The Clean Industrial Revolution – An Experiment Using Social Media In Publishing
I have been approached by Allen & Unwin, Book Publishers, to use some less traditional ways to connect with readers – and using a newly published book seems a good place to start. This is an experiment, an ongoing project over the next 3 months open to change and trialling things depending on your feedback. Will using Social Media make any difference at all? I like the Publisher, Elizabeth Weiss, I like the book and am happy to be involved.
The Clean Industrial Revolution: growing Australian prosperity in a greenhouse age published 3 weeks ago, written by Ben McNeil known for his work on climate change and energy policy in Australia (Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, The Australian and The Canberra Times, radio and television appearances). 
Ben also recently joined Twitter, started a blog and is doing a book signing at UNSW bookshop on Wednesday where I hope to interview him.
To see how news of The Clean Industrial Revolution spreads on social media channels like Twitter, Facebook or Friendfeed, we’ve opted to give a 27% discount on the book – we want the discount to be big and different.
I have signed copies of the book to give away, 9 copies every month for the next 3 months. Signed books will be given for new ideas, comments, suggestions, feedback.
First thing, while I’m waiting to meet Ben, is to think of a hashtag for twitter that can also be used as a code to get the discount on the Publisher’s website. Suggestions welcome (preferably something to do with the subject matter), and whichever suggestion we use will get the first of this months free signed copies.
We would like to start this officially by Friday, so I’ll need suggestions for #hashtags before then.
Some excerpts from the book:
In 2007, I was in Canberra as a young scientist pushing the scientific case for action and learning very quickly that the government was completely blind to the gravity of potential threats to Australia beyond just the environment. At a high-level meeting in the Cabinet room, as I looked in awe around me, all I could see was a sea of grey hair and suits clustered around the biggest table I had ever seen.
Sitting to my right was the Prime Minister, John Howard, the Minister for Education and Science, Julie Bishop, the Environment Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the Minister for Industry, Ian Macfarlane. Scattered among the rest of the Cabinet were the heads of every science, research technology and education body in Australia.
Before my presentation, three of Australia’s most influential climate scientists presented an exhaustive report of recommendations on how Australia could actively respond to the emerging climate of change. As I stared down the Cabinet room I wondered why the two most senior government minsters responsible for the economy and foreign policy were not in the room. Where were the Treasure and the Foreign Minster? It seems for many years the Australian Government reflected a broad and dangerous public misconception about combating climate change: that is it has nothing to do with Australia’s long-term economic prosperity or national security.
This book has one overarching theme: that climate change and our over-reliance on fossil fuels will put Australia’s economic prosperity, not just the environment, at great risk. The only way to boost the prospects of stabilising our climate, and grow Australia’s economy in a world that will move away from carbon, coal and oil, is to slash carbon emissions and foster a new, clean low-carbon industrial revolution. These new Australian products and technologies will be craved in a world short on oil and high on carbon and would position Australia as a leading clean-tech hub for a growing Asia.
Dont forget to leave your ideas for a codename/hashtag reference for people to use. The best we’ve come up with is #GreenCollar…
Declaration: I will at no point be receiving any money from sales of this book.
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#Hashtags should be short and the book title is quite long so its tricky to think of a short punchy #hashtag but here are a few ideas:
#CleanBizLeaders
#GreenBizOzProfits
#CleanBizOz
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Heidi Allen Reply:
May 31st, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Short is good — and that’s already much better than what we had come up with. Great! One signed copy of the book coming your way for the first comment.
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Agree with Neerav – shorter is definately snappier.
#GreenRev
Or perhaps include the discount in the hastag
#Clean27
That’ll be pretty unlikely to be in use anywhere else….
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Heidi Allen Reply:
May 31st, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Yes, am liking short. We also discussed including the discount in the name. There are some good suggestions here. thank you. Maybe we should put the best ones to a vote when we’ve gathered them all.
I would like to send you a copy of the book also.
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How about trying ftags http://ftags.com/ Heidi. They’re short & if you are the “founder” of an ftag, you have control over the stream. Or that’s what I understood from the site. I “founded” 2 ftags today, check my tweet stream.
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Heidi Allen Reply:
May 31st, 2009 at 11:07 pm
That’s another good suggestion. I hadn’t come accross ftags before. Am checking your tweetstream. wonder if you can use both #hashtags and ftags together? Will look into it some more. That definitely deserves a signed book if you would like one!
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Wow, thanks for that Heidi, I’d love a copy of the book. How do I get in touch with you?
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Heidi Allen Reply:
June 1st, 2009 at 9:43 am
I have your email address from your comments — I’ll get in touch with you now.
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Not becasue i thought of it, but it seems to say so much
#greenrevolution
but then I’m partial
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Heidi Allen Reply:
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Thanks Lilyana — I’ll add this suggestion to the poll too. Maybe I should do a poll right here on the blog rather than a twit poll.
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#cleanbreakOz
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Heidi Allen Reply:
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Like it, and I’ll enter it into the poll. Thanks.
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Great suggestions everyone!
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I’ll be RTweeting the link – hope to get some take up from social media types!
Maybe #CleanRev – similar to ones you have below.
Or maybe #benmcneil ?
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#cleanrevolution
#greenrevolution
#cleanrev
#greenrev
i’d love a copy of the book!!!
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Heidi Allen Reply:
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Lots of excellent suggestions. I recon Ben should help judge the poll in the event of a tie.
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Noble project. Pls don’t put me in the running for a free book; I’ll put a hold on the book at UNSW library.
for a hashtag to feel relevant it seems best to be somewhat selfexplanatory like the famously successful fundraising hashtag #sandiegofire
how about #benmcneilbook ?
good luck with the signing tomorrow
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Heidi Allen Reply:
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Thanks Tyler! and I’ll add your hashtags to the poll tomorrow.
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How about #CIR27 using the title and discount.
Or #Butterfly27 – inspired by the lovely butterfly cover
Or #ClearAir
Otherwise I came up with some of those you already have and like the one using the author name!
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Heidi Allen Reply:
June 5th, 2009 at 1:08 am
Hello Mel! like #ClearAir.
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#cleanrev is good, but it may not mean that much out of context. i agree with shaun,
#cleanrevolution would be a better hashtag
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Heidi Allen Reply:
June 5th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Hi Justin — you do have a point, although short is good on sites like twitter, it might not mean much in the long run. However, the votes are otherwise so we’ll go with #cleanrev, which is still descriptive and allows searching.
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