General Books

Web Analytics: An Hour a Day

Avinash Kaushik

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Business & Culture -> Web Marketing
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Data Mining
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Web Development -> Website Architecture & Usability

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The only book on Web Analytics you'll ever need 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Technologies evolve, but the PROCESS by which we should collect and analyze online data in order to gain solid, actionable insights will remain constant for the foreseeable future.

I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the smartest online marketers in the business, and, to say the very least, most of these people -- especially those in the analytics community -- seem content to share their expertise in the most confusing and theoretical manner possible. But not Avinash Kaushik. And in "An Hour a Day," Avinash proves why he is the world's most trusted name in analytics: he brings us up to his level without unnecessary jargon, so we can actually understand how to do this stuff!

Without question, this book is required reading for ANY online marketer, business owner, or anyone currently outsourcing their web analytics. (Warning: You may become better at this than the people you're paying to do it for you!)

Have a website you're not properly tracking? You're not alone! Less than a third of e-commerce and B2B sites have sufficient web analytics tracking -- let alone a process by which to glean insight from it -- and it's not the technology's fault. The problem is that most people don't understand the VALUE and NECESSITY of web analytics. They don't realize it's the difference between sink or swim. For most organizations, web analytics is an afterthought; something pawned off to those with technical knowledge when it should really be understood by those who need to use this data to make serious business decisions. Well, folks, those days are over. If all you know about your site is how many page views, uniques, or (*yikes*) "hits" it's getting, you're in much worse shape than you currently realize, simply because you have no idea how much money and attention you're missing out on if you have no clear goals in mind or a system by which to quantify it.

If you're not measuring it properly, how can you ever claim to have an online strategy that's working? How else will you know how successful your campaign is? How else will you know which elements to test and optimize?

Whether you're a beginner or you know just enough about web analytics to be dangerous, you should absolutely buy this book today. The book pays for itself a hundred fold in the very first hour of the very first day.

Editorial Review:

Written by an in-the-trenches practitioner, this step-by-step guide shows you how to implement a successful Web analytics strategy. Web analytics expert Avinash Kaushik, in his thought-provoking style, debunks leading myths and leads you on a path to gaining actionable insights from your analytics efforts. Discover how to move beyond clickstream analysis, why qualitative data should be your focus, and more insights and techniques that will help you develop a customer-centric mindset without sacrificing your company’s bottom line.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Sixth Edition, Comprehensive

Jean Andrews

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Good info, poor organization. 3 out of 5 stars.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful.

I have used "A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC : Comprehensive" to study for A+ certification, to teach from as a textbook, and to develop a course using it as the text. It has strengths and weaknesses.

The main strength is the ease for which information is accessed.

By showing the A+ Exam objectives in the front matter and referencing each objective to specific pages as well as referencing the text in the margins, it makes it simple to study each objective individually.

The weaknesses become apparent when you try to use it as a study text for the A+ Certification Exam.

Though the exam objectives are referenced and noted on each page, the information is widely dispersed throughout the book. It becomes difficult trying to study while paging through the book to find related information. The A+ Certification Exam is divided into a "Core" exam and a "DOS/Windows" exam. "A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC : Comprehensive" does not use this division.

To study for A+ you need to study from several sources. I would recommend "A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC : Comprehensive" as an adjunct source but not as a main source of study material.

Editorial Review:

Written by best-selling author and instructor Jean Andrews, this edition maps fully to CompTIA's new 2006 A+ Exam objectives. This full-color guide is designed to be the most complete, step-by-step book available for learning the fundamentals of supporting and troubleshooting computer hardware and software. Video clips are available on the accompanying CD so readers can watch the author bring concepts and technical topics to life via live demonstrations.

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide

David Flanagan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 274 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

begginers 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I just read first few chapters of this book. Good news is that the material is expressed in an accessible manner. However if you have an interest in programming languages and trying to read this book as JavaScript language tutorial or reference things like "lambda functions" (should be "lambda expressions"), or discussions about how (in authors view) JS interreter "inserts semicolums" (it does not. whitespace is used as token separator while parsing) make it look pretty bad.

