The key themes in the book can be summarized in Livingston's seven social media principles:

1. Give up control of the message
   
2. Honesty, ethics and transparency are musts
   
3. Participation IS marketing
   
4. Communicating to audiences is dead
   
5. Build value for the community
   
6. Inspire the community with real, exciting content
   
7. Manage the media to build stronger, more loyal community members