I've seen several recommendations for this book, but haven't yet read it myself. I'm suspecting it would help to understand why so few journalists seem to do a decent story when it involves bitcoin. It is because a decent story wasn't the goal.
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http://www.amazon.com/Trust-Me-Lying-Confessions-Manipulator/product-reviews/159184553XHe shows how sites like Gawker, Huffington Post, Drudge, Brietbart, eHow (Demand Media), Daily Kos, Business Insider, and many others have ushered in the return of Yellow Journalism. We now live in an age where the news is manufactured and often based on brazen falsities. Why? Money. To generate a fraction of a cent per page view. Worse, these sites now drive the news we see in our increasingly bankrupt traditional media (CNN, ABC...). Where will the return of Yellow Journalism lead us? Who knows, but I can assure you it isn't a good place.
The (more important) second book is an instruction manual on how to become an Alpha Predator of the media world.
Ryan shows, in detail, how to manipulate the online news cycles. How to get inside the decision making system of the big online news sites and to turn that into a story on CNN. It's relatively easy if you know how the game is played, and Ryan shows you how to play it. If you follow his advice to the letter, you have a chance of becoming an Alpha predator of the online world. Able to rip down opponents (political, corporate, etc.) with planted news, and to sell product in volume using trumped up controversy.
So, if you are involved in PR, social media, marketing, or sales of any kind -- BUY this book immediately. IN fact, if you are using a PR or marketing professional that hasn't read this book, fire them immediately.
Final note: Ryan should have kept this book to himself and sold his services to a dozen select clients (hedge funds interested in manufacturing financial results, media moguls, etc.). Why? Buying his services would be like getting Ariana Huffingon, Rupert Murdoch, or (the late) Andrew Brietbart as a confident. Instead, he published it for everyone to access. So, get his services on the cheap. Buy this book and keep it handy for reference as you take over the world.
And they wonder why people don't buy books...
