

1. Incoming call center management is the art of having the right number of skilled people and supporting resources in place at the right times to handle an accurately forecasted workload, at service level and with quality.

2. Though average call load may be predictable, calls arrive randomly--which means that they often bunch up.

3. A service level is defined as "X percent of calls answered in Y seconds", not as "X percent answered" or "Average Speed of Answer". (The ASA is skewed by the bad times when calls bunch up.) Abandonment rates matter, too, but fixing abandonment problems usually means fixing service levels.

4. Service level and quality don't conflict. If you try to fix service level with poor quality, it comes back to bite you with more calls and demoralized reps.

5. A good forecasted call load--including talk time, after-call work, and volume--is critical for budgeting people and circuits. Often, a good forecast should predict load by the half hour, using previous data, knowledge of upcoming plans, and good judgment.

6. To determine staffing needs, use a variation of the Erlang C formula. Its input is the number of reps, number of callers forecasted, and the time to serve each caller; its output is a prediction of waiting time. (Even better, add an input for response time, and you'll get the percentage who'll wait longer than that!) If agents have different skills, you'll need forecasts and calculations for each set of agents.

7. More staff, less waiting, fewer phone lines for people on hold. Less staff, more waiting, more phone lines. Formulas exist for phone lines, too.

8. Not everyone scheduled is always working on customer service. Schedule accordingly. Be clever about work schedules to get the right number working at the right time. Service level results tell you whether you got it right.

9. If you have too few reps on duty, queues get long (service level goes down), more circuits are needed, and customers get frustrated, sometimes abandoning the call. If you have too many reps on duty, you spend too much paying for them to wait.

10. Give senior managers good reports, but make sure they understand the points above.

11. Monitor the number of calls in the queue and the longest current wait. Service level and other metrics tell more about the past than the present. Be ready with plans for unexpected load (reassigning, rerouting, delay announcements, busy signals).

12. There are lots of tools and graphs to measure aspects of quality. Use them to identify root causes, not beat your employees. Reps should adhere to schedules, and do good work. Use monitoring capabilities to coach. Measuring based on "calls per hour" is unreliable, and invites cheating.

13. Customers are getting more demanding, automated systems are taking the easy calls, so reps have to be better trained and more skilled.

14. Create a good environment that uses technology well.

The book was written in 1997, and I don't know whether it's been updated. The authors have some commentary about email-based, web-based, and CTI-based systems, but the next edition might want to say more about the similarities and differences between those and the traditional call center.

Overall, I'm happy to understand more about the math and science behind this discipline. As another reviewer commented, it's clear that IT Help Desks have something to learn from the Call Center experience.

Call Center Management ~On Fast Forward.......2002-08-07

We were in the process of re-organizing our call center and based on the excellent reviews that I read, I choose this book. Well, the reviews were right. This book is excellent. It is very well written and explains all aspects of organizing and analyzing a Call Center. We have ordered a total of 6 copies and they are being utilized by the V.P. of Operations, Operations Manager, IT dept, and the Customer Service Dept.

Comprehensive handbook for management.......2002-07-10

The perfect book for the people that are managing the call centers. Especially when call center is just a part of your responsibility and you need a comprehensive and ehhaustive in-depth description of call center activities. Great book. Good for both excecutives to understand what the call center managers are doing (even in terms of languages they speak, very usefull, if you are not able to undestand sometimes the cc managers you need the book) and call centers managers in order to understand how to present their work to the executives.

Excellent book to get started and graduate yourself.......2002-06-03

This is excellent book to get started on concepts, key metrics in call center. I really liked the writting style and the way author has explained different concepts. I had no background in call center and I could comprehend almost all the concepts in this book.

Book Description

The fifth edition of this popular book presents the fundamental concepts of data communications, networking, distributed applications, and network management and security; and uses real world case studies to explicate business environment and business management and staff issues. Up-to-date coverage of key issues-the use of the Internet, intranets, and extranets support business objectives, LANs, WANs, high-speed networks, asychronous transfer mode (ATM) and TCP/IP. Accessible presentation for information systems managers, telecommunications managers, product marketing personnel, and system support specialists.

