Proponents of social media in the UK and US will almost certainly have come across Antony Mayfield’s work. He’s a senior vice president at iCrossing, a digital marketing firm, that works with brands including Coca-Cola, Toyota and Channel 4.

We’ve only ever met once very briefly but Mayfield feels like an old friend. I read his blog and follow his tweets. Therein lies one of the benefits of maintaining a strong web shadow.

Managing your own web shadow is important says Mayfield as our lives increasingly move online. The web is the first place people will look to find out about you and being connected brings opportunities he says.

Mayfield’s personal web shadow extends over his blog, Delicious, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Look him up for yourself.

Me and My Web Shadow is a guide to managing and promoting your personal reputation online. In three sections Mayfield covers the basics of the web, a review of your personal reputation online and a self-styled “Haynes manual” to managing your web shadow.

It’s an incredibly well written book (Mayfield is a former PR) that successfully bridges the gap between self-help manual and text book. The theory is there when you need it, but for the main part, the book is packed with practical advice and links to useful resources and tools.

This is a book that you should share with your family and friends. Mayfield says this is his intended audience. It works equally well for web savvy and the “I don’t get Twitter” brigade alike. My wife, a self-confessed privacy obsessive and social web Luddite has bagged my copy.

Me and My Web Shadow focuses on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as a means of building a personal profile online. Each social network is tackled in a basic guide to getting started, through building a presence, establishing a network and publishing content. The personal benefit of blogging is also covered in a chapter of its own.

But Mayfield doesn’t dodge difficult issues online such as dealing with bullies, trolls and negative comments, identity theft, privacy and dealing with mistakes.

The key theme of the book is that openness online is rewarded. In the conclusion Mayfield introduces us the concept of serendipity engines.

“[…] to be connected is to be lucky, or at least luckier. […] Online connections increase your chance or finding the right person with the right knowledge at the right time,” says Mayfield.

Openness uncovers opportunity through connections.