Web Line / Trust Agents SUPERLINKS

Web Line / Trust Agents SUPERLINKS

Here's the links to all our blog posts and other items related to Book Rapper's Web Line issue derived from the book Trust Agents.

The Book
http://www.trustagent.com

Chris Brogan
Website: http://www.chrisbrogan.com
Twitter: @chrisbrogan

Julien Smith
Website: http://inoveryourhead.net
Twitter: @julien

Chris Brogan's New Book
Social Media 101

Blog Posts
Part 1: Speed RAP

Part 2: The Web Line

Part 3: Book Rapper Review of Trust Agents

Part 4: RAP1: Trust Has Changed

Part 5: RAP2: Stand Out Part 1

Part 6: RAP2: Stand Out Part 2

Web Line 7: RAP3: Belong (1)

Web Line 8: RAP3: Belong (2)

Web Line 9: 6 Ways to Use Leverage to Multiply Your Results

Web Line 10: The Almost Obvious Secret to Web Success

Web Line 11: Five Steps to Building Your Network

Web Line 12: Five Keys to Maintaining Your Network

Web Line 13: 6 Tools for Managing Your Reputation and Competitors

Web Line 14: How to Spot the Digital Natives

Web Line 15: Online Etiquette Tips

Web Line 16: How to Assemble an Online Army

Web Line 17: Online Success Perspectives and Opportunities

Web Line 18: Your Personal Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

Web Line 19: Companion Pieces Worth Reading - Trust Agents

Web Line 20: Twit Rapper's Web Line A-M

Web Line 21: Twit Rapper's Web Line N-Z

Web Line 22: Twit Rapper's Web Line - The Movie

Book Rapper's Review of Gary Vaynerchuk's Crush It

Get the full Web Line Issue

Book Rapper on Twitter

Twit Rapper Twit Rapper on Twitter

Web Line 22: Twit Rapper's Web Line - The Movie

Web Line 22: Twit Rapper's Web Line - The Movie

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 21: Twit Rapper's Web Line N-Z

Twit Rapper - a book summary in 26 tweets.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUxhvK069nY&feature=player_embedded

Web Line 21: Twit Rapper's Web Line N-Z

Web Line 21: Twit Rapper's Web Line N-Z

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 20: Twit Rapper's Web Line A-M


3N #Hack the existing game. Find another way to play. Seek alternatives and mods to enhance the system. #lifehack #workhack #gamehack

3O Yes! You still need your biz cards. Minimum: Name, Mobile, Email, Blog URL. Then, add the ways you want to be contacted.

3P Four pillars of trust: Credible/real, Reliable/be there tomorrow, Intimate/open/honest, Group Focus/not self

3Q Business has, and always will be based on people AND trust. It’s just that the signals of who to trust are different online.

3R Consumers are now in charge of communication. You can’t buy mass web impact - there’s simply too many channels. Amplify your voice with followers.

3S Learn the lay of the land #Blogs = home base #LinkedIn = business reputation #Facebook = easy connections #Twitter = huge conference call

3T Web success is an #attraction process. It’s all in the design of your message. Create sticky content that gets people talking.

3U The Old Game was quid pro quo – this for that. The New Game is to give freely and don’t ask for anything in return.

3V Golden Rule for Being Online: The web was built for decentralized communication. Commerce was added later. Got it?

3W Perspectives: Be helpful. Be a Person 1st, Professional 2nd. Build Relationships 1st, sales 2nd.

3X Opportunities: Build content laden blogs on topics you’re passionate about, enrol an army around this

3Y WANT MORE? Get the complete @BookRapper issue: #WebLine, http://www.BookRapper.com

3Z Want even MORE? Follow @chrisbrogan and @julien And, buy their book! TrustAgents

For more, check out TwitRapper.com

Web Line 20: Twit Rapper's Web Line A-M

Web Line 20: Twit Rapper's Web Line A-M

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 19: Companion Pieces Worth Reading - Trust Agents

Book Rapper summarizes leading business books so you can read them in 30 minutes.
Twit Rapper summarizes the Book Rapper issues so you can read in 26 tweets or in five minutes.