A work of art 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I feel that this book is really a work of art. Besides agreeing with the last reviewer that it is not fair to consider this as a book for beginners and then judge it against that standard, I'd say that even though it is not for beginners, it does not make unnecessary arcane references, etc. It is very readable, at least for someone who's had a little experience working with JavaScript. I'd say it is not even a requirement to know object oriented principles (except for those sections perhaps). The author has not only made intelligible so many of the quirks of JavaScript, but provides code which is easy to follow yet extremely useful.

As far as examples, while for JavaScript fans, it might have been nice that the book expanded into 2000 pages instead of almost 1000 that it is now, the author does, I feel, what is necessary to both explain and demonstrate the concepts, and most often, does so by creating VERY useful utility functions and "classes". Just for the utility functions alone, the book would be worth it, really. There are only a very few places where the author suggests to look elsewhere, and besides my not minding doing so given how the book already saved me so much time, the cited references would have taken up unnecessary space if the author were to include them (and they definitely weren't essential).

The book is not outdated! Unlike other books, most of the book is rarely tied down to code that can become outdated as browsers change (like the changeable but helpful quirksmode.org ). Of course, as a big fan of this book, I hope the author will be persuaded to keep making new editions (and make a hardcover!). If you really want to learn the language, this is THE book.

This book was no doubt an immense labor of love--you can feel the author is human, actually teaching, and is not trying to show off with terminology while he still does explain a whole lot of necessary terms, etc., comments the code well, etc. As with art (not the strange modern variety either), I am flabbergasted some people cannot appreciate its beauty. In a complex JavaScript application, I am building, I am using no less than 7 of the utility classes he provided in the book.

For those studying JavaScript in depth / reading this book, I'd recommend one supplement to the book: the informative articles at http://javascript.crockford.com/ (and no doubt that author's book too). The articles on private members and classical vs. prototypal inheritance are one area I felt for which additional examples and use of terminology was helpful, and allowed me to appreciate and understand the chapter in the book on classes more fully (and utilize the approaches in its utility classes as well).

Editorial Review:

Provides a rapid and thorough exposition of the JavaScript programming language, as well as an in-depth reference section covering each JavaScript function, object, method, and even handler. Experienced programmers will quickly find the information they need to start writing JavaScript programs.

The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition (2nd Edition)

Frederick P. Brooks

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 126 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A must-read for project leads in the software industry 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

An excellent book and a must-have for all those involved in the software industry. The concepts and problems described in this book are still valid to this day in our modern software development process.
I recommend this book to everyone active in the field of software development.

A insightful book about software project development 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have been a software project manager for many years. One of the biggest problem that I encountered was what the author called as "Second System Effect". Some times, architects were unable to discipline himself to avoid over-designing systems in the second project. Their goals were to build perfect systems that would streamline all processes without considering the costs and patience of business groups. To convince others that they were right, they could come up with various reasons that sounded very reasonable. Unfortunately, they were not aware of the cost, time window for product delivery, and etc.

This books provided insightful view about this effect. If our architects could have read this book, they could avoid such problems and became more successful.

Editorial Review:

The classic book on the human elements of software engineering. Software tools and development environments may have changed in the 21 years since the first edition of this book, but the peculiarly nonlinear economies of scale in collaborative work and the nature of individuals and groups has not changed an epsilon. If you write code or depend upon those who do, get this book as soon as possible -- from Amazon.com Books, your library, or anyone else. You (and/or your colleagues) will be forever grateful. Very Highest Recommendation.

MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-536): Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Application Development Foundation

Tony Northrup, Shawn Wildermuth, Bill Ryan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 74 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Hundreds! If not thousands! 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

OK, this book is a little dated, but I got a really good chuckle from an anecdote relayed by one of the authors that is still funny. Early in the book, on page 68, Mr. Wildermuth attempts to assert his expertise to the reader by declaring that he has "written hundreds, if not thousands, of lines of code". I have shown this little blurb around to many of my colleagues and clients. It has turned into somewhat of a euphemism for a n00b. For instance:

Dev1: "How did the interview go with Ted?"
Dev2: "Not great. He's got a good personality, but his skill set is a little weak."
Dev1: "What kind of stuff has he worked on?"
Dev2: "I would say that he has probably written hundreds, if not thousands, of lines of code."
Both: "ROFL!"

or

Dev1: "Holy cow! Come over here and look at this mudball of code that I have to support now."
Dev2: "Wow! You're not kidding. Who wrote this?"
Dev1: "Who do you think? Joe."
Dev2: "Oh man, he's written hundreds ..."
Dev1: "If not thousands!"
Dev2: "... of lines of code."

All that said, this book does the job. It helped me pass the test. I have taken quite a few Microsoft exams and I have usually turned to the Microsoft Press Self-Paced Training Kit books as a first resource. This book lives up to the good name the series has earned for itself.

I see from many of the reviews here that readers are disappointed if the book doesn't spoon feed them all the way through the exam. I would say that, for myself, preparing for an exam includes a multi-pronged approach. It starts with these books and continues to MSDN and Transcender. But most importantly, I think you have to definitely open up Visual Studio and practice. Write some code! Maybe even hundreds, if not thousands, of lines. ;)

Editorial Review:

Get in-depth exam prep for Exam 70-536, a core MCTS exam for the new Microsoft Technology Specialist and Professional Developer certifications and build real-world job skills. Includes test questions, reviews, case studies, code samples, and more.

The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It

Jonathan Zittrain

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This extraordinary book explains the engine that has catapulted the Internet from backwater to ubiquity—and reveals that it is sputtering precisely because of its runaway success. With the unwitting help of its users, the generative Internet is on a path to a lockdown, ending its cycle of innovation—and facilitating unsettling new kinds of control.

IPods, iPhones, Xboxes, and TiVos represent the first wave of Internet-centered products that can’t be easily modified by anyone except their vendors or selected partners. These “tethered appliances” have already been used in remarkable but little-known ways: car GPS systems have been reconfigured at the demand of law enforcement to eavesdrop on the occupants at all times, and digital video recorders have been ordered to self-destruct thanks to a lawsuit against the manufacturer thousands of miles away. New Web 2.0 platforms like Google mash-ups and Facebook are rightly touted—but their applications can be similarly monitored and eliminated from a central source. As tethered appliances and applications eclipse the PC, the very nature of the Internet—its “generativity,” or innovative character—is at risk.

The Internet’s current trajectory is one of lost opportunity. Its salvation, Zittrain argues, lies in the hands of its millions of users. Drawing on generative technologies like Wikipedia that have so far survived their own successes, this book shows how to develop new technologies and social structures that allow users to work creatively and collaboratively, participate in solutions, and become true “netizens.”

Systems Analysis and Design (7th Edition)

Kenneth E. Kendall, Julie E Kendall

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Doesn't Teach Much 1 out of 5 stars.
25 of 30 people found this review helpful.

I used this book in my systems analysis and design course. First off, it is over priced. I understand that college books are expensive, but this one was too overpriced.

Second, it is not helpful. It spends chapters talking about how to get information from users. Did I really need several chapters to tell me to interview them, send out surveys, and observe them? That is kind of obvious information.

Following this course, I took a software development course. The two classes are in series. Techniques learned from this book did not help me. When it came time to write documents (project proposals, documents for external design and internal design phases, etc.) this book was no help. There were no examples of what should be in them.

Not helpful unless you are clueless as to where to begin. Even then it's not a tremendous help.

Editorial Review:

Dynamic, comprehensive coverage makes this the perfect book on systems analysis and design, with a reader-friendly presentation of development, methods, tools, and techniques. A variety of review questions and problems, an ongoing case study, and an Internet-based case study offer learners an understandable and motivating look at the SAD field. For production supervisors and other business personnel in similar positions who want a working knowledge–without the in-depth command–of information systems.

