The facebook effect: The inside story of the company that is connecting the world

The facebook effect-The inside story of the company that is connecting the world
By David Kirkpatrick


Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.


If you want to know every detail about how Facebook began, how it evolved, and why it is the entity that it is today, then this is the book for you.  Some readers will love the minutia; other readers will want less — in the end it is a terrific story told in an interesting and engaging manner.  (There are 13 pages of notes.  Having lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, for six years, footnote #207 refers to Amherst Regional High School and an article in the Amherst Bulletin from 2009, which the author found online.)


If you are “a budding internet startup entrepreneur” then you must read this book first.  It will give you so much essential information for setting up a website and establishing it as a “presence” in the cyberworld, you will not believe it.


Andre L. Charoo of San Francisco, a reviewer of the book at Amazon.com writes that the book includes “details such as:
        - how Facebook gained so much traffic early on
        - how they scaled the site school by school
        - the major decisions Mark and his team grappled with at every stage
        - the strategy and thought process that went through Zuckerberg's mind
        - how they raised their first dollar of investment
        - what sort of information did they pitch their first professional investors
        - etc...”


The reviews for the book are outstanding.  David Ford "Dave Ford Does Earth,” from New York writes: “I saw David speak at a Digital Breakfast in New York City a few weeks ago and afterwards decided to buy his book. 10 days later I finished the book and have such a better idea of how Facebook came to be, where they are now, and where they are going in the future. His unprecedented access to Facebook insiders give a distinct and different perception of what happened and happens behind the walls at Facebook.


“Unlike many other books about Facebook, Zuckerberg is not painted as the villain. Instead, you get a sense of the tremendous responsibility this 25 year old has not only to his company, but to the world.


“My favorite parts involve the "sometimes lucky" corporate political maneuvering that allowed Zuckerberg to follow his vision, and how Facebook emerged in the middle of the battle between Google and Microsoft. I'd highly recommend this book. Its a page turner and chock full of insider knowledge about Facebook and the insiders of Silicon Valley.”


M. Clarke of Greenwich, Connecticut, sums up my feelings about this book in his short review at Amazon.com: “Kirkpatrick was for years one of Fortune's best writers, and that talent is on full display here. He assesses the often broad and complex situations around facebook deftly, in accessible and subtle ways. But it's when he lets his interview subjects speak in their own words -- from founder to current and past executives to investors -- that the book really shines. It's better than a good book, it's an important book.”


The problem with this book is that each story that Kirkpatrick tells leads to his next story, and each story is thoroughly engaging.  Once you get started in this book, you won’t be able to put it down.  It’s that good.

This book is available at Amazon.com:  The facebook effect: The inside story of the company that is connecting the world