- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Virgin Books (1 July 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0753522748
- ISBN-13: 978-0753522745
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 13.4 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 143,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Trade in The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company that is Connecting the World for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Product details |
Product Description
Review
'Kirkpatrick's amazing reporting details what happens when a hacker culture turns into a multi-billion-dollar firm. Mark Zuckerberg sought to maintain that hacker energy, and it's fascinating to hear what resulted' -- Chris Anderson, Editor of Wired and author of The Long Tail
'A carefully reported book that should change the way you think about a very unusual enterprise ... does the best job yet of making sense of Facebook's founder, 26-year-old Mark Zuckerberg' -- Forbes
'Mr. Kirkpatrick ... was encouraged by Mr. Zuckerberg to write this book and was granted extensive access to him and his associates ... [Kirkpatrick] gives the reader a detailed understanding ... [and] still does an animated job of evoking the collegiate atmosphere that reigned at the company' -- New York Times
'Mr. Kirkpatrick doesn't coddle his subject, yet he presents Mr. Zuckerberg's point of view much more comprehensibly than we have seen it before ... The author lets you get inside Mr. Zuckerberg's head' -- Wall Street Journal
'Mr. Kirkpatrick provides some intriguing insights into the psyche of Mr. Zuckerberg'
-- The Economist
'Along the way, Zuckerberg has turned down acquisition offers of as much as $15 billion; worked with and against technology giants Google, Microsoft and Viacom; and knocked heads with privacy advocates. Those are some of the gems in the illuminating new book' -- USA Today
'Fascinating ... exciting ... The book is packed with interviews from all the key players, including Zuckerberg and Moskovitz. Kirkpatrick's subjects open up about everything' -- Associated Press
'This fast paced narrative captures the excitement of the startup world and reminds me of the early days of Wikipedia when I realized we were onto something big. A big revelation is how Mark Zuckerberg's idealism led him to focus on product improvements rather than short-term revenue gains, and how critical this was to the company's success' -- Jimmy Wales, Founder, Wikipedia
'Facebook is becoming the dominant social networking tool, facilitating our online and offline worlds. The Facebook Effect effectively shows its rapid evolution, where it is going, and how it will increasingly affect our lives' -- Craig Newmark, Founder, Craigslist
A compelling account of the origins and prospects of the social networking giant -- The Week
'A carefully reported book that should change the way you think about a very unusual enterprise ... does the best job yet of making sense of Facebook's founder, 26-year-old Mark Zuckerberg' -- Forbes
'Mr. Kirkpatrick ... was encouraged by Mr. Zuckerberg to write this book and was granted extensive access to him and his associates ... [Kirkpatrick] gives the reader a detailed understanding ... [and] still does an animated job of evoking the collegiate atmosphere that reigned at the company' -- New York Times
'Mr. Kirkpatrick doesn't coddle his subject, yet he presents Mr. Zuckerberg's point of view much more comprehensibly than we have seen it before ... The author lets you get inside Mr. Zuckerberg's head' -- Wall Street Journal
'Mr. Kirkpatrick provides some intriguing insights into the psyche of Mr. Zuckerberg'
-- The Economist
'Along the way, Zuckerberg has turned down acquisition offers of as much as $15 billion; worked with and against technology giants Google, Microsoft and Viacom; and knocked heads with privacy advocates. Those are some of the gems in the illuminating new book' -- USA Today
'Fascinating ... exciting ... The book is packed with interviews from all the key players, including Zuckerberg and Moskovitz. Kirkpatrick's subjects open up about everything' -- Associated Press
'This fast paced narrative captures the excitement of the startup world and reminds me of the early days of Wikipedia when I realized we were onto something big. A big revelation is how Mark Zuckerberg's idealism led him to focus on product improvements rather than short-term revenue gains, and how critical this was to the company's success' -- Jimmy Wales, Founder, Wikipedia
'Facebook is becoming the dominant social networking tool, facilitating our online and offline worlds. The Facebook Effect effectively shows its rapid evolution, where it is going, and how it will increasingly affect our lives' -- Craig Newmark, Founder, Craigslist
A compelling account of the origins and prospects of the social networking giant -- The Week
Book Description
The inside story of the greatest business and social phenomenon of our age.
‘David Kirkpatrick has written a fascinating and timely account of the amazing rise of Facebook. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of business and the internet.’ Sir Richard Branson
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
I just finished reading 'The Facebook Effect' about an hour ago, and I must admit that I was surprised by the book and it's content. It gave an intelligent account of the story of Facebook and real insight into the thinking of founder and CEO Mark Zuckenberg.