Customer Reviews:

Very very technical.......2007-03-07

Having read reviews prior to purchasing the book, I thought, it can't be that bad. I was wrong. All of the reviews are accurate and true descriptions of the book. I purchased the book as required text for a graduate introductory course in data communications. What can you do if you're stuck with this book and you must read it " for class"? Read the summary at the end of each chapter FIRST. This might help you grasp what the author is trying to say in a long, extended, technical and scientific way.

The book includes scientific descriptions of data communication. Perhaps the book is extremely on point for engineering students or someone with interest in creating a data communications or telecommunications system from scratch for an organization. However, addressing the issues from a business perspective is not the primary focus of the book. Reading the chapter demands utmost concentration and the ability to extract key concepts about the subject under discussion. It is not clear why this book seems to pop up so often as the required text. There are many books that address data communications from a business perspective. It is an arcane academic selection as required text for a non-engineering data communications course.

Priceless - or should be.......2005-12-14

I am completing my MSIS degree. I was required to use this textbook for one of my classes. I felt the book was possibly appropriate for an engineering computer science program on a "how things work" level but a terrible waste of time for business students. If I want to buy a cell phone I don't care HOW the cell phone works. I only care that it DOES work, and that it is dependable, accurate, reliable, and cost effective. Stop putting the OSI model in these textbooks. Just teach TCP/IP because that's what is used. If you're going to put problems at the end of the chapters, provide solutions to the students. Otherwise, you're just wasting paper because nobody will ever use them. Why work on them if you don't have a solution to compare your answers to? I have spoken to nearly half the people in my class. All agree. This textbook was a terrible choice for our class in the business program. None of us feel we learned anything of value from studying from this book.

I sincerely hope our instructor and program director will find a different book to use for future classes.

Business Data Communications.......2005-10-04

This book arrived in a timely manner and in excellent condition. I would purchase fromthis seller again.

Not an Appropriate Introductory Textbook.......2004-08-26

A course I took earlier this year used this textbook, and I wasn't too fond of it. The book's explanations were very clinical, and other reviewers are correct in observing that it has many typographical errors (which are very frustrating when trying to solve mathematically inclined equations).

The professor deviated substantially from the text, supplying us with several real-world examples and more on the theory behind the examples given in the book. If he had not done that, I do not think I would have been able to learn the material from the book alone. Many of its explanations are too brief and lack depth or supporting examples.

If you are teaching an information systems course and intend to use this textbook, be prepared to supplement it with substantial cases or lose the interest and comprehension of your students.

Good Book for CIS Majors.......2004-07-02

I bought this book for an online course on Network Communications which I took as a Computer Science major. This book is riddled with technical information and looks at things from an 'implementation cost' perspective (the case studies at the end of almost every chapter are good examples of this) which is good for Computer Information Systems (CIS) majors since they tend to focus more on the business aspect of the 'field'.

The majority of the chapters are easy reading (if you like reading technical info.). I found some of the problems at the end of some chapters to be quite challenging (which was a treat being the geek that I am). I've also used this book as reference for TCP/IP when doing low-level network programming.

Book Description

Information and Solutions for Today's Telecommunications Systems

Regardless of your industry, you’ll find James Harry Green’s The Irwin Handbook of Telecommunications Management, Third Edition an authoritative how-to solutions manual for every telecommunications management question. Now comprehensively revised and updated, this classic resource provides hands-on techniques for understanding today's major technological changes -- and incorporating them into your organization's telecom strategy. Covering the entire spectrum of 21st century telecommunications, the Handbook makes it easy to locate, understand, and implement:

