http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Personally I liked the name Islate better but who am I to quibble with Microsoft.
iBooks
Here’s the books component:

“The iBooks app is a great, new way to read and buy books. Just download the app for free from the App Store, and you’ll be able to buy everything from classics to bestsellers from the built-in iBookstore. Once you’ve bought a book, it’s displayed on your Bookshelf. To read it, all you have to do is tap on it and it opens up. The high-resolution, LED-backlit screen displays everything in sharp, rich, color, so it’s very easy to read, even in low light.”
I’d love to know what people think of it.

Things are so intense in the world today that I decided to do something fun. I created a video at Animoto It was easy. I uploaded my pictures from my vacation with my dog Izzy and my cousin and her dog in Vermont and then I uploaded a song. I could not upload from my Itunes library as you can only upload MP3’s so I used their collection. I will keep working on it.
But in the meantime it was incredibly easy. They give you a free 30 second video and then charge for anything beyond that. I can start embedding this in promotions and marketing plans now. Very cool, Animoto!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

ABC Network’s hit Lost TV show now has a book club. The TV show book club will be, “home to any and all literary references made on the show–from Stephen King to Kurt Vonnegut.” At a time were television can be seen as eclipsing the book world, it seems this media could actually give something back in terms of book sales.

The Lost book club features books mentioned in various episodes of the show. Clicking on the book cover leads you to a short description, its reference point in the show, an opportunity to watch that clip of the show, a discussion with other members, and a buy button to purchase the book. So far it seems there are only 32 books to choose from, but the series isn’t over yet.

Green book production is a vital next step in reversing global warming. We can all do our part at home recycling bottles and paper, but the next step is to get whole industries involved in being more eco-friendly. Eco-Libris is trying to do just that by getting the publishing industry to go green with their program to plant one tree for every book printed.

So far Eco-Libris has planted more than 60,000 trees. Eco-Libris offers publishers who partner with them more than the opportunity to do something good for the earth, but also a strategy for green book marketing. They provide “One tree planted for this book” stickers (printed on recycled paper) to use as promotional items, and assist with online marketing efforts by presenting your titles on their website and in online social networks. This could create buzz around your books targeting the green market.

The trees planted from this program are in high sustainable areas of Latin America and Africa, where the communities can benefit from them and deforestation is a critical problem. Take the lead in green book production, while gaining a marketing edge, and addressing readers concerns about the environment.

With the wealth of book reviews and information online, and the massive discounts offered by places like Amazon.com, book clubs are being given a run for their money. How can online book clubs still thrive? The Progressive Book Club (PBC) has set out to revive them by providing a central place for title recommendations, and promotion of books by smaller publishers that might have difficulty receiving attention elsewhere.

Started by Elizabeth Wagley, a liberal-minded former fund-raiser and communications adviser for nonprofit groups, this online book club is meant to push back against conservative ideology. The Progressive Book Club will be a place for meeting new friends, forum for learning, joining online and off-line discussions, and all while helping to build a movement by underwriting progressive organizations and media with the money you spend on their books. When you join, you can buy 3 books at $1 apiece in exchange for the obligation to buy 4 books over the next 2 years.

This online book club seeks to improve on the old model by getting rid of paper catalogs and offering a social networking component. Filling a void for progressively minded readers just might be the way to revive the ever less popular book club structure. Cutting through the clutter of all the titles out there is still a valuable service, especially for like-minded readers.

Translating your company’s brand identity, promoting products, and driving sales online can present a big challenge in the face of smaller niche markets. Thankfully, for as many obstacles as the Internet presents, it also offers innovative solutions. Not only must you specifically tailor your efforts but also carefully track what is working. These online tools and resources can help in your marketing efforts.

Keeping up with the latest methods of reaching people is important in the ever changing online world. Prominent Internet marketing strategist, and social media marketer B.L. Ochman’s What’s Next Blog, an AdAge Power 150 blog, provides up-to-the-minute news, trends, and resources of social media marketing.

Tracking your efforts can also give you insight into what works online. Google provides a free service called Google Alerts, enter in your key titles and receive emails every time they are mentioned online.

The Internet has forever changed the dynamics of effective book marketing strategy and brand building. Online the landscape is one of many to many, no longer one to many. Reaching out to consumers on their terms in their niche fields on interest is of utmost importance.