So I’ve just listened to Chris Brogan and Julien Smith on a webcast talking about the subjects in their book Trust Agents. These guys are amazing communicators, and the book is . . . nice. But here’s the question:
How do you REALLY create trust?
If it’s true that we can each be really connected to only 150 people (a theory both Chris and Julien subscribe to), then how do we do business in a world where the game has become “have a brand and make sure anyone who could benefit from it knows that brand” ? Think about it: the “action” is on Twitter, where you seek huge audiences. But . . . then doesn’t the trust go away as soon as people realize you’re just broadcasting?
Keep talking. Even more, keep listening. And that’s the real story: to create business change, listen.
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i don’t think it does. remember trust isn’t this blanket thing, it’s segmented according to interest. if the trust is “i trust his guy to entertain me with his tweets,” that’s different from trust you have with a good friend.
and btw it is true that eventually it’ll move into broadcast mode if you get really popular, but i think that’s ok too. after all that doesn’t wipe out all the real friends you’ve made, it just sets the filter higher for things from then on.
Julien, it’s truly a fascinating phenomenon.
Back in my radio and TV days, strangers walked up to me all the time and led with “hey, aren’t you . . .?”. And though they appreciated whatever gesture of camaraderie I offered in return, they didn’t expect one.
Now, we’re ALL ‘personalities”, and that’s become the coin of the realm. So we try to gather more coins (followers) and ultimately create a situation that leaves them feeling as though we aren’t really their friends at all.
Of course, with you having visited here so quickly I now think positively of you . . . the question, metaphorically, is how can you possibly keep everyone who thinks well of you doing so.
Like I said, it’s fascinating. And thanks for stopping by!
[...] Last December, I had the opportunity to interact at a webinar with Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, the authors of Trust Agents. This book has been a New York Times Bestseller for months, and I can tell you from my subsequent contact with them that both Chris and Julien are stand-up guys who say what they mean, mean what they say, and in general seem to be about as trustworthy as authors with an agenda to push can be. [...]
[...] smart man, and truly a gentleman. He’s one of social networking’s biggest stars, and deservedly so. And when someone like Chris Brogan, who made his fame and fortune by telling people that they need [...]
[...] Smith Rocks. I’ve said it before: The writing partner of how-come-he-gets-all-the-credit Chris Brogan has a knack for telling a story in just the right way, and somehow this just-31-years-old Trust [...]
[...] I first came across Julien exactly two years ago. The Robin to Chris Brogan‘s Batman, Julien co-authored Trust Agents, a book that’s made Brogan very famous and thrust him into the upper strata of marketing consultants. Now, Julien’s released a book he’s authored himself. The Flinch is an easily-read, insightful tome on human reactions to stimuli, and fits nicely into the questions that more and more people are trying to answer in the social media era. [...]
[...] trying to do video. Already a very successful blogger and business consultant, and well as a New York Times Best-Selling Author, Chris has decided that video is the way to go, moving forward. Despite my reservations on the [...]
[...] Brogan and Mr. Smith came together almost too easily, and their latest book, The Impact Equation, like the earlier Trust Agents, is a similarly mashed-together set of ideas that simplify some none-too-simple [...]