* Long-range planning, feasibility analysis, and forecasting
* The selection and management of telecom equipment and services, writing and evaluating responses to RFPs, managing long distance services, and more
* Management of a telecom facility -- including PBX and key telephone equipment, automatic call distributors, voice processing equipment, local area networks and Internets, wide area networks, convergence, and video and audio conferencing equipment
* Specific techniques for effective cost containment
* Telecommunications operations -- from fraud and disaster prevention to project management, quality control, security and more

Customer Reviews:

Catherine Harris - Great Book.......2004-09-13

The author does a great job at providing the information necessary for Teleocommunications Management. I'm a manager with SBC a large telco in St. Louis. The only item I see missing from this book as with other books is the importanace of the ability to manage management. As a telecom manager, I'm not very good at managing people or admitedly have much knowledge of telecom, but I'm great at managing my management which has allowed me to progress. This book needs to not only reflect the managerial concepts of technology, but of salesmanship and the real world scenerios I run into every day. I do however feel this is a great reference for general telecommunications information and would recommend people read it.

A great book of enterprise telecommunication system design.......2001-08-30

I think the book covers a complete discussion of every telecommunication facility development topic. The book starts from basic issues, such as selecting equipments and using them, to the cost analysis of develop the system. This makes the book comfortable for telco manager who never did business telecommunication system development before. I think this book is perfect for every telco manager. This book is, I think, also suitable for engineers and technicians to open and broaden the cost analysis of systems developed. I think the author is an expert in enterprise telecommunication system design and knows what he is doing.

As a courtesy, I attach the correct table of content...

Part 1: Principles of Telecommunications Management and Planning

Introduction to Telecommunications Management, The Telecommunications Act of 1996, Telecommunications Strategic Planning, Current and Long-Range Planning, Feasibility Analysis, Forecasting Telecommunications Services

Part 2: Selecting Telecommunications Services and Equipment

Developing Requirements and Specifications, Writing Requests for Proposals, Evaluating Responses to Requests for Proposals, Managing Long-Distance Services, Selecting Local Exchange Services, Managing Internet Services, Wiring Plans and Equipment Rooms

Part 3: Managing Telecommunications Facilities

Managing PBX and Key Telephone Equipment, Managing Automatic Call Distributors, Managing Voice Processing Equipment, Managing Local Area Networks and Internets, Managing Wide Area Networks, Managing Video and Audio Conferencing Equipment, Managing Convergence

Part 4: Telecommunications Cost Control

Controlling Telecommunications Costs, Benchmarking Telecommunications Results, Contracting and Outsourcing, Sizing and Optimizing Voice Circuits, Optimizing Data Network Bandwidth

Part 5: Operations Planning and Execution

Developing a Telecommunications Operations Plan, Disaster Prevention and Recovery, Cutover Planning and Management, Telecommunications Project Management, Resale of Telecommunications Services, Controlling Telecommunications Quality, Managing Telecommunications Security, Preventing Toll Fraud, Network Maintenance and Testing, Network Management Systems

Appendixes

Average customer rating:

Required Reading For All Call Center Managers

Bringing Call Centers Into The 21st Century

Excellent Book

A book about metrics & statistics but not about call center

A Wakeup Call

The Executive Guide to Call Center Metrics
James C. Abbott
Manufacturer: Robert Houston Smith Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Call Center Forecasting and Scheduling : The Best of Call Center Management Review

Managing and Motivating Contact Center Employees : Tools and Techniques for Inspiring Outstanding Performance from Your Frontline Staff

Call Center Staffing: The Complete, Practical Guide to Workforce Management

Call Centers For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

Call Center Technology Demystified: The No-Nonsense Guide to Bridging Customer Contact Technology, Operations and Strategy

ASIN: 1887355081

Book Description

As the cost of doing business increases, call centers and help desks are frequently moving overseas. How can your center remain competitive? Is pooling the best way to slash your wait times? James Abbott concisely answers these questions as he leads you through the world of process-centered customer service. Strategic and tactical terms, how to choose metrics to measure, and the miracle of Queuing Science are covered thoroughly, using easy-to-grasp anecdotes to explain the key technical topics.