3A #WebLine: What You Need To Succeed Online. Derived from: @chrisbrogan and @julien #TrustAgents, http://www.trustagent.com

3B Big Idea: To succeed online using social media you need to lead from behind. If you help enough people the sales will follow later.

3C Speed RAP: The web + social media is re-humanizing business and our interactions with each other. Build trust. Be helpful. Converse.

3D Your Challenge: Stay above the #WebLine! Become a lighthouse leader. Attract a followership and help them avoid the rocks.

3E The #WebLine is the benchmark of what the top web performers, like @Chris Brogan + @Julien Smith, are doing for their online success.

3F Book Review: The info sources we used to trust we no longer do. Trust, like attention is now at a premium. Build it to succeed online.

3G @BookRapper Thinks... This book’s got more action than Die Hard 8! @BookRapper is now changing its approach to the web. Consider changing yours!

3H #TrustAgent = Digital natives, multi-channelled, non-sales oriented, genuine, transparent, connectors, humanizing business.

3I Social Capital = the wealth made from knowing and working with other people: refer, collaborate, advise, keep up, chill out

3J Six Qualities of a #TrustAgent: stand out, belong, use leverage, build relationships, help others and assemble an army

3K Gatekeepers play by the existing rules. Gatejumpers play by their own rules. Make your own rules to win.

3L Flip: To be loved in your community be the gatekeeper. Thwart the threats whilst letting the good stuff pass through.

3M Make your own game: create a new category, define the rules + standards, be different, start small, get there first.

For more, check out TwitRapper.com

Web Line 19: Companion Pieces Worth Reading - Trust Agents

Web Line 19: Companion Pieces Worth Reading - Trust Agents

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 18: Your Personal Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

Companion Pieces
PROFIT : Want more? Here’s some additional resources to help you float higher in the water.

A Book We Like...

Gary Vaynerchuk: Crush It!
Why Now is the time to Cash in on your Passion
This a story of Plopportunity - how one person built a business out of his passion and how you can too.

Book Rapper's Review of Gary Vaynerchuk's Crush It

Book Rapper Issues

We Blog
If your blog is your home based then you'll need an overview of the ups and downs of floating your blogging boat.
Blogs can be your primary communication channel and represent the new face of journalism

Derived from: Michael A Banks; Blogging Heroes

The Great Business Gestalt
How Web 2.0 is changing the rules for business.
In this issue we look at how Social Media is erasing the borders between customers, companies and suppliers.
Includes case studies on Google, Flickr, Facebook, Apple and more

Derived from: Amy Shuen, Web 2.0 A Strategy Guide

Twittergy
A guide to Twitter Strategy.
Twitter as a microblogging channel is a potent platform to positioning yourself as a Trust Agent.

Derived from: Jeff Comm, Twitter Power
Also featuring: Paul McFedries' Twitter Tips, Tricks and Tweets

The Four Hour JOLT!
How the rules of work are changing.
Ferriss shows us that the world of Monday to Friday 9-5 workplace attendance may be replaced by a global adventure filled with outsourcing, mini-retirements and high efficiency.

Derived from: Timothy Ferris, The Four Hour Work Week

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 18: Your Personal Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

Web Line 18: Your Personal Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 17: Online Success Perspectives and Opportunities

BR Context : Plopportunity
In a recent Book Rapper issue Glopportunity we pointed to a Global Opportunity of a Lifetime.
Namely, the recovery from the Global Financial Crisis.
Or as the Chinese refer to it: The AFC, the American Financial Crisis.

Now, it’s your turn.
It’s time for your Plopportunity: your Personal Opportunity of a Lifetime.
Are you ready?

Here it is... The secret to being happy is to do the things you love.
And now you can more easily than ever before.
You can pursue your vocation, live your passion, follow your dreams AND be rewarded.
If that sounds like the usual cliches you get from the Pop Psyche, Self-Help movement then you’re right.
It is.
And, it comes with a tantalising twist.

The twist is... All the tools you need to be successful working in your passion are now available.
And mostly for free!
I bet you didn’t expect that!
If that sounds too good to be true, then it’s time to throw away your cynics hat - at least for the moment - and catch up with what’s going on.

