I think as long as people have the choice of whether or not to be in the book, there’s nothing “wrong” with the book itself. I wouldn’t be interested in reading it, nor do I think it says anything great about publishing. But that’s another story.

Your response is amazing. I hope Mr. Pogue participates @ the 140 Conference.

I mean – The New York Times could lower itself enough to attend, right? He would be surrounded by *gasp* bloggers who *might* know more about Twitter than him and some might even have the balls to POST ABOUT IT later.

Recently, Jay Rosen accused Pogue of bellyaching about Twitter and was “now writing a book.” He tweeted that too to tell his “community” (not me, or you or us), but “his” followers about it.

Get him a digital tissue and stfu.

Sadly, as evinced by the number of defensive and negative posters, social media also tends to create some pretty unexciting followers. To you: start thinking and not just reacting.

Obviously if a site as esteemed as Gawker weighs in in your favor, I must be in the wrong, eh?

I’ve had the chance to read your response, and those from your obviously very adoring base of followers. While I question the constant berating of myself as a “blogger” (particularly, as I think was stated above, given the year that we’re in), as well as the “us” vs “you” mindset that some seem to be taking on this situation (it feels, eerily, like a mob sort of mentality…pitchforks, flaming torches and all that, meant to take on the monster who has pointed out that the emperor may, just possibly, not only have no clothes but be asking his taxed townspeople to sew them for him), I have to say that I’m glad the opportunity for a dialogue about this exists. And it’s quite obvious I’d be bold-faced lying if I said I anticipated this getting attention anywhere near this level.

That said? I recognize that my essential arguments didn’t cohere as best they could (I’m not a writer for the New York Times-merely a blogger and a twitterer, recall), and basically my entire post here could be construed as a “what you’re doing is DUMB!” commentary.

And, dumb or not, you obviously have people talking, and as such the idea of a book farmed out to your fanatic twitter followers, “written” by you, is an idea that people have a response to, one way or the other. That, in and of itself, says something. Obviously, I wouldn’t have a dissenting, dirty, blogger opinion if you weren’t on to something, be it good or bad. And for that you should be applauded.

Honestly, when I wrote the above piece, I’d assumed you’d be self-publishing the book, at which point a lot of the questions I have about fair credit and compensation would really be moot point-you, regardless how more well off than many of the 200k followers participating in your “project” (it’s NOT an experiment-there is work that is being done, by you or by them, and we know the end result-a published book selling for cash…more on this later) you may be, it would still be *your* money fronting this.

An actual publisher stepping in? This does allow me to raise a few issues.

To begin with, do I think the book, itself, will sell? Fly off the shelves? Be a best-seller? God, in today’s publishing climate I’ve no idea. I read literary fiction and cheesy young adult novels about vampires. I don’t presume to tell you anything, as a multi-published author, that you don’t already know, but the fact that you’re gunning both non-fiction and on a topic that’s in minute 12 of its 15 in pop culture relevance (see: Oprah) put closer to a bestseller than, say, a first-time fiction author. Certainly, too, your celebrity status helps.

Regardless, though, how quickly will you begin to see profit from this project? I can’t imagine any publisher in this landscape would throw a ludicrous advance-or an advance at all-your way. That said, how much will you bring in-from speaking engagements, etc-once this book hits? And how much of that will the participants in it see? Furthermore, you’ll, of course, list yourself as “editor” and list every single twitter submitter as “author”, right? To preserve the integrity of what the project really is?

The idea of this project, as I stated above in my blog (that’s what it was-not a “piece”, not an “article”, but a “blog”, and if that’s a dirty word to some, well, it’s 2009 and we’re talking about a book composed entirely of tweets), seems to me to be a manipulation of community-the community that you maintain and have a responsibility to amongst your 200k followers on twitter, as well as the entire twitter spectrum itself. I think the entire thing would have left a much better taste in my mouth if not for the “anyone whose tweet is used will receive a signed, PERSONALIZED book” addendum.

Again: you are having your work done for you. You’re a journalist and a writer-a respected one at that, as the above commenters are quick to inform me-so write a book on twitter and the effects of it. Contextualize it with where social media is right now. Crowdsource it if you must, but compensate those involved properly. Don’t foster and nurture a community, only to unleash a “hey, i am going to repurpose your ideas verbatim” edict-that rings false, and it rings hollow.

It seems like there’s got to be a better way to document a phenomena that is, for all intense and purposes, in its mid-life stages, while finding what that next important social tool is going to be. Wouldn’t that be a better place to start, rather than writing the Twitter equivalent of I Can Has Cheezburger?

Granted, from what I know, I Can Has Cheezburger made serious $$.

But then, I’m not the expert on the tech world. Web 2.0. Whatever buzzphrase is the most relevant in your industry right now. All I know is what I see happening with this book, which amounts to a sort of manipulation, in my opinion. And the fact that there’s a part of me-no small part, in fact-angry at publishing for wasting its time on this when it, on the whole, can’t even get its collective mind around twitter to begin with. But that’s not your issue, David, is it?

I hope this doesn’t serve to end the conversation, but rather to continue it. I’d like to see where you’re coming from, and I’d like to have illuminated any vital points that I might be missing in my view of this project, how your followers view it, and what you hope to accomplish-for twitter, for publishing, for yourself and, most importantly, for those followers whose work you will be repurposing entirely and financially gaining from.

Furthermore, I think we may have hit on something that brings to light a much broader issue-the various uses of twitter and the views on them in various industries and from various vantage points. I’m organizing a panel of people involved in books in various capacities for the Twitter-discussing 140 Character Conference (in June,NYC) and, given the past 24 hours topics of conversation here, I’d love to discuss these things with you in person. Regardless of whether we come out of our online discussion seeing eye-to-eye 100% or at a stalemate, I feel we’ve much to discuss and would love to do so with you in person.

I’m @russmarshalek on twitter and look forward to talking with you, and any of your followers.

-Russ

David – hire this publicist. In one blog, Russ managed to get you more publicity than any of your updates. In one post that disagreed with you, he brought you more attention that any of your twitter wits.

Why are people freaking about this? He wrote a (rather humorous) snary ass blog questioning a book that seems pretty boring to me.

If this was a snark-ass attack on anyone else no one would give a shit, but because he questioned David F’ng Pogue of the NYT, everyone is gasping over this? Please. Get. Over. It.

A tech columnist vs. a publicist. Oh my! NYC you disappoint me in how BORING you’re becoming.

*yawn*

I stopped reading most fiction years ago, when it became just plain silly.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

Oh, and I have an idea for the book publishing industry: Stop trying to publish a blockbuster every time. If you concentrated more on publishing quality work than on whose work can sell the most books, you might surprise yourself by selling more books.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

Pogue clearly states the book is BY his followers and not by him.

I find it ironic that half your article quotes HIM.

Do authors think they’re better than their readers? Better writers, better thinkers? Because that’s what strikes me REALLY irks YOU. That somehow, some nearly anon noob might get more airtime/booktime/blogspace than you.