Customer Reviews:

Required Reading For All Call Center Managers.......2006-01-23

James Abbott has produced a handbook that is required reading for all Call Center Managers. It provides a step-by-step method for metrics creation and why improvement is not possible unless you can measure Call Center activity.

This book must be on every employees desk in the Call Center and the Metrics should be based on this book. The books 11 chapters are easy to read and understand. James clearly outlines the reasons why metrics must be real time and the benefit in performance associated with this method.

You should read this book, as I did, just to understand how implementation of this methodology will cut costs and improve customer satisfaction.

John Washburn
Colorado

Bringing Call Centers Into The 21st Century.......2005-12-01

From the introduction this book explains how metrics must be more than just numbers or report cards. They are proactive tools to get much more out of your call center. The book then sets out ways to create powerful metrics that lead to winning decisions for your center.
Chapter One: Having It All
The first chapter looks at why modern metrics are required in centers with numerous monitors. Old ways of thinking will not do. Everyday, real world examples are given to highlight critical metric sources. These are a must in balacing wait time, cost and performance.
Chapter Two: Call Center Metrics
This chapter begins with Abbott's signature approach to decision making and and the discussion of mstrics that compliment this approach. He introduces the unique Dependency Diagram and metric blueprint. On page 38 he lists six key proactive metrics.
Chapter Three: Monitoring Metrics
Chapter three makes cetain you are uaing clear thinking when monitoring your meticws. Again, real world examples and critical statistics are used to help you have a clear look at your center.
Chapter Four: Metric Dashboard
Using building blocks already mentioned this chapter begins putting together a call center dashboard. Who does what? How do we set it up? What is my part?
Chapter Five and Six: Tactical Decisions and Metrics
How do we know when real change has happened? What are the "alarms" to look for when monitoring the call center. We see how to read and use tactical metrics to avoid problems and run effective centers.
Chapters Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten: Strategic Decisions & Metrics
These chapters explain the strategic aspects of running your call center. They help you develop the strategic eye needed to bring your call center into the 21st century.

The book ends with a review of benefits that come from the effective use of metrics and how that is achieved. If you have the difficult responaibility of runing a call center, you need this book.

Excellent Book.......2005-11-11

I purchased this book as I am a director of a Call Center Unit. This book was very informative and had a lot to offer. Great books for excutives in the call center business! The book is written in a easy to read format with lots of great examples!

A book about metrics & statistics but not about call center.......2005-07-03

Based on the title I was expecting a lot about call center specific metrics. This is not the case. The focus is on statistics and metrics for tactical purpose (Quality Control Chart) and strategic view (Distribution, standard deviation). If you are familar with QC charts and statistics then the book does not have to offer a lot. For call center metrics it mentions only a few examples like abandonment rate or wait time in some sample. I was looking for an exhaustive list of call center metrics.

A Wakeup Call.......2004-07-15

"Abbott's book is a much-needed wakeup call. In order to compete, managers must use scientific methods, not gut feelings or hocus pocus. This book is back to basics--what needs to be monitored, why you need to monitor it, and who should make which decisions."

Business Data Networks and Telecommunications (6th Edition)

Average customer rating:

Terrible Book
Six Stars!
Great Book, using in my PSU networking class
Great Book, but Check Author's Web Site for Corrections
Great Overview of Data Communications

Business Data Networks and Telecommunications (6th Edition)
Raymond R. Panko
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0132214415

Book Description

This book has 11 core chapters that form a complete introduction to networking. Mini chapters follow 4 of the chapters (ch. 1, 3, and 8, and 9) with case studies or hands-on exercises reinforcing material in the previous core chapter. In addition, three advanced modules at the end of the book (Module A, B, and C) contain material teachers may wish to cover selectively for emphasis

Customer Reviews:

Terrible Book.......2005-01-22

This book is awful. The revisions to it are updated, but to follow the book in order is nearly impossible. This is a text book being used at a college. The information in this book is scattered and makes learning the concepts difficult. I do not recommend this book for use at colleges/universities. There has to be another book out there that allows users to learn the concepts and terminology in an easier fashion.