One of the keys to wealth is the access and ownership of the tools of production.

A couple of centuries back, if you owned the land you owned the food supply.
Farming the land was a relatively straightforward way to run a profitable business.
The sticking point was owning the land - you were either born into it or it was likely you were a worker for life.

More recently, the key tools of production were the machines that drove industry. Think factories.
Again, you either owned the tools or you worked for someone else to access them.

Today, the tools of production are now available for free for anyone who wants to take a walk down to their local library.
And, I’m not talking about those dusty old books.
At most local libraries they have computers with free internet access.
Voila!
Access to the tools of production for free.

Today, this means access to blogging tools such as WordPress or Blogger, access to Twitter, LinkedIn, Squarespace, Facebook, Digg, Reddit, Google, Delicious... the list goes on.

What’s even better... the tools of production come with an instant and automatic distribution for your creative outputs.
It’s called the internet!

Do you get what’s being said here?
These web tools are the tools of production for today.
Master these and you’ll create wealth for yourself and probably others.

You can go down to your local library and do it for free or you can spend less than a $1000 and have it all at home.
Imagine that, a wealth making machine in your spare room!

The only other thing you need to add is: YOU!
Your ideas, your passion, your effort and your persistence.
The web is your oyster!
And you no longer have any excuses to not be living your dreams.
And that’s what this issue is about, your Plopportunity!
Go for it!

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 17: Online Success Perspectives and Opportunities

Web Line 17: Online Success Perspectives and Opportunities

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 16: How to Assemble an Online Army

RAP 8: Trust Rules
PROFIT : In a world where trust matters, some things work better than others. Here are some perspectives and opportunities to consider for building your success online.

Perspectives

• Be helpful!
• Business Interaction now favours the small and the personal.
• Humanize business by feeding the machine with human contributions.
• Mass scale leaves the creator in charge. Customized scale puts everyone in charge.
• Leaders help others achieve.
• Ask : How can I connect?
• Ask : Where’s the maximum point of leverage here?
• Ask: What’s the new game here? What are the new rules?
• Your goal is to become the best communicator on the web.
• If sales is your ultimate goal, then building relationships is your immediate focus.

Opportunities

• Build content laden blogs on topics you’re passionate about. Read Gary Vaynerchuk’s story in Crush It! - Book Rapper's Review
• Build a small powerful network - focus on a special area of interest for your industry.
• Become the name brand in your speciality. Get a head start on the gate keepers by playing online with the new web tools.
• Master leverage and change the world. Look for ways to streamline, accelerate and expand existing results through leveraging your time, tools, people and thinking.
• Sell by generating trust. Position yourself and be seen as the default go-to girl in your speciality. Once respected, others will naturally buy from you.
• Enrol an army to explode your results. Share your ideas, tools, strategies and network to collaborate on even bigger projects.

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 16: How to Assemble an Online Army

Web Line 16: How to Assemble an Online Army

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 15: Online Etiquette Tips

RAP 7: Assemble An Army
PROFIT : Alone you can make so much difference. With the right army you can change the world.

Your New Look Army
The army we’re talking about may be diverse in it’s make-up...

• Mastermind Groups : Napoleon Hill suggested we align with like-minds 50 years ago. Form your face-to-face and/or online group today.
• Aggregators : Creating a way to collaborate is key. Google Docs, Google Wave, Wikis, Twitter... the tools are out there waiting for you.
• Automation : Your army can be software and machines to fill the gaps between the jobs humans do better.

Actions: Spread ‘EM
Here’s some tips for spreading your ideas further and faster:

1. Choose one thing to focus on.
2. Simplify the process for spreading the word. Make it dead easy.
3. Why bother? Create a powerful reason for others to take action.
4. Find people who are aligned to your cause.
5. Create an incentive or benefit for those who play with you.

Actions: Scaling Up
Here’s some tips for managing a large scale army:

• Simple gestures matter - it’s not how many words you write.
• Visit others and add a comment or two...
• Give something back to your community.
• Promote others - raising other worthy people will raise your stakes too!

Actions: A Leg Up
Here’s some tips for giving your ideas the legs they need to inspire others to grab them, use them and shout about them:

• Write blog posts that give others the tools and strategies they need to succeed.
• Sharely generously with social news and bookmarking sites like Delicious, Google Reader, etc.
• Contribute to Flickr and YouTube - great places to be reposted.
• Share your thoughts on platforms eg Twitter, Facebook
• Create and distribute free ebooks that enable others to use your ideas as their own.

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 15: Online Etiquette Tips

Web Line 15: Online Etiquette Tips

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 14: How to Spot the Digital Natives

Online Etiquette
To make friends online and off there are some gentle rules to adhere to...

• Your friends are not prospects offline and neither should they be online.
• We all like to be listened to. Listen to your friends online too.
• If unsure, ask for etiquette advice when joining a new group.
• Contribute by commenting on blog posts, tweets and status updates.
• Look out for trolls. They’re nasty people who don’t follow the cultural rules.
• Also discern between a constant complainer and someone with a complaint.
• Marketing is likely to result in being ‘unfriended’.
• No one wants more email so rethink the way you keep in touch.

Are there any others you'd like to add?

Actions: Twittergy
Here’s some tips to strengthen your Twitter strategy...

• Get a @username that’s similar to your name.
• Add some content before expecting people to follow you.
• Having others following you is the social proof that will attract others.
• Have more followers than your followings.
• Interact, respond and @reply to other people and their tweets.
• When you follow others send them an @message.
• Read our Book Rapper issue: Twittergy

What works for you on Twitter? What doesn't?

Actions: Linking In
Here’s some tips for connecting on LinkedIn:

• Update your profile to reflect your current activities
• Add a honest photo, not an old one or a corporate headshot
• Find colleagues and connect
• Answer questions to display your expertise
• Crossover your invitations with Twitter, Facebook, etc.

What's your best tip for Linked In?

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 14: How to Spot the Digital Natives

Web Line 14: How to Spot the Digital Natives

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 13: 6 Tools for Managing Your Reputation and Competitors

RAP 6: Be Helpful

PROFIT : You may know how to interact with people face-to-face. Online, the intent is the same : be helpful.

The Next Revolution
Companies were in charge from 1950 to 2005.
They not only controlled the major communications channels, they were the only ones that could afford to play their message on them.
Now, consumers are in charge of communication.
On the net you can’t buy mass impact - there’s simply too many channels.
With your channel you can have your say.
With fans and followers your voice can be amplified.

The web was built for decentralized communication.
Commerce was added later.
This is the golden rule for being online.

How to Spot the Digital Natives
Digital Natives know how to interact online.
It’s the rest of us that need to learn.
Here’s what they look like:

• They’re not stupid, they just have short attention spans.
• And, they’re probably multi-threading - doing several things at once.
• If you’re message is not engaging, they’re not interested.
• They won’t tolerate one-way monologues. They expect interaction.
• And, remember they’re people too!

PS: I'm clearly NOT a digital native. I bought a book, yes a BOOK, to help me learn how to use my iPhone! LOL!

The Lay of the Land
When joining a new group or platform, listen to reveal the culture of the place.
For example:

• LinkedIn : Reputation building for business people.
• Facebook : Easy connections for people, mostly personal.
• Twitter : SMS on steroids or like a huge conference call. Everyone gets a say!
• Blogs : This is your home base. Treat it like home and be a good visitor for others.

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 13: 6 Tools for Managing Your Reputation and Competitors

Web Line 13: 6 Tools for Managing Your Reputation and Competitors

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 12: Five Keys to Maintaining Your Network

Actions: Managing Your Reputation/Competitors
Part of leveraging your time and effort is to use the web tools that are now available.
Here’s some for keeping an ear tuned for what people are saying about you online...

1. Google Alerts : Each time a keyword is searched or mentioned, you get mail.
2. Rank Checker - Firefox Plugin : Checks your Google ranking.
   
3. Technorati Blog Links : Check the number of links your blog is getting. Alternatively use Google Blog Search.
   
4. Compete.com : Compare your web traffic to others in your field.
5. Twitter Grader : Who are the twitterati in your industry/area? How do you compare?
6. Search.Twitter.com : What’s being said online on any topic right now?

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 12: 5 Keys to Maintaining Your Network

Web Line 12: 5 Keys to Maintaining Your Network

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 11: Five Steps to Building Your Network

Actions: Maintaining Your Network

1. Touch Regularly : Simple personal messages count.
2. Calendar Reminders : Use technology to alert you to birthdays and other special events.
3. Service Levels : Know the limit of what you can provide. Don’t over promise or build false expectations.
4. Sort Your Network : Some people are simply more important to you than others. Identify your friends and keep in touch with them as your priority.
5. Build Armies : When you build trust you build a platform to make requests. An army can help you get things done.

Actions: What do I put on my Business Cards?
Yes, you still need them!
As a minimum you want your name, mobile, email + blog URL.
Plus add any other ways you want to be contacted.
For instance, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, LinkedIn.
You choose which ones are most important to you.

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine http://www.bookrapper.com/

Web Line 11: Five Steps to Building Your Network

Web Line 11: Five Steps to Building Your Network

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 10: The Almost Obvious Secret to Web Success

RAP5: Build Relationships
PROFIT : The key to building powerful networks is to build relationships through being helpful. And, the wider your net the greater your opportunities.

Building Networks
Building powerful networks follows five steps that involve both online and offline efforts.

1. Awareness : Increase your network strength and reach by leaving a trail of web evidence - comments, connections, blog posts, status messages...
2. Attention : Attention is a scarce resource. Start with the online channels that appeal eg blog or tweet. And remember face-to-face meetups.
3. Influence : Attract evangelists not customers. Build the relationship and the sale will occur soon enough. Links are 21st Century name-dropping.
4. Reputation : Be aware of what people say when you’re gone. Your web debris is part of your reputation. There are no blind dates anymore.
5. Authority : Become the one people think of when your category gets mentioned. When you offer opinions rather than facts the level of trust you engender is crucial to your authority. Build social proof through recommendations, testimonials, friends, links...

The New Rule

The old game was ruled by quid pro quo. I’ll give you something as long as I get something in return.

In the digital world, once a product is created, the cost of production and distribution is essentially zero via the web. This sets up new ways to work. In particular, share your best work freely and don’t ask for anything in return. In other words, if you can help enough people get what they want, they’ll think of you when opportunities arise.

Actions: Three Keys to Connecting
The key to building awareness and visibility is to connect with other people.
Here’s how:

1. Touch Lightly : Make a comment, respond to a tweet and spread their word.
2. Meet Them : Ideally meet them face-to-face.
3. Keep in Touch : Sustain and enhance the relationship by keeping the conversation flowing.

Web Line 10: The Almost Obvious Secret to Web Success

Web Line 10: The Almost Obvious Secret to Web Success

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
Web Line 9: 6 Ways to Use Leverage to Multiply Your Results

RAP4: Use Leverage, continued

Community Protection
No, we’re not suggesting you create your own mafia.
This unusual form of leverage is contrary to traditional business.

Don’t sell to your community.

Be their gatekeeper instead.
Protect them.
And, let the good stuff pass through.
And, they’ll love you even more.
Ultimately, they’ll look after you with indirect sales.

The Almost Obvious Secret to Web Success

Stop telling people!
Stop trying to get people to read your blog!
Stop chasing people!
Web success is an attraction process.
It’s all in the design of your message.
Create sticky content that gets people talking.

Leveraging Social Media
The web makes it easy to make direct relationships.
Use this to your advantage.
Complement one-to-one customer service like call centres with one-to-many social media.
A question answered online can satisfy many people.
Build a wiki, tweetstream or Facebook page to answer your customers questions.

Leverage Your Time
The single biggest way to leverage your time is to delegate your workload.
Get clear about what must be done and do what you do best.
Outsource or delegate everything else.
Crowdsourcing is delegation on steroids.
Once you attract your community, think about how you collaborate to build things together.
Remember, Wikipedia was created by a team of online volunteers.

• Some Crowdsourcing Sources
• Some Collaboration Tools

Actions: Think
Plan your Leverage.
Strategic thinking is the leverage of the mind.
Create a plan to make the most of your opportunities.

Web Line 9: 6 Ways to Use Leverage to Multiply Your Results

Web Line 9: 6 Ways to Use Leverage to Multiply Your Results

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
RAP3: Belong (2)

RAP4: Use Leverage
PROFIT : How much influence can one person have? If the web is one giant lever then we have the tools to change the world. It’s time to multiply our results by working smart.

Leverage is not new.
Every piece of technology is a form of letting us do more with less effort. Eg. your car lets you travel further and more easily than riding a bike or walking.
The Web gives us new tools and new opportunities to make more of what we have.

6 Ways to Leverage Online
Leverage has a number of guises on the web.

1. Trust : It’s the glue for our relationships. The greater the trust the greater potential to work on bigger things.
2. Relationships : If you help people because you want to, your network will become a resource to lever for far bigger results. .
3. Time : It’s scarce. Use web tools to automate repeated actions, RSS feeds to draw content to you and listen to podcasts whilst walking, driving and cooking.
4. Reuse : Take one advantage and apply it elsewhere. For instance, when you build a community in one area, you can easily extend it into another.
5. Arbitrage : This is buying something at one price and selling it a higher price. For instance, buying traffic on Google to enable more sales.
6. Infrastructure : Use the tools and platforms to work for you. For instance, Ning provide a pre-built community tool. It saves you building your own from scratch.

Actions: Identity Leverage
Follow Gary Vaynerchuk’s lead to multiply your online identity:

• Be bold about your purpose. If you let others know your goal they may be able to help you achieve it.
• Be everywhere - share your content and expertise freely on the web and be seen.
• Be relentless - keep going regardless of the circumstances.
• Be gracious - be thankful of your fans.

Read the Book Rapper Review of Gary Vaynerchuk's book Crush It

Web Line 8: RAP3: Belong (2)

Web Line 8: RAP3: Belong (2)

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
RAP3: Belong (1)

Joining Communities
Today our communities are online - spread around the globe. This makes it much easier to hang out with people with similar interests. Here’s how you can join, engage and belong to online communities:

1. Listen first : How do people interact here? Eg: LinkedIn is different to Facebook. What’s good behaviour? What’s bad?
2. Take small steps : Be friendly, add to the conversation. Notice who’s who in the zoo.
3. Start something new : Become a doer and offer to lead something for the community.

Local Communities
Previously our communities were based on geography. If we got lucky there might be some people like us in our local neighbourhood. Otherwise, you had to move to be closer to your tribe.

Making Friends

• Join communities eg. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
• Find people you already know.
• When making contact with people you barely know leave a personal message to introduce yourself.
• Listen and learn about others. Search for subjects that appeal.
• Then connect around mutual interests.

Making Comments
One of the ways to build your online presence is to write comments on other people’s blogs.

• Leave your name and company name without being spammy.
• Don’t directly mention your stuff. Remember, your comments are meant to add to the existing conversation, not subvert it.
• Be yourself and one of us.
• Add value. Nice comments do little to bolster your credibility.
• Leave 10 comments a day to build a web presence.

Web Line 7: RAP3: Belong (1)

Web Line 7: RAP3: Belong (1)

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously
RAP2: Stand Out Part 2

RAP3: Belong
PROFIT : In you’re not one of us, we’re not going to listen. Game over. Be helpful, be human and be a good citizen to belong to your communities.

Building Trust
How we do it online may have changed. However, the foundations of trust have stayed the same. It’s built on:

1. Credibility : Are we who we say we are?
2. Reliability : What can we expect in the future?
3. Intimacy : Do I know them? Are they aloof and distant? Or, open, honest and human?
4. Self-orientation : The less you focus on yourself the better we’re likely to trust you.

Rehumanizing Business
Not so long ago, mechanical intrusive marketing was acceptable. It was kinda nice for someone to want our attention. Now we’re all busy. And, we’d rather eat our dinner than answer a call from someone we don’t know and don’t care about.

