 
HELLO REPUTATION

We trust people. We remember stories. We buy experiences.

by Agata Piekut
Published by Agata Piekut at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Agata Piekut

Smashwords Edition License Notes:

This free ebook may be copied, distributed, reposted, reprinted and shared, provided it appears in its entirety without alteration, and the reader is not charged to access it.
This is for you, Mom :)
TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE FORCE-FEEDING TECHNIQUE?

CHANGES. COMING SOON.

MARKETS ARE CONVERSATIONS

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

STORYTELLER

MIRROR

MENTOR

PROBLEM SOLVER

KNOWLEDGE BROKER

EXPERT

THOUGHT LEADER

ACTION LEADER

CONNECTOR

POSITIONING

TO ROBYN AND OTHER BRAVE KIDS

CONNECTING DOTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

REFERENCES

# 
THE FORCE-FEEDING TECHNIQUE?

In 1970's, in the times of socialism, it was nearly impossible to buy fresh meat in Poland. To be honest it was hard to get any kind of meat. And you thought you've seen the ultimate of desperate housewives on TV? Yeah, right. I won't even begin the topic of minced meat. After all, I'm not trying to become the new Stephen King (for now). However, when I decide to write a horror book, this might be a good starting point. Going back forty years ago, the situation was critical. There was no meat in shops and for sure somewhere in the world you can have meatless Christmas but not in Poland.

Hence, my grandfather as the head of the family (and main meat eater) decided to save Christmas [dinner]. He was coming back from his last business trip before the end of the year and he stopped on a farm to buy a goose. The farmer's wife brought him, as she said, 'the most beautiful and fattest goose they had'. Grandpa was extremely pleased with himself!

It wasn't until a couple of hours later when grandmother started preparing the roast that it occurred the goose was force fed with sand. When his wife was chatting with my grandfather, the farmer worked his little trick. Those were the one and only vegetarian Christmas in my family. And grandpa, though he was passing this farm during most of his business trips, never stopped there again.

Force-feeding is a technique of supplying food through a plastic tube straight into animal's stomach against its will. It's mostly associated with France and feeding geese in attempt to prepare an ideal foie gras. The fatter the liver, the better taste you get, or so they say. Lately the technique has been banned in many European countries (including Poland) as a form of maltreatment of animals. It seems that force-feeding geese with sand was discontinued even without the official bans.

Though the rights of geese's stomachs are much better now, you can't say the same about the rights of our brains.

If we think about it for a while, most of current promotional activities are based on the force-feeding technique. Not all of them are so drastic as stuffing with sand (though it happens, see: common practice of buying fan farms on Facebook) but even then every day we're bombarded with dozens, if not hundreds, of unnecessary information – mailings, sponsored posts, phone calls with such tempting offers as a set of pots for 1000 euros.

I hate it, so probably do you. A constant stream of updates on Facebook that I couldn't care less about but which successfully block any contents from my friends, which I'm interested in. Two hundred e-mails with spam and only two that I really want to read lost between them. So many leaflets that a postman can't fit letters anymore. For a while marketers thought that it was a cunning solution.

But Facebook lets me choose which news I want to see in newsfeed. It takes a bit of work because I had to set it manually on each page and profile but now I read what I want – about 10 %. Gmail decided to follow and now my inbox is divided into three parts: primary, social and promotions. All the spam that somehow didn't want to end up in spam folder now goes to the third box. I never open it. And our building administrator put a waste bin directly under letter boxes.

I have a choice and I choose.

While we're on the topic of food, let's go for one evening to the ultimate destination for food lovers – Italy. It's Friday evening so it's time for passeggiata. And an evening walk without a dinner in a traditional Italian restaurant wouldn't be the same. Just like a dinner without beautiful views out of a restaurant's window would be half as fun. So we sit in one of the restaurants by Piazza Navona.

It seems to be a typical, big Italian piazza – elegant fountains in the middle, as many restaurants as could be fitted and tourists taking obligatory passeggiatas. But in Rome each place has its story. Everywhere else a square would be a square – a space between buildings where during weekdays there are dozens of stalls and on Sunday there's enough space for all the worshippers who didn't fit inside the church. So simple. And so un-Roman.

