Okay, so you've read the book review.   Let's take a look at why the authors are the type of people you want to listen to.

Let's start alphabetically with Shel Israel.   Described as a "U.S. technology advisor for startups on strategic communications issues", Shel Israel has been around a lot longer than the (in my estimation) still yet-to-mature social media explosion that has swept the Internet and businesses alike.

  His experience is steeped in traditional strategic thinking and product development with such products as PowerPoint and Sun Microsystems workstations.   I'm not certain when he merged his original professional concerns with those of social media, but not only is it logical but probably was quite unavoidable and very, very early in the days of the Internet crossing over from an informational-push plaform to Web 2.0 mentality of open source, apps galore, and digital socialization mecca.   In April 06 he ceased and desisted writing his ItSeemstoMe blog which leveraged a much more personal voice, hopped over to Naked Conversations for the brunt of his publications and now muses on Global Neighbourhoods where he writes about "following social media wherever it leads."   My 2 cents?   That's a wise decision to follow SM wherever it leads because these days its like a teenager in a growth spurt - its wild, sometimes painful, terrifically organic and, with some guidance from wise, trained people like Shel around, it should someday grow into a much more focused significant force for global good.

As for Mr. Robert Scoble, he is Managing Director of FastCompany.tv and also has a rich history with social media, although more on the technical side, especially with video.   He was a "technical evangelist" at Microsoft for a while where he was part of the Channel 9 crew showcasing employees and products. These days he's a pro-video blogger for FastCompany and is well known for his Scobleizer blog which is very informative for both egghead and faux-egghead alike, as well as generally entertaining to read.