How to do a Book/DVD Summary

A lot of people email me to help. It is time consuming to explain to each individual how to do the book/DVD summary so here is an explanation for everybody who wants to help.

What I am looking for is something like this for books and something like this for DVDs. However, if I don't own the book or don't have time to write a detailed summary, I often write a very brief one like this where the description is based on summaries I read and previews of the book.

It is important to note that these are summaries and not reviews. Please refrain from giving an appreciation of the book or the DVD.

Also avoid quoting the book as a summary. I cannot put something only made up of excerpts from the book on the Forum.

Please do not post the summary thread yourself. I will put a note saying you wrote the summary. If you post it yourself I cannot do any changes to the thread later on and that is not as helpful.

Before you go ahead and write a summary, post on this thread saying which book you want to do and wait for me to acknowledge.

Include the amazon's affiliate stuff. Here is an explanation from Paul on how to do it.

Lastly, here is the forum "code" for folks who want to write summaries. To find relevant threads and videos take time, so I would appreciate if you could do that section as well.

Thanks to all the volunteer.


[img]Direct Link to the cover[/img] [size=18][b]Summary[/b][/size] You put the summary text here. [size=23][b]Where to get it?[/b][/size] [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN/1900322021/rs12-20]Amazon.com[/url] [url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1900322021/rs12-21]Amazon.co.uk[/url] [url=http://www.powells.com/partner/36773/biblio/0865714711?p_tx]Powell's[/url] [size=18][b]Related Books and Magazines[/b][/size] [b]Title of Book or Mag[/b] [i]by author's name[/i] [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN/1900322021/rs12-20]Amazon.com[/url] [url=http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1900322021/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=1900322021&linkCode=as2&tag=permies06-20]Amazon.ca[/url] [url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1900322021/rs12-21]Amazon.co.uk[/url] [url=direct link to the book at greenshopping.co.ukl]Green Shopping[/url] [size=18][b]Related Podcasts[/b][/size] [url=http://www.richsoil.com/permaculture/378-podcast-057-preparing-a-food-forest/]Paul Wheaton Permaculture Podcast #057 Preparing a food forest[/url] [size=18][b]Related Videos[/b][/size] [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sso4UWObxXg[/youtube] [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sso4UWObxXg]Hugelkultur: The Ultimate Raised Garden Beds[/url] [size=18][b]Related Articles[/b][/size] [url=http://related-articles.com]Related Article[/url] [size=18][b]Related Threads[/b][/size] [url=https://permies.com/related-thread]Related thread at Permies[/url] [size=18][b]Related Websites[/b][/size] [url=http://www.relatedwebsite.com]Related Website[/url]

Below is what the code would look like if it was posted:
-----------------




Summary

You put the summary text here.

Where to get it?

Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
Amazon.co.uk
Powell's

Related Books and Magazines

Title of Book or Mag
by author's name

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Green Shopping


Related Podcasts

Paul Wheaton Permaculture Podcast #057 Preparing a food forest

Related Videos



Hugelkultur: The Ultimate Raised Garden Beds

Related Articles

Related Article

Related Threads

Related thread at Permies

Related Websites

Related Website

Please do not post the summary thread yourself. I will put a note saying you wrote the summary. If you post it yourself I cannot do any changes to the thread later on and that is not as helpful.

Before you go ahead and write a summary, post on this thread saying which book you want to do and wait for me to acknowledge.

I don't think this applies any more, as we now have the spiffy "wiki" ability. If you post your summary as a wiki, then staff can edit it if necessary.

What if instead, it asked people to make it a wiki?

Changing a regular thread to a wiki causes some challenges, which go away if the op makes it a wiki to start with.

I think that would work well. Then someone can write a summary and not have to wait until there is staff time to post it. (sounds like it used to require waiting until Adrian had time)

Getting staff time to post a new review to the grid isn't that big a deal.  I'm new and I can get them added in about 20 seconds.  If I know about them.  Probably the hardest part is trying to figure out if it's been added to the grid yet or not.  Posting a staff comment to the thread to let others know it's been added would probably be a good idea...

Don't forget to link to amazon so that the empire gets part of the money