The Social Media President: How a Practicum Invitation Became a Palgrave Macmillan Title
With co-author James E. Katz at launch of The Social Media President.
THOUGH HE HAD WRITTEN THOUSANDS OF ARTICLES over his journalism career — covering everything from junior hockey games and county fair cattle judging to the demise of Bear Stearns during the financial crisis — Michael longed to see his ideas on the demise of audience-first thinking in a more lasting form. Nothing, he still believes, fulfills that task better than a book.
A Collaboration with One of Communication's Most Cited Scholars
The opportunity arrived at Rutgers University, where he had gone back to school to earn a master's degree in communication and information studies. There, James E. Katz — a Fulbright Distinguished Chair, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and author of books published by MIT Press and Cambridge University Press — invited him to collaborate on what began as a monograph and grew into The Social Media President: Barack Obama and the Politics of Digital Engagement (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).
To report it, Michael interviewed government officials and experts on social communication, gaining firsthand insight into the gap between technology's promise of connection and how it actually functions in practice — ideas that run directly through everything he now writes and teaches.
The book has been cited 207 times. (See Reviews from Readers in this section.)
How to Become a Super Speaker: Recognized by Writer's Digest as ‘Exemplary’
His second book, How to Become a Super Speaker: The 7 Principles for Speaking with Confidence and Connecting with Audiences, brought what he'd learned working crowds as a jazz and blues musician to bear on the challenges ordinary people face when speaking in front of a group.
Recognized as "exemplary" by the Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards of 2021, the book was also the first published instance of his seven principles for connecting with audiences offered as a practical solution to poor engagement in talks and presentations.
Though its focus was on general public speaking, it laid the foundation for the more ambitious work Michael has since completed — a book that takes the audience-first framework into territory the first one couldn't anticipate: a world where AI has given every leader access to the same polished communication tools, making genuine human connection not just an advantage but the only one that can't be replicated.
Standing Out When Everyone Sounds Like AI
Michael will be bringing these ideas to audiences in talks and presentations in the months ahead — including a keynote at the USA AI Summit in New York City in late 2026. The topic: How to stand out when everyone sounds like AI.
The Palgrave Macmillan book, The Social Media President: Barack Obama and the Politics of Digital Engagement, has been cited 207 times.
Reviews from Readers
On The Social Media President: Barack Obama and the Politics of Digital Engagement (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013)
"A fascinating and instructive analysis."
~Fred I. Greenstein, Professor of Politics Emeritus, Princeton University
"Effectively demonstrates that while Obama's initiatives were innovative, even the president can't crowd-source everything."
~Philip N. Howard, Professor, University of Washington
"Successfully uses case studies to provide a targeted critique of White House operations."
~Jenn Burleson Mackay, Virginia Tech, in Presidential Studies Quarterly
On How to Become a Super Speaker: The 7 Principles for Speaking with Confidence and Connecting with Audiences (2019)
"Lean, clean, and actionable. Solid advice."
~American business consultant and author Price Pritchett
“This book is exemplary.”
~Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards, December 2021
“Troubleshooting Your Show” — chapter in Performing Acoustic Music (String Letter Publishing, 2000)
An early expression of the ideas that run through Michael's work — a chapter contributed to String Letter Publishing's guide for performing musicians, published by the editors of Acoustic Guitar magazine. The question “Troubleshooting Your Show” explored: why do some rooms connect and others don't?
It's a question he's been answering ever since.