Six Stars!.......2004-03-03

I've recently completed a course using this textbook. Excellent!!! It has been a long time (if ever) since I have actually enjoyed reading a textbook. I feel it should be mandatory reading for all authors and potential authors who will ever feel the need to publish a textbook for undergraduate level work in a technical field.

Most of the many corrections on the online corrections page are minor and insignificant (i.e. typos) and would probably go unnoticed by the reader. With press deadlines in technologies being what they are, it is fully understandable. The choice to include those corrections (a) gave me a sense of security in that it demonstrated the author's thoroughness and (b) proves that you don't have to cut a new edition of your work every six months (which can be quite annoying for anyone who is looking to get a specific edition for class).

I was pretty much convinced that it was impossible to design and publish a textbook in a technical field of a caliber such as this. In general, technical authors either confuse the reader by over complicating the layout and material or they put the reader to sleep by being overly shallow and overly redundant. This is not the case for this book. In the words of Goldilocks, this one is "just right". I strongly recommend it to anyone, whether they have a class requirement for it or not.

Great Book, using in my PSU networking class.......2003-03-02

This book is great, it starts from the beginning of the networking age and goes through all the newest technologies and ideas about networking. Covers the business aspects of networking, wireless, how TCP/IP works and pretty muct the 802 standars. Book covers everything, this is one book I won't be selling back. A really good reference book for the basics of networking and rules to follow as well when getting into the networking field.

Great Book, but Check Author's Web Site for Corrections.......2002-12-24

I just finished a semester with this book. Loved it! I didn't think I'd every say that about a textbook, but this one really makes it easy to remember the material. It does so by quizzing you at the end of every section instead of just waiting until the end of the chapter. I found that it significantly improved my retention rate.

I will however caution you that there are errors present in many of the chapters. The errors I came across looked like they were mainly due to poor editing and validation of the technical material. I STRONGLY recommend that you go to the author's web site as he quickly posts any and all corrections by chapter.

For ... dollars, you'd think that the book's publisher, Prentice Hall, would have reviewed the book a bit more thoroughly before publication.

Errors aside, this is a great book that will mostly likely improve further with the next edition.

Great Overview of Data Communications.......2000-12-05

We used this book in my graduate MIS course, and it was a great tool for learning the basics about data communications and networking. Many of my classmates thought that Panko did a great job of explaining data comm concepts, whether it was something as simple as an ethernet LAN, or as complex as an ATM network. Everyone in my class seemed to enjoy the text (both highly technical students with a background in data comms, and students who were learning the material for the first time).

The book is designed to give readers a general overview of a subject, then drill down into the details in later chapters. He starts with the basics (layers, encapsulation, protocols, etc), and then gets into how networks are built from the ground up. Panko has included numerous modules at the end of the book if you want to learn even more about a specific topic.

The author has also put together slides for each chapter which were very helpful in explaining difficult concepts, or emphasizing certain chapters in the text. If you can get a copy of them, I highly recommend using them.

Book Description

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is used in all areas of automatic data capture allowing contactless identification of objects using RF. With applications ranging from secure internet payment systems to industrial automation and access control, RFID technology solutions are receiving much attention in the research and development departments of large corporations. RFID is a major growth are in auto ID, allowing emergency vehicles to safely trip traffic signals, and providing the technology behind contactless smart cards, "autopiloting" cars, and production automation. Fully revised and updated to include all the latest information on industry standards and applications, this new edition provides a standard reference for people working with RFID technology. Expanded sections explain exactly how RFID systems work, and provide up-to-date information on the development of new tags such as the smart label.

