22.Jul.2009 | Maria Thurrell
Maria Thurrell joins the Vook team
Hi! I’m Maria, the new social marketing manager at Vook! I’m super excited to join the team 
For the past year, I’ve run a social media pr and marketing agency in Boston called Media Awaken. I worked with nonprofits and startups to help them dive into the world of social media and use new technologies to connect with their customers.
One of the things I am most passionate about is community. I love meeting new people, finding connections and creating community. One of my other big loves is books. My dream house has floor to ceiling bookshelves. I can easily lose myself in a bookstore for hours on end, and you would be hard-pressed to see me without a book in my bag (you never know when you are going to have some time to kill!).
So, the chance to work with Vook, a company that takes books and makes them social, is awesome. I cannot wait to connect with all of you, to chat about books and vooks and videos (I’m also a huge movie junkie) and social media. Please chat with me on Twitter @vooktv or shoot me an email maria (at) vook (dot) com. You can learn more about me here.
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Hi Maria, would like to find more about YOUR background! Didn’t find the link to click thru to your CV. Do you have an education background? Non profit literacy groups?
I am curious about Vook’s application for the Learning Disabilities community, although everyone could use help w/ knowledge management, including new ways to “read” more efficiently.
How does your technology compare to Kindle?
About me: CEO/Academic Director for Omega Teaching LLC, a tutoring center. I also am a writing tutor for middle and high school kids.
Finally, are you sure the company won’t change the name? Did focus groups OK this name? Being Asian-American, Vook has a derogatory ring to it — like gook. Also looks like “jook” which is Cantonese for rice porridge. Yes, I know “Vook” is supposed to rhyme w/ “book” or “look” and not “juke” or “puke”, but the sound still comes up short in the melody department.
Hi Jennifer!
Thanks for your comment. Sorry the link to my CV didn’t work. I just updated it. And here it is too: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mathurrell
I don’t think we’ve tackled Vook’s application for the Learning Disabilities community yet, but I can definitely see where there can be potential synergy. As we all know, people learn different ways, hands on, auditory, visual… and vooks really do just that — combine different mediums to enhance the content. Are there any texts in particular that you think would make good vooks?
As for the name… just as vlog is a video blog, vook is a video enhanced book! We sincerely hope that nobody takes offense to the name as no derogatory notions are even remotely close to what we are about. As for cross-language mishaps… at least we aren’t trying to sell a car called a Nova in Mexico
(no va = doesn’t go in Spanish… not exactly the message you want accompanying a car. oops. haha)
Please feel free to email me to discuss any of the above or anything else! maria (at) vook (dot) com
Best, Maria