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"There\u2019s one month left of Summer, and whether you spend these dwindling days  basking on the beach or languishing at the office, sometimes you just need to  unplug for a few hours.\nSo if you want to spend your spare time boning up on the blogosphere, you\u2019re  in luck. There are a bunch of books that can help improve your thinking about the value of social media to the enterprise. \nWith that in mind, here\u2019s a short  list of some of that excellent social media related reading:\nThe Groundswell \n\nForrester analyst Josh Bernoff and his  former colleague, Charlene Li, have assembled an excellent primer on social  media and the enterprise. It\u2019s all here, from how to create a strategy to how to  find your community with a host of case studies sprinkled throughout for good  measure. They\u2019ve even got a blog to keep the conversation going long after you\u2019ve finished  the tome.\nHere Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations \n\nNYU prof Clay Shirky takes a macro view at how changes in  society, business and technology are shaping the way we gather online and  communicate. What sets this book apart are the concrete examples illustrating  this change and the implications for both organizations and individuals. For a  taste of what to expect, check out his presentation from this year\u2019s Web 2.0 Expo.\nWeb Analytics: An Hour a Day \n\nWe\u2019ve written about how to measure social media ROI for business before,\u00A0 but  analytics expert Avinash Kaushik takes it to the next level in this book that,  while over a year old, still addresses a myriad of measurement issues facing  corporate communicators. In plain English, Kaushik deconstructs web analytics  and presents actionable tactics to help formulate a measurement plan for your  company.\nThe New Influencers: A Marketer\u2019s Guide to the New Social  Media \n\nBlogger and media consultant\u00A0Paul Gillin has been writing about social media and the  enterprise for quite some time, In this book, he\u2019s shares how organizations can  speak directly to customers by leveraging a host of social media tools and  tactics. Like many of the\u00A0authors on this list, Gillin packs a plethora of real  world corporate\u00A0case studies in between the pages to help hammer home his  point.\nThe  Art of Strategic Listening \n\nEvery good list has to have a dark horse, and  that\u2019s where this book from New School professor and information specialist Robert  Berkman comes in. The first step for companies that want to participate in  social media conversations is to understand where those conversations are  happening, who\u2019s leading them and what topics are being discussed. This book  provides the blueprint for finding your community.\nThese are just a few books worth packing for the road. If you have others to  add to this list that have helped shape your thinking around the ways companies  can leverage social media, please add/promote/share them below.\n[Aaron Uhrmacher is a social media consultant. In addition to his posts on  Mashable, he blogs at DISRUPTology.]\n[Image credit: Steph McGlenchy (attribution)]"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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