When I first got started on Facebook and on LinkedIn, I dove into a number of books to help me better understand these social media sites.

The very first book I read was Facebook for Dummies by Carolyn Abram and Leah Pearlman. Written in easy to follow language and logically organized, this book was my Facebook “Bible” for some time.

This year Carolyn Abram wrote Facebook for Dummies – Portable Edition. It reviews much of the basic information from the original book, plus it has sections on the newer iterations of Facebook, such as the Timeline. I especially like it because is the book is more streamlined than the original, and it is a good fit for where I am now with Facebook.

Another great book is Facebook for Grown-Ups by Michael Miller. Like the books in the “Dummy” series, it does a good job of covering the essentials of how to get started with Facebook and how to use it effectively. What I especially appreciate about this book is that the font is a bit larger than other books on Facebook and there are very helpful visuals.

The best book I found on LinkedIn when I was first getting started  on it was How to Find a Job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Other Social Networks by Brad Schepp and Debra Schepp. About half of the book focuses on LinkedIn, and I found the material pretty easy to understand as a relative newcomer to LinkedIn.

 

Since then, I have read several books on LinkedIn. The one I especially recommend is by Wayne Breitbarth. Entitled The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success, this book takes the reader step by step from how to start with LinkedIn to how build a successful presence on it.

What books have you found helpful when you first stepped into the world of social media? Which ones guided you the best as you became a more experienced user of social media sites?

Everyone is different in terms of how they learn. Some people never bother with books at all, but simply jump into the social media sites and learn by doing. Others go to classes on social media. Others might have a friend or relative show them some tips. Or they might turn to the help centers of the social media site(s) they frequent. Or they use some combination of the above.

Please share what mechanisms have been most helpful to you as you became more proficient in your use of social media.