Scott Brown is owner of Social Information Group (http://www.socialinformationgroup.com), an independent consulting and information practice focused on the effective use of social networking tools for finding and sharing information. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies, government and non-profit organisations, and individuals to help them understand and effectively use these tools. He has over 20 years experience in public, academic and corporate libraries. Most recently, he was a Senior Information Specialist with Sun Microsystems, providing strategic research services and competitive intelligence information for many groups across the company. He is a founding Board member of the SLA CI Division, and adjunct faculty at San Jose State University in California and University of Denver in Colorado, USA. He is a frequent speaker on the use and evolution of social networking tools and information work. He received his library degree from San Jose State University in California, USA, in 1999.

• List of figures and tablesList of examplesAcknowledgmentsAbout the authorIntroduction: the impact of social media and the approach of this bookChapter 1: A brief history of business and competitive information, and the rise of social toolsAbstract:A brief history of business and competitive informationGetting started with social toolsReviewChapter 2: Social networksAbstract:What are they?How do they work?LinkedInGoogle PlusFacebookOrkutOther tools in this categoryReviewChapter 3: Blogs and microblogsAbstract:What are they?How do they work?Blogs and blog searchMicroblogsReviewChapter 4: Video, audio and imagesAbstract:What are they?How do they work?Examples of these sitesVideo resource: YouTubeAudio toolsImage toolsReview of the chapterChapter 5: Social search enginesAbstract:What are they?How do they work?What kind of business and competitive information can be found there?Examples of these toolsSamepointSocialMentionCaveatsAdditional and related tools in this categoryChapter 6: The future of social informationAbstract:IntroductionCurrent trends and developmentsKeeping up with social technologiesA final word about safetyConclusionAppendix 1: resourcesAppendix 2: toolsBibliographyIndex

"This is an excellent reference in the domain of social tools being used to gain competitive and business advantage. One of its most useful features is the real-world examples, in parallel with strategies and approaches to search social media today and in the future. It is highly recommended because of its systematic and well-structured approach to each chapter." --Online Information Review