Updated coverage of RFID technologies, including electron data carrier architecture and common algorithms for anticollision
Details the latest RFID applications, such as the smartlabel, e-commerce and the electronic purse, document tracking and e-ticketing
Detailed appendix providing up-to-date information on relevant ISO standards and regulations, including descriptions of ISO 14443 for contactless ticketing and ISO 15693 covering the smartlabel

A leading edge reference for this rapidly evolving technology, this text is of interest to practitioners in auto ID and IT designing RFID products and end-users of RFID technology, computer and electronics engineers in security system development and microchip designers, automation, industrial and transport engineers and materials handling specialists. Also a valuable resource for graduate level students in electronics and industrial engineering design.

Customer Reviews:

Needs an update... but still a must for every RFID professional.......2006-05-19

Book provides a solid foundation for RFID physics and the fundamental concepts. It gets really boring at times because of its staright forward approach and technical jargon. There is no other book in the market that capture RFID in such a depth; however the book is requires a immediate update to incorporate EPCglobal standards and other recent developments in the RFID industry.

RFID (RF Coupling in the Near field).......2005-04-07

RFID is a well written book. It covers hardware, regulations,
and RFID applications.
What I like about RFID is that it explains rF devices
in the near -field. Almost every other book I have read is about RF far-field.
The knowledge is useful in understanding the sources of noise in lab equipment caused by high frequency induction fields.
(These signals go right through the usual metal enclosures.)
Its useful.

Good collection of concepts.......2004-04-16

This book has a very good collection of most of the concepts related to RFID and is very useful especially for beginners in RFID. I gave only 4 stars as I was dissappointed not to see any examples for any or almost all the concepts explained. For what it costs, I think it makes sense to add some examples liked to some important concepts.

Great book for understanding the concepts and applications.......2003-06-04

If you are an Engineer looking to understand the history, technical aspects, implementation, standards and details of RFID systems, this book provides an excellent introduction for you.

The chapters are well laid out and paced. The author explains the most common devices and systems available in the market, their technology and concepts quite well. Most of the RFID related standards have been covered along with relevant examples. The author covers such things as the hardware design specifications for devices, software requirements, and some basic RF concepts that are required to understand Transponder and Receiver designs.

Book Description

This book gives street-level instruction and real-world examples on how to promote, distribute, and sell your production.

Customer Reviews:

Good information.......2005-10-17

In the course of making a film, we found this book to be very helpful. It organizes info about the business side of the filmmaking process.

Went in a skeptic, came out a believer.......2003-06-20

Being a skeptic, I tested Mark's capsule exercises on a script I was preparing for the IFP Spotlight Award. The results were unnerving - I discovered buried treasure I didn't know I had within my story and eliminated an entire subplot that didn't service the STORY. Mark demystifies the concept of marketing, asking simple, direct questions. By asking "why would anyone want to see your film?" Mark goes past just marketing and addresses the issues that draw people to filmmaking in the first place. When I put the book down, I had a clear vision of the kind of filmmaker I want to be - and a great set of tools to get there.

Helped sell my film.......2003-06-13

This book is so great! I got a copy after reading a review and it lived up to every claim. The techniques in the book's "Self-Distribution" section showed me how to set up regional sales for a film that otherwise has not made any money up until this point! I can now proudly say that my DVD is available in 17 video stores in Pennslyvania and New York thanks to the tips in this book! Get Bosko's book if you want to sell your film - it is that simple.

Must-Have Movie Marketing Magic.......2003-06-06

A lot of people throw the title "guru" around, but Bosko's the real deal. As a filmmaker, if you've ever wondered how to: get press coverage, create a media kit, find an attractive title; identify your movie's hooks, locate distributors, exploit the power of the web, get audiences and distribution and actually sell your movie or video...then GET THIS BOOK! Bosko "tells all" in an easy-to-read style that gets the creative juices flowing. No filmmaker should go anywhere near a camera without reading the hard-core, straight-up instruction and advice in this book.

An Absolute MUST!.......2003-05-15

Outstanding! Mark's style of writing is so engaging, down-to-earth, and motivating --I couldn't pull myself away! I've been behind the scenes on several film projects and can't believe they had the audacity to shoot without knowing what Mark shares in this book. My highlighter is nearly empty! When it comes to marketing a project, ignorance is certainly not bliss! Mark's book is an absolute MUST HAVE if you plan to DO something with your film other than show your parents!

