Jade Craven

The official website describes Connection Generation as a 'fascinating and remarkable study of how connection affects our place in society and business and the challenges and opportunities this connectedness presents.' The cover said that it shows how 'connection determines our place in society and business'.

I think Iggy Pintados first book does more than that. His analysis of the 5 types of connectors really helped me learn how people interact with others online. I later realized just how useful this information can be.

The Five Levels on Connection.

Basic

• spend minimal time on networking sites
• Have some contacts, but they may not be public
• Use a small number of devices
• Have a tradition, conservative attitude

Passive

Passive connectors are very similar to basic. They may have more contacts and occasionally know someone Iggy calls a connection agent.

Selective

• See social networking as a way to maintain relationships
• Have 100-150 people visible and know who to connect with on a business level
• They are very selective with their  use, both with time spent and devices used

Active

• Spend a lot of time connecting with people
• Have multiple, visible contacts from many groups and social networks

Super

• Spend the maximum amount of time they can
• Have numerous and diverse contacts from multiple networks.

How this information is useful

I was fascinated just reading about the different levels of connection, but I was also interested in the practical applications of this information.

It can help with the creation of buyer personas

It can help businesses and advertisors learn how their target audience interacts with online content. They can then develop social media strategies that will reach the right people.

You can ascertain your level of connectivity

This can be really useful when working online. You can identify any weaknesses and then do your own research on how you can change how connected you are.

It can help you manage employees

Once you discover what type of connector they are, you can then develop strategies to help them connect with their workmates and clients.

How did it help me?

This book made me realize that I was a super connector and that I had more leverage than I thought. It made me change some of my habits so I could be more useful to others. It also showed me that I was able to help others understand social networks.

This doesn't immediately translate into income, but it really helped me change my mindset. That, in itself, was priceless.

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The Guide to Discount Airfare was one of the earlier products by Chris Guillebeau. He's the guy that blogs at Art of Conformity and has the plan to travel to every country in the world by the time he's 35. He has done over 80 and has a LOT of exerperience about unconventional travel. I highly recommend this book to any American looking at cutting costs while travel.

The content

Discount Airfares is a 30 page guide full of unconventional tips to save you money on travel. He talks about the stuff you can only write about after flying as much as he has. He has times on:

• How to save money getting to certain regions
• Saving on premium travel
• Getting airline lounge access
• Unusal ideas on saving money when travelling
• Useful sites to help you save money

A lot of the focus is on unusally routes and stopovers, as well as using points. I thought that this was really useful and comprehensive, without being too long.

My recommendation.

Obviously, a lot of the information was targeted at Americans so most of the information wasn't really relevant to this Australian. I still found it really useful. It had a lot of content that would be useful once I start travelling overseas.

If you intend to travel for either work or for fun, then Discount Airfare is highly recommended.

Who is Robb Sutton?

Robb Sutton is the author of the ebook, Ramped Reviews. I've been following Robbs work for a while. We took Yaros Blog Mastermind course at the same time and I often saw his posts in the forums talking about his experiences with review products.

He runs a site talking about mountain biking and has received over $70'000 in review product. For my Australian readers - thats US dollars! Prior to this, he worked as a sales manager. He had first hand experience of what companies are looking for when giving out review products and shared this information in Ramped Reviews.

What does he write about?

Robb gives lots of practical information

• How review product can be an additional source of revenue
• Why its helped for companies to give bloggers review products
• How to contact the companies
• What do you need before you seek review products
• Ways to contact the companies
• How to write a successful product review
• SEO tips to ensure lots of people see your review
• Ways to monetize after you have reviewed the product

My success with review products.

I have a blog thats barely been launched. So far, I've received about $2000 in tickets to conferences and local events. $150 in print books and thousands of dollars in review copies of information products by internet marketers.

Now, I had acheived some of this before I read his book. I knew about online networking. But Robb gave me the tips to get review products from companies who don't have a strong social media presence. This information was so valuable.

Do I recommend it?

Seriously - if you have are reviewing products on your blog, you should buy this book. It may not apply to all blogging situations but I believe you will get your money back. I spent $22 on this ebook. I will now be really hunting for review copies. I'll be constantly referring to Ramped Reviews to ensure I succeed.