Trust Agents – Chris and Julien – SOBCon 09

I’m at SOBCon taking and sharing notes from presentations. Here’s the first from Chris Brogan and Julien Smith who talked about their new book, Trust Agents Notes lightly edited.

Make your own game – stop playing by other people’s rules

Be inventing your own. Constantly. Examples: Perez Hilton and Tim Ferriss – lifestyle designer

Invent your own space and you own it

Give up on being the best social media person –that’s already taken.

Totally take a swing that was absolutely small, if you’re the person who owns the game, then you’re on top

It’s about standing out

Stop trying to be someone else because they’re already taken.

Brain Solis – more photos of people of conferences

Be a combination of two things: Dilbert- office + drawing

Matrix – back into the matrix with new eyes, you can be in the system or you can understand the system.

There is a system to everything – talk about it in a different way, self-defined

Outsiders do not influence insiders! Insiders influence each other, once you’re targeted a crowd, be an insider or fail

There is a power to this, Scott Monty is Ford, it’s Daniel’s company [Tribune] because he’s one of us

Insiders convince themselves, too.

When I belong to a group I help people

Insiders forgive each other more and forgive each other often

It’s about belonging those who belong are powerful. Those who don’t are not.

Principal – the web is the ultimate leverage, use it or be used.

Anybody who knows someone how to use the web advantage, ecommerce

“The Big Switch – Rewiring the World from Edison to Google” by Nicholas Carr

Smart companies aggregate

Less work: more time with the kids – putting in on paper

You can do something once and have it work over and over again. Works for sales pitch, it works for everything you do – on the web constantly leverage what you do on the web

Free hugs video

Where the hell is Matt? – stripe gum, laugh at the people, always watch the other people, I’ve been there or I wish I were there – how did Matt get that job?

The principle: never do work twice

The network is all powerful

Be the center of the network, even if it’s very small, you’re building small powerful networks. Certain companies have groups of 150 people or less, being centers of many networks, which allows you access to many different group

Trust agent trick: being part of a lot of 150s

It’s about access

Be helpful. Be humble. Share.

Make them the most interesting person they can be

Some people need to work on their social skills

Really about empathy and understanding and empowerment. It’s about finding soft opportunities.

Good leverage is building great karma

Know when to be visible and when to be a ghost

Reputation comes from empowering others.

Build an army, the power of other people, Richard is part of the army Chris has built

From craft to craftsperson – from craftsperson to cottage – from cottage to factory.

It’s about mass – from factory to cafe – it’s all about mass customization. We can reach more people, make our own game.

Trust agents are successful at one or two things, intersected them, be good at a few of them.

It’s amazing how little a person needs to do as long as group does it on a massive scale

How can you make your own game? What networks do you connect with?