The Irwin Handbook of Telecommunications

Average customer rating:

One-stop gateway to the telecom world, but don't stop here.
Technical and Readable
The best book on telecommunications I have ever read.
A Great Reference For Telecom and Data Technologies

The Irwin Handbook of Telecommunications
James Harry Green
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0071355545

Book Description

What are the latest developments in telecommunications? How are new and emerging products impacting the industry ñ and your job? Where are we headed tomorrow? The Irwin Handbook of Telecommunications, Fourth Edition provides the answers to virtually every question on the past, present and future of telecommunications. This covers-every-issue volume is the indispensable reference in the field, including detailed -- yet easy-to-understand -- coverage of: *new technologies, including packet switching, pulse code modification, cellular and PCS systems, gigabit Ethernet, voice/data convergence and many others. *the latest Internet applications, including virtual private networks and voice over protocols E-commerce *strategies to help you more effectively utilize the business-to-business aspects of the Internet the continuing impact of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Also included are over 250 web addresses for telecommunications manufacturers, carriers, vendors and organizations. Plus an exhaustive dictionary of over 400 acronyms ñ everything from AAC (alternate access carrier) to XPD (cross-polarization discrimination).

Customer Reviews:

One-stop gateway to the telecom world, but don't stop here........2000-07-30

I am the officer technical lead for a 50-person military intrusion detection operation. I read Mr Green's book to get a broader understanding of the telecom world, of which network intrusion detection occupies a small but highly visible part. This immense book (774 pages of text, plus URLs, acronyms, and a glossary) addressed nearly every topic I had encountered reading communications magazines, speaking with the telecom industry, and researching the Web. While no single book can provide the depth needed for truly understand a specific technology, Mr Green's work provided the foundation for future research. For example, after getting the context for SS7, I may now buy "Signalling System #7, 3rd Edition" by Travis Russell. I didn't give the book five stars, as I was not completely comfortable absorbing the material. This is the sort of book that requires you to read the whole book twice in order to appreciate the early chapters. References to technologies like ATM or frame relay in the first half of the book make much more sense after reading chapters dedicated to those issues. If Mr Green had given me slightly more to grasp while reading the early material, or had perhaps organized the book with the telecom novice in mind, I may have given five stars. Nevertheless, if you're looking for one-stop shopping for telecommunications, I highly recommend this book. Don't be fooled by the "business" classification on the dust jacket -- this book is a technical volume, with protocol headers and other details included. Great work Mr Green!

Technical and Readable.......2000-04-01

The Irwin Handbook of telecommunications is both technical and readable. It is an excellent text for telecommunication students,managers, and vendors. The field of telecommunications is rapidly evolving.In the future ,jobs and fortunes will be won and lost by those who apply winning technologies. Consider this book a score card. You cannt tell the players without a scorecard.

The best book on telecommunications I have ever read........1999-10-17

I read this book about a year or so ago, and I have been looking for it since then. It is the best book on telecommunications I have ever read. It goes into great depth of Switching, SS7, VMBs, PBXs, Centrex, ISDN, etc. Definitely a good buy.

A Great Reference For Telecom and Data Technologies.......1998-06-20

This book covers all of the existing and developing technologies in voice and data communications.

Average customer rating:

The Price Waterhouse Edi Handbook

The Price Waterhouse Edi Handbook
Nicole Willenz Gardner
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471107530

Book Description

Experts from Price Waterhouse explain how to plan, analyze, design, construct and implement the systems necessary to create an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. This comprehensive reference provides an overview of the technological and business aspects of EDI and demonstrates how to determine company and information needs. Includes sample workplans, EDI standards with explanations, and model EDI trading partner agreements.

Customer Reviews:

The Price Waterhouse Edi Handbook.......2000-06-20

The book is complete and detailed. It gives the conmputer developer what they need to know in order to comply with EDI standards

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