Al Maag - Social Media Isnt Social: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Face-To-Face Communication

Praise for the book and Al Maag

I have never met anyone who has enjoyed connecting so many people without any apparent personal benefit. Being sociable is an art and Al has painted his picture/story in this easy to read book. Sometimes we just need to put the smart phone down and really be smart by networking live with actual people.

Roy Vallee, Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Avnet

Al Maag shows how to really be social in a world of tweets, posts, and textsand its a lot more effective than 140 characters!

Jeffrey Hayzlett, Primetime TV Show Host, Bestselling Author and Sometime Cowboy

If you look at the greatest media companies of all time, they've leveraged all available channels. The three-legged stool (print, digital, in-person) is more in play than ever before. In this book, Al shows us how critical the in-person nature of communications can be, and how we can never forget that kind of experience in our marketing.

Joe Pulizzi, Founder, Content Marketing Institute and Author, Epic Content Marketing

General Electric (GE) has been active in using numerous new technologies and social media platforms. Our reputation, trust, and results are built by personal interaction with our employees, vendors, and customers. Al's views are entertaining, accurate and I can see why he is successfully helping to lead the Business Marketing Association (BMA). His advice is relevant and timely.

Stephen J. Liguori, Executive Director, Global Innovation & New Models, GE

Al Maag provides a warm, funny, and provocative look back and ahead at what social really means. For business people and human observers of all ages, Als views on the importance of personal interaction in a social media age are spot on and well worth the price of admission. Think of this as back to the futurefrom one of the great communications professionals of this era.

Tom Stein, Chief Executive Officer, Stein Industrial Art Services (IAS)

As usual, Al has taken the most significant topic of our time and broken down a key challenge it creates in a way that everyone can understand and more importantly, utilize. While all the cool new marketing tools can speed up the communication cycle, they can never replace the amazing effect of face-to-face communication. There is no more genuine form of communication than listening to another person face-to-face, and you can't do that online.

Elton Mayfield, Founder, ER Marketing

Al is one of the most respected community and communications leaders I know and he didn't get that reputation by tweeting. His passion and support for so many causes is well-knownnow I know how he got itthe group and team environment. He is hardly old-schooland his concept of balance of social media and personal interaction is one that should be heeded.

Mike Focareto, Chief Executive Officer, Veteran Tickets Foundation

I love using e-mail, text, Facebook, etc., to connect and communicate but often wonder at what cost? I used to live on the phone for business relationships and now, not so much. What Ive observed in myself is Im not opening as many new relationships with new media but rather just using it for maintaining old relationships already established. Perhaps at fifty-four thats okay, but what about someone twenty-two starting out in life? How does that person establish deep, connected relationships in business without meeting regularly in person or speaking over the phone? I guess its the evolution of man continuing!

William E. Barron, Vice President and Publishing Director, Hearst Business Media

In todays lightning-fast information age, it is refreshing to read a social media book about the critical importance of offline communications and social interactions. Al Maags take on social media in the 1950s compared to today is right on and a worthy read by anyone who wants to have success in leadership and relationships.

Sheila Kloefkorn, Chief Executive Officer and President, KEO Marketing and past President, Business Marketing Association Phoenix

The Internet and e-mail made the world smaller and social media now allows us to stay in touch instantly on a variety of platforms, but I believe Al Maags human-contact philosophy is vital to real successphone calls and face-to-face meetings truly transcend borders and cultures.

Martin P. Slark, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman, Molex Inc.

I have worked with Al for many years as a customer and a partner and consider him a true friend, which is rare in todays fast-paced business marketplace. Al gets the fact that technologies may change and have great impact on our lives but the real things that matter in business and in any relationships are communication, authenticity, and trust. This book explores how spending time building that trust is truly the promise of social businessthis is not a pining for the past but a look to the future and a must-read for any business executive whether you are at the start of your career or at the top! Even better, there are plenty of laughs along the way and that is typical of Al.

Paul Miller, Chief Executive Officer, UBM Media

Al is one of the funniest people I've ever met. And, oh yes, he's also an excellent communications/marketing pro. As Chief Communications Officer at Avnet, he was constantly thinking of new ways to keep the company ahead of the competition (the bad guys). Early on, he embraced social media as a new avenue of communication with suppliers, customers, and employees. Now as owner of MaagCommPlus, Al is helping all kinds of organizations beef up their visibility and brand awareness. Al can make upI mean come up withgreat story ideas and knows how to turn the proverbial lemons into lemonade. Even as a hard-charging professional, he also has a soft heart. He's renowned for his work in the community as well as with his charity, the Maag Toy Foundation. Al is exceedingly loyal to friends and colleagues; I'm proud to be one of them.

Kathy Kerchner, Media and Speaking Expert, Master Your Message

If you truly believe you have 500 (or more) friends because of your social media connections, my advice would be to think again.

Rick Hamada, Chief Executive Officer, Avnet

Al Maag is an innovator in marketing and communications. Having grown up in a world where social media actually meant you stood across from someone and had a conversation, Al's take on all things social is funny, poignant, and refreshingly honest. A gentle (andsometimes not so gentle) reminder that social decorum still counts!

Howard Sherman, Global Chief Executive Officer, Doremus

Al Maags work takes us back to the good old days, before AOLs virtual chat rooms replaced friendly face-to-face conversations. No question, social media is an important business tool. But its time to swing the pendulum back toward real personal interactions. In my work with industry trade association and professional societies, I see daily the value that comes from putting down that mobile device and shaking hands, sharing a meal, visiting a trade show, attending a conference, swapping business cards, and doing business againeye to eye! Thanks for this reminder, Al.

Patrick Farrey, Group Vice President, Kellen Company

Very similar to Al, I also grew up on Chicago's Northwest side in Albany Park in the 50s and 60s. I didn't know Al then, but certainly did experience many of the same wonderful times. We had one telephone in our house, with limited use, so if we wanted to communicate we would have to TALK directly with that person or group to make our plans. Just like the Baggers, we had clubs and those clubs played in all sports together, hung out together, and talked about everything togetherespecially the girl's clubs. Knowing Al now for twenty-plus years as a friend and also in business, his glass-half-full philosophy has always picked me up when I needed it. We share the passion for so many things and our e-mails are frequent, but weekly conversations reinforce our relationship.