How Computers Work (9th Edition) (How It Works)

Ron White, Timothy Edward Downs

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 86 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Updated to include all the recent developments to the PC and complete with a CD-ROM, the third edition of How Computers Work is like a cool science museum in a book. But make no mistake--this is not a book for children. How Computers Work aims to teach readers about all the intricacies held within the machine, and it's a daunting task. The author, Ron White, doesn't dumb down his material; instead he provides thorough and substantive definitions. The pages of fun and colorful graphics ease the tension, though, and bring the abstract concepts--the difference between RAM and ROM, for example--into real life.

The book has incredible depth, explaining everything you could want to know about your computer, with each piece of hardware being given full treatment over two to five pages. (Macintosh and UNIX users should be aware, though, that the book's model is the "Wintel," a Windows PC with an Intel microprocessor.) The book is well-structured and can easily be used as a reference resource beyond the first reading. --Jennifer Buckendorff

RESTful Web Services

Leonard Richardson, Sam Ruby

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Every developer working with the Web needs to read this book." -- David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of the Rails framework

"RESTful Web Services finally provides a practical roadmap for constructing services that embrace the Web, instead of trying to route around it." -- Adam Trachtenberg, PHP author and EBay Web Services Evangelist

You've built web sites that can be used by humans. But can you also build web sites that are usable by machines? That's where the future lies, and that's what RESTful Web Services shows you how to do. The World Wide Web is the most popular distributed application in history, and Web services and mashups have turned it into a powerful distributed computing platform. But today's web service technologies have lost sight of the simplicity that made the Web successful. They don't work like the Web, and they're missing out on its advantages.

This book puts the "Web" back into web services. It shows how you can connect to the programmable web with the technologies you already use every day. The key is REST, the architectural style that drives the Web. This book:

• Emphasizes the power of basic Web technologies -- the HTTP application protocol, the URI naming standard, and the XML markup language
• Introduces the Resource-Oriented Architecture (ROA), a common-sense set of rules for designing RESTful web services
• Shows how a RESTful design is simpler, more versatile, and more scalable than a design based on Remote Procedure Calls (RPC)
• Includes real-world examples of RESTful web services, like Amazon's Simple Storage Service and the Atom Publishing Protocol
• Discusses web service clients for popular programming languages
• Shows how to implement RESTful services in three popular frameworks -- Ruby on Rails, Restlet (for Java), and Django (for Python)
• Focuses on practical issues: how to design and implement RESTful web services and clients

This is the first book that applies the REST design philosophy to real web services. It sets down the best practices you need to make your design a success, and the techniques you need to turn your design into working code. You can harness the power of the Web for programmable applications: you just have to work with the Web instead of against it. This book shows you how.

Barron's AP Computer Science 2008 (Barron's How to Prepare for the Ap Computer Science Advanced Placement Examination)

Roselyn Teukolsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Very Good Book 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

It is a bit useless to review this book for it's value as an AP study guide, because the AP exams were two days ago, and next year there will be a major change to the content of the exam (No more APCS-AB).

However, I can say this is a very well made study helper. A little sense of humor combined with solid writing, thorough and frequent sections of example code, practice problems for every section, full explanations of every problem, chapter recaps and a specific diagnostic test will teach you all you need to know.

The book assumes it is being used as a supplement of a Java course, or by someone with a cursory knowledge of the language. This book is a great resource for teaching yourself (or anyone, for that matter) how to program, however I would recommend you take a basic Java tutorial online first.

Editorial Review:

The new fourth edition of Barron’s Advanced Placement Computer Science test preparation manual has been updated with a new case study. This new GridWorld Case Study will be tested on the AP exam starting in May 2008. The manual presents four full-length AP practice exams, two each for Levels A and AB. Two of these exams are presented as diagnostic tests, with charts detailing the topics for each question. All four model tests have questions answered and explained. Prospective test takers will also find an extensive subject review, starting with a review of Java 5.0 and going on to cover all topics questioned in both the Level A and Level AB exams. There are new sections on storage of numbers and random numbers.