One of the three biggest squares in Rome (if we count St. Peter's Square in Vatican) can't be just a center of distribution of cabbage and potatoes. First of all, it inherited the size and shape from the Stadium of Domitian on which ruins it was built. Romans were gathering there regularly to watch athletic contests. Are you tired after going round to find the nicest restaurant's garden? That was the goal! But the guardian angel of branding decided that it's still not enough. So pope Innocent X added a colossal Fountain of the Four Rivers that symbolizes four continents: Nile – Africa, Danube – Europe, Rio de la Plata – the Americas and Ganges – Asia. A branding specialists' dream come true.

A place of tournaments where four continents meet. No wonder that it's the favorite spot of all musicians travelling through Rome.

In front of a restaurant where we sit a young bard prepares for his concert. He looks like young Banderas and sings romantic Italian ballads while playing the guitar [Harlequin mode: off]. After half an hour he stops and we can hear first tunes of Bruno Mars' Just The Way You Are. It's Kiana Luna, a hippie form Hawaii, who sings covers of the biggest pop hits, recreating them as nostalgic ballads. From time to time she adds her own song about the beauty of life. She's from Hawaii after all. When she finishes, it's time to move and finally start our walk. It's also time for a change of a performing artist. We're now by Fountain of Neptune surrounded by nymphs and tourists waiting for les BUSiciens – a group of young Belgians who play that gets the party going: everything from rock'n'roll, through reggae to tango.

Part of a sidewalk was turned into the stage, Fontana Navona is their decoration. How so many artist can cooperate peacefully in such little space?

It's simple – they all know what's the best for them. The restaurant owners have free live music, their clients pay for it in the form of tips. The artists have a big audience all the time as the crowd just moves a couple of meters away every thirty minutes to see the next concert and in the meantime leaves hefty tips to all of them.

What would happen if they tried to use the force feeding technique and play as many of their songs as possible for as long as they could? I have no idea what was first, the egg or the hen, I also don't know who'd be faster, the tourist running away from cacophony on Piazza Navona or the restaurant owners throwing away musicians to save their clients.

What else the bard, Kiana and les BUSiciens had in common? Over two years have passed since that Friday afternoon and I still remember their names and listen to their music. Apart from the bard, 'cause the line of ladies waiting to get his number was simply too long for me to bother about learning his name.

A good strategy of promotion is based on three elements: we (your potential clients) trust people, remember stories and buy experiences.

We trust people who share the best they have with us– here it was their music. We remember stories that enrich our lives. Ok, I admit. The story of Piazza Navona is two years old, the story of a goose stuffed with sand way over twenty. But what we're interested in are stories that sell something more than anti-crisis manuals, right? We buy experiences, in this case it was the pleasure of listening to good music in a warm summer evening.
CHANGES. COMING SOON.

Faster!

Louder!

Stronger!

Better!

I admit, I start every training with DJ Fresh's Louder but I also believe that in offices it should be blocked as all 18+ websites are. Companies already function in a crazy pace of the presentations of plans for conquering the world, that would make George Lucas proud of his new script, and sales reports. Whichever way you turn, you can hear just two terms repeated by everyone like rainmaking ritual by Indians during drought: brand and social media. Brand which is supposed to be the ultimate method to differentiate your product from the competition. Social media as the cure for all the evil, christened as the key communication channel for every counting brand.

First to call it a bluff were professors of integrated marketing communication Don E. Schultz and Martin P. Block from Northwestern University. For ten years they've been running a research on how brands (mostly FMCG) are perceived online. The results surprised everyone.

During the whole research over 50 % of consumers when asked what are their favorite brands, answered that they had no preferences. In case of social media users, the number of 'no preference' answers rose to 70-80 %. It seems that the budgets invested in marketing brands don't have any significant impact on consumers' choices. Even the biggest ones like Gerber or Oil de Olay didn't manage to overcome this tendency. As their next step the team from Northwestern University decided to compare these results with other independent researches.

They started with Customer Loyalty Engagement Index created by Brand Keys. Between 2004 and 2013 they measured consumers' engagement in brands. After comparing results from the first and last years of the research, it occurred that the engagement in the FMCG categories fell down significantly (all data in %) e.g.: cereal from 28.05 to 3.29, cosmetics from 41.24 to 2.81 (!!!),OTC allergy medicines from 20.67 to 9.60. Additionally, the researched group didn't see any difference between the products of different brands in the same category.

BAV Consulting was another company that provided their data for comparison. Their tool, Brand Value Measures (2002-2012), showed that in the eyes of consumers the distinctions between brands are slowