I just finished reading "Naked Conversations", a book by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, and before moving on to my next read I wanted to take a few moments and share with you my thoughts on it.

From the title alone you might expect that I had been reading a romance novel or worst yet a pornographic periodical of some sort, but I assure you that isn't the case. Instead, Naked Conversations is a book on the effectiveness of blogging and, more importantly, how businesses are now utilizing blogging as a way to carry on conversations with their customers and target audiences. The term "naked conversation" simply implies that a conversation is open and free, as opposed to one that is hidden behind corporate barriers.

I decided to pick up Naked Conversations for a couple of reasons. First, it came highly recommended (from some of my search marketing buds) as a must read for business-bloggers. Second, I thought that by reading this book I would be able to leverage ideas from it and improve upon my current blogging efforts. I'm happy to report that I was right in my thinking, and that there were lots of gems worth finding in this read.

Here's a small excerpt from the book:

"Whatever happened to honesty in business? That's what your clients and customers are asking, even if your company's integrity is above reproach. Because, for decades, corporations have talked at their customers and called in communication. Now comes the blog - an opportunity for you company to talk with customers and let them talk back. Using more than fifty interviews with people at all levels in all types of businesses, these experts demonstrate in a fresh and though-provoking way how blogs can repair corporate image and rebuild lost trust. And they show you how to do it right."

"Can your organization afford not to blog? Read this book and then decide."

Overall, I thought that "Naked Conversations" was a fantastic read complete with well-rounded tips and advice. In the early chapters, Scoble and Israel go so far as to point out the dos and don'ts when blogging and then progress in later chapters with examples of how blogging has changed the way businesses communicate. Their approach is pretty simple and straight-forward... meaning I see no reason why anyone, bloggers nor non-bloggers, will have trouble grasping the concepts presented within this book.

Take this advice from Scoble and Israel: Blogging will not necessarily solve all your marketing problems, but properly used as they suggest, blogs can have a positive impact on your company. It can be fun, too.