How to Be Human

• Ask how others are doing.
• Take the time to understand the culture of your community. What are the rules and standards?
• Promote others.
• Show a picture of yourself - show others you’re real.
• When you mess up, Acknowledge it, Apologize and Act to clean it up.
• Be a person first and a professional second. Share both sides of you.
• Build relationships not campaigns.

Online Trust Signals
Now that we’re living in the virtual online cyber world, the signals of trust have changed. Here’s some online signals of trust to look out for...

• Design : First impressions count. A basic and terrible design can be a turn-off compared to a chic one.
• Longevity : Are they a fly-by-night or have they been around for a while?
• Productivity : Consistent output is a guide they’re playing for the long haul.
• Comments : If no one is commenting, perhaps they’re not part of a community.
• Links : How did you find this site? Who recommended it?
• Domain Name : An ‘official’ domain name carries more weight than a free one from Blogspot or Wordpress.
• About : What does their About page tell you?
• Cross-channels : Check them out on Facebook and Twitter. Are they consistent across multiple channels?

Actions: Trust Check
Now that we’ve just listed some of the online signals of trust, review your operation to see how others may see you. Put a plan in place to overcome any trust weak spots.

Web Line 6: RAP2: Stand Out Part 2

Web Line, Part 6: RAP2: Stand Out Part 2

Derived From: Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website: www.trustagent.com
Previously: RAP2: Stand Out Part 1

RAP2: Stand Out - Part 2
PROFIT : To be a Trust Agent you need to be noticed. Playing by the old rules is no longer enough. With new tools and new channels you can now create your own rules and your own game.

Make Your Own Game
If you’re following the rules, you’re playing catch-up to those already out there doing it. To stand out and be the trusted expert:

• Create a new category, Eg Timothy Ferris and Lifestyle Design
• Define the rules and standards
• Be different
• Start small and play a new game
• Get there first

How to Play Games

1. Playing : Learn the rules and know how to tweak them to increase your fun.
2. Cheating : When you have an unfair advantage on the game, you’re cheating.
3. Hacking : The popular definition of hacking focuses on destroying something. A more potent definition is to ‘find another way’. Seek alternatives and modifications to enhance the system. Check out life hacking, work hacking and game hacking.
4. Programming : When you create the rules, you’re programming the game. You’re creating a new angle and a new everything.

Actions: Learn Fast
To learn fast, get feedback. Here’s how...

• Links are currency on the web. When someone links to you they recommend you and this is an indirect way to get paid.
• Quality comments add social proof to your content value and your expert status. Lots of comments tell others it’s the place to be.
• Revenue can range from Google Adsense, Affiliate income or sales of your products or services. Consider this direct feedback.
• Indirect Sales are valuable feedback too. For instance, at Book Rapper we offer free content and you might pay us by hiring us to write/design with you.
• Test with a range of web tools to see how you’re doing. For instance, Google Analytics or Hubspot.

Actions: Below the Web Line

• Collecting friends or followers in social media is low level feedback. It might stroke your ego. And, quantity is not the game here. Better to build a smaller army of fans than a flood of indifferent followers.
• Press Coverage is generally of lower value today than the credibility you can gain on the web. Adjust your strategy accordingly.

Three Online Rules

1. When you treat people well, they treat you well back.
2. The bigger your network, the easier it is to get things done.
3. The more personal the relationship, the more direct you can be.

Actions : Content
Build a Content Marketing blog around a product.

Web Line, Part 5: RAP2: Stand Out 1

Web Line, Part 5: RAP2: Stand Out 1

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Book Website
www.trustagent.com
Previously:
RAP1: Trust Has Changed

RAP2: Stand Out - Part 1
PROFIT : To be a Trust Agent you need to be noticed. Playing by the old rules is no longer enough. With new tools and new channels you can now create your own rules and your own game.


Actions: Gate Keepers
Define the Gate Keepers in your industry AND your organization.

• Who are they?
• What are they owning, controlling or protecting?
• Define the rules they play by.
• How can you jump over them?

Actions: Gate Jumpers
Search for these Gate Jumpers on the web :

• Arctic Monkeys
• Perez Hilton
• Huffington Post
• Radiohead
• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Robert Scoble

How did they break the rules? What results did they get?