Engine 2

*sorry about the late post. I had to come home on Thursday due to a family emergency.

Last summer, I found myself reading as many nutrition books as I could get my hands on. One in particular was called The Engine 2 Diet, by Rip Esselstyn. This particular diet is all about being "plant-strong"  - aka vegan (no animal products). It presents a plant-based diet in a positive light as a cure for obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and any other weight-related diseases. Esselstyn is a firefighter who first started this diet at his station and then proceeded to perform studies about its outcomes on volunteers of all ages.

Esselstyn and everyone working at this project rely on social media for success. Their facebook page is a constant stream of recipes and success stories. Through this medium, many people are able to get support on their weight loss journeys. It is also a great way to find new and interesting recipes from all over the internet that people have posted to this page. Engine 2 is seen as a great way to become healthy, lose weight, or whatever your goals may be. The facebook profile does a good job of representation, based on the ideas and support that is updated constantly.

Of course, Engine 2 has now become a company and needs to advertise. What better way than through social networking? Esselstyn and his team put on conventions called "Engine 2 Immersions" where they provide healthy food, exercise classes, and speakers. They last a few days and turn over great results. Advertising for these events is done through facebook and twitter. It must be successful if they are still able to host the conventions almost once a month. Esselstyn is using social networking in a positive way to help people get healthy and raise awareness of the dangers of unhealthy lifestyles.

All of this started with Esselstyn's original book, and its growth was surely a surprise for everyone involved. It appears as though the book is interacting with social media to produce the most effective means of communication. In situations like these, it is easy to see how this is possible because diets are about a lifestyle change - something which needs constant attention. This attention is available when social networking is involved; however, that is not always the case.

With novels, or other literary forms, social networking plays an entirely different role. Advertising can still be used to market the product, if so desired. However, from there on it seems that facebook and twitter are used more often to critique the work. There are fan pages and communities in support of novels, but it is more about discussing the novel than creating something outside of the novel itself. In cases like that of Twilight, social networking can create things like the "Team Edward" vs. "Team Jacob" war, however. So here are my questions:

1. What does it take for a novel to go beyond a simple fan page, to become more than words on a page? It has got to be more than a story involving to two boys competing for one girl.

2. Should companies have to pay for a facebook or twitter account because of all the advertising? If so, would it be by post, monthly payments, or a one time fee?