There were two concerns when I started reading the book. The first one was that the author, David Kirkpatrick had clearly been given a great deal of access to Facebook and you couldn't expect him to be too critical of the company given his apparent closeness to the founder and key staff. Second, that the book would be an excited and prophetic account about the 'Facebook miracle' hyping once more an already over-hyped subject.
After finishing the book I feel that Kirkpatrick was able to tell the story of Facebook in a revealing way and that his proximity to the company was a real asset in understanding the guiding thinking and philosophy behind the company. We learn how the founder approached some major challenges and changes to the platform, from the expansion outside of the Ivy league network of US unversities, to the introduction of newsfeeds and it's subsequent user rebellion as well as global expansion. It delves a little too much in the equity structure and on-going discussion about selling or not selling and who thought what when. It fails to truly critize Facebook in any significant way - although it raises the privacy issues and concerns, you still end up feeling that Mark Zuckenberg is a visionary genius who had figured it out from the beginning (which he probably is - but you leave feeling you needed a more balanced account to be convinced). Although it is balanced by the doubts and lack of certainty that he experience you still feel that there is more to the story than what is told and that luck and circumstance played a more significant role than 'brave and bold' strategic decisions. Maybe the upcoming movie 'the Social Network' will help complete the picture of the Facebook story.
On the Facebook miracle question, the book clearly hypes the company as more a less the future of the internet, and sometimes even the future of humanity, morals, and mankind. This is when Kirkpatrick get's carried away by the official Facebook propaganda. However the underlying changes that Facebook is doing to society, as well as it's incredibly important significance for the world of business and communications is explained in an intelligent and meaningful way. I felt I understand much better some of the changes that happened to fFacebook, and where it is heading and how the corporate culture and founder's vision is getting it there.
On the whole it is a thoroughly enjoyable read, worth your while if you want to understand how Facebook happened, and get an insight into the mind of the founder. It should be more critical of Facebook and more open about the accidental events that lead to it's dominant position (and could equally removing it from that pedestal), but all in all it was a great read.
Phil
There were two concerns when I started reading the book. The first one was that the author, David Kirkpatrick had clearly been given a great deal of access to Facebook and you couldn't expect him to be too critical of the company given his apparent closeness to the founder and key staff. Second, that the book would be an excited and prophetic account about the 'Facebook miracle' hyping once more an already over-hyped subject.
After finishing the book I feel that Kirkpatrick was able to tell the story of Facebook in a revealing way and that his proximity to the company was a real asset in understanding the guiding thinking and philosophy behind the company. We learn how the founder approached some major challenges and changes to the platform, from the expansion outside of the Ivy league network of US unversities, to the introduction of newsfeeds and it's subsequent user rebellion as well as global expansion. It delves a little too much in the equity structure and on-going discussion about selling or not selling and who thought what when. It fails to truly critize Facebook in any significant way - although it raises the privacy issues and concerns, you still end up feeling that Mark Zuckenberg is a visionary genius who had figured it out from the beginning (which he probably is - but you leave feeling you needed a more balanced account to be convinced). Although it is balanced by the doubts and lack of certainty that he experience you still feel that there is more to the story than what is told and that luck and circumstance played a more significant role than 'brave and bold' strategic decisions. Maybe the upcoming movie 'the Social Network' will help complete the picture of the Facebook story.
On the Facebook miracle question, the book clearly hypes the company as more a less the future of the internet, and sometimes even the future of humanity, morals, and mankind. This is when Kirkpatrick get's carried away by the official Facebook propaganda. However the underlying changes that Facebook is doing to society, as well as it's incredibly important significance for the world of business and communications is explained in an intelligent and meaningful way. I felt I understand much better some of the changes that happened to fFacebook, and where it is heading and how the corporate culture and founder's vision is getting it there.
On the whole it is a thoroughly enjoyable read, worth your while if you want to understand how Facebook happened, and get an insight into the mind of the founder. It should be more critical of Facebook and more open about the accidental events that lead to it's dominant position (and could equally removing it from that pedestal), but all in all it was a great read.
Phil
This book provides a fascinating insight into the ethos behind the company! As more and more of us are using facebook to connect and to grow our businesses it's really helpful to have this 'insider knowledge'.
It helps to know why facebook do the things they do and what they do and don't like us to do. We may all feel like we own facebook but we don't so it's good to keep on the right side of those who do!
It helps to know why facebook do the things they do and what they do and don't like us to do. We may all feel like we own facebook but we don't so it's good to keep on the right side of those who do!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Many of us use Facebook nearly every day, and some use it even more frequently. But how did this particular social network come to exist, and why is it now the most popular social network in the world?
Originally known as Thefacebook.com, it was launched on 4 February 2004 from Mark Zuckerberg's dormitory room at Harvard. In the beginning, it was only available to those with Harvard eMail addresses. From such small beginnings, the site has grown to have around 500 million members today.
In part of this book, David Kirkpatrick tells the story of the development and growth of Facebook from 2004 to 2010. The second part of the book includes chapters focussed on the place (and impact) of Facebook: `Facebook and the World'; `Changing our Institutions'; `The Evolution of Facebook'; and `The Future'.
David Kirkpatrick spoke with a number of those involved with the early development of Facebook, including Mark Zuckerberg. This account of how a group of students were able to envisage and deliver the phenomenon that is now Facebook makes for fascinating reading. The development of Facebook is a curious blend of vision, commitment and self-belief coupled with the ability (mostly presented as Zuckerman's) to access advice from dot.com veterans where required.
To illustrate the impact of Facebook, the book opens with an account of how Oscar Morales, a civil engineer from Barranquilla, Colombia, formed a Facebook group in 2008 protesting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. This Facebook activity quickly inspired massive, real-life protests against the leftist rebels. Yes, it's a dramatic illustration of how, in just a few years, Facebook has impacted on people and institutions around the world, by providing another effective communication medium.
Kirkpatrick then returns to Zuckerberg in late 2003 when he was experimenting with a number of online projects. But it was The Facebook that really took off, spreading quickly through the Harvard student body. Then, Zuckerberg and co-founders Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes and Eduardo Saverin rolled The Facebook out to other schools. In 2006, the site was expanded to the non-school population.
The first part of the book provides a fascinating corporate history of Facebook, largely from the perspective of Mark Zuckerberg. The second part of the book is focussed on the impact of Facebook and raises some of the issues that need to be considered as the site continues to grow in coverage and popularity.
As Facebook itself is dynamic and continually evolving, its story will continue to unfold. There are a number of issues in the development and use of Facebook that all of us who participate in it should be mindful of. And, too, there is a sense that there are other versions of the Facebook story still to be told.
The book is not without its flaws but it is well worth reading for those who want to know more about the development and impact of one of the most popular internet sites in the world.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Originally known as Thefacebook.com, it was launched on 4 February 2004 from Mark Zuckerberg's dormitory room at Harvard. In the beginning, it was only available to those with Harvard eMail addresses. From such small beginnings, the site has grown to have around 500 million members today.
In part of this book, David Kirkpatrick tells the story of the development and growth of Facebook from 2004 to 2010. The second part of the book includes chapters focussed on the place (and impact) of Facebook: `Facebook and the World'; `Changing our Institutions'; `The Evolution of Facebook'; and `The Future'.
David Kirkpatrick spoke with a number of those involved with the early development of Facebook, including Mark Zuckerberg. This account of how a group of students were able to envisage and deliver the phenomenon that is now Facebook makes for fascinating reading. The development of Facebook is a curious blend of vision, commitment and self-belief coupled with the ability (mostly presented as Zuckerman's) to access advice from dot.com veterans where required.
To illustrate the impact of Facebook, the book opens with an account of how Oscar Morales, a civil engineer from Barranquilla, Colombia, formed a Facebook group in 2008 protesting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. This Facebook activity quickly inspired massive, real-life protests against the leftist rebels. Yes, it's a dramatic illustration of how, in just a few years, Facebook has impacted on people and institutions around the world, by providing another effective communication medium.
Kirkpatrick then returns to Zuckerberg in late 2003 when he was experimenting with a number of online projects. But it was The Facebook that really took off, spreading quickly through the Harvard student body. Then, Zuckerberg and co-founders Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes and Eduardo Saverin rolled The Facebook out to other schools. In 2006, the site was expanded to the non-school population.
The first part of the book provides a fascinating corporate history of Facebook, largely from the perspective of Mark Zuckerberg. The second part of the book is focussed on the impact of Facebook and raises some of the issues that need to be considered as the site continues to grow in coverage and popularity.
As Facebook itself is dynamic and continually evolving, its story will continue to unfold. There are a number of issues in the development and use of Facebook that all of us who participate in it should be mindful of. And, too, there is a sense that there are other versions of the Facebook story still to be told.
The book is not without its flaws but it is well worth reading for those who want to know more about the development and impact of one of the most popular internet sites in the world.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
