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Book Review + Giveaway: What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube

August 13, 2014 14

In my recent  blog post about visiting Boston, I mentioned hanging out with Socialnomics creator, Erik Qualman. During our time together, he shared his successes/ challenges with me on writing and publishing books. He also gave me valuable advice on writing my own book. He was kind enough to bring me several autographed copies of various books he’s written including his latest book, What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube.

What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube Book

This is a must read! He discusses the role of digital technology on privacy where he states that “privacy is dead.” This book is short but an extremely impactful quick reference guide to living in a digital age. I read the entire book during my 9 hour flight delay from Boston back to San Diego. I absolutely love how clear and concise Erik is on getting important points across.

What Happens in Vegas, Stays on YouTube focuses on NEW rules for business, personal and family reputation. It’s structured in an easy to read list format. Each chapter focuses on a different topic such as protecting your identity, top reputation tools and business & team resources with rules related to the topic listed in the corresponding chapters. There are many examples and case studies that make the rules much easier to grasp. It’s all of your favorite tips found across dozens of places on the web, condensed into one powerful book that can fit in the palm of your hand.

I practice, teach and believe in so many rules in this book already but was still able to learn new things that I’ll be incorporating into my business and personal life. It was also refreshing to read affirmations on so many rules I live by. Here are 3 of my favorite rules/ points in the book.

1. 100% LinkedIn Profile– “LinkedIn profiles show up high in Google search results. This is particularly helpful for those who do not have a substantial digital presence.” I have been stressing the importance of having an optimized LinkedIn profile for this exact reason and many others for years! Your LinkedIn profile is your digital resume and it’s where potential employers and business partners get a glimpse of your career history and success. Since it has such a high search engine ranking, it will most likely be one of the top results when people search for you on the web. Taking ownership of your LinkedIn profile is a great step in building a positive online reputation. I am quoted for saying that I personally won’t consider hiring someone if they don’t have a LinkedIn profile and I know many employers who feel the same way.

2. Use Strong Passwords for all online accounts-Passwords have been around since ancient times. A password is definitely not something new. However, hackers are always coming up with new ways to retrieve your password. I loved reading this rule because I have been teaching people about how to create strong passwords since 2008 when I was hosting Internet Power workshops yet I still know so many people who have passwords that include their name, their pet’s name or an easy number sequence such as 12345. I personally have a different password for every single login. That may sound  like it’s impossible to keep track of but it’s not as difficult as you think. I recommend choosing a pattern to create a password for each login, then adding a standard sequence of characters that stays the same. Here’s an example with different steps that you can repeat for different logins.

Website: www.amazon.com 

  • Step 1: Create a pattern unique to the individual website. For examples, take the last letter and second letter of the website, in this case it’s nm
  • Step 2: Add another letter in between such as “p”. Now your password is npm
  • Step 3: Add your own sequence of characters starting with a capitol letter that’s the first letter of the website. Now your password is npmA
  • Step 4:  Think of a sequence of charters you’ll remember. You can choose the first 3 letters of the city you were born and the date. If you were born in San Diego on October 13, you can use san@1013. Now your password is nmpAsan@1013
  • Step 5: Repeat the same steps for every new login. So if the website is Ebay, your password would be ypbEsan@1013

The intention is to choose a pattern of steps that after you use once, you’ll remember. At the same time this will make your password different for every site and hard to figure out for anyone who might get a hold of one of your passwords. You can read another example on creating strong passwords in Erik’s book.

3. Digital Stamp- Digital Stamps are a new concept for me. As described by Erik, “A Digital Stamp is a permanent collection and culmination of your digital footprints and digital shadows. Your digital stamp matters 5 seconds from now, 5 years from now, 50 years from now and 500 years from now.” He asked companies and individuals to submit digital stamps and he shares some of them in an entire chapter dedicated to digital stamps. Erik’s digital stamp is this: “Be a digital Dale Carnegie by motivating others to their best life, leadership & legacy. Honor my family & God.” Check out the image below for a sample of other digital stamps.

Digital Stamps from What Happens in Vegas

Since I only shared 3 things I enjoyed in this book with you, I’m now giving you a chance to get your very own copy.

WIN YOUR VERY OWN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS ON YOUTUBE. PLUS YOU MIGHT BE FEATURED IN ERIK’S NEXT BOOK! Here’s how to win:

1. Create your own digital stamp and share it in the comments section of this blog post. This counts for one entry.

2. Earn an additional entry by Tweeting / Sharing this blog post on Twitter. Make sure to tag me @MyMelodie

3. Last but not least, whether you win the autographed book or not, your very own digital stamp could be featured in the next edition of What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube. After you have created your digital stamp and shared it with me here, email it to Erik: [email protected]. He’s going to be adding more digital stamps to his upcoming books and you could make your mark by being published!

The winner will be chosen Friday August 22nd, 2014 at 5pm, pacific time. The winner will be asked for a mailing address to receive your prize of one autographed copy of What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube. Good luck and I can’t wait to read your digital stamps.

14 comments Leave a comment

  1. This was written in 2014. Would your business idea have been easier if you had started then? What year is it today? Now how long do you have to wait so you can say it would have been easier back then? @TimHomuth

  2. Travis Harrup says...

    He showed a real dedication to helping smaller companies compete with larger brands in the social sphere.

    • The great thing about social media is that it has made possible for a small business seem just as big as a large corporation online. Thanks for sharing Travis!

  3. Keep the balance between being the curious life-long learner and sharing your powerful expertise. @KatFulton

  4. Significantly improved the quality of life for others through helping them make smart decisions with their money and successful investments for the future. – @BrianKurlan CPA & Financial Advisor

    • Hi Brian! It’s been wonderful having you as my Financial Advisor and your Digital Stamp is a true reflection of what you’re doing. Thank you for sharing.

  5. Sandra Van Harken says...

    Content is so important, and keeping a positive message across all social media platforms is key. The social media engine can facilitate access to so much for so many people. My Digital Stamp could read something like; Live in the present surrounded by great people, and empower others to be their best, but above all, be grateful.

    • Thanks for your insight and sharing your own Digital Stamp Sandra. I agree, it’s important to be grateful for everything you have!

  6. Inga Intriago says...

    This sounds like a GREAT read!! I can’t wait to get my hands on this book!! I’m sure I can learn a thing or two from this book plus see if there is anything I should continue or stop doing on my online digital space.

    • Thanks for your comment Inga. The great thing about this book is that it’s a short read but PACKED with so much information that even experts will learn something new!

  7. Great review Melodie! I have this on my Amazon wish list now and look forward to reading it soon. Sorry my comment came in a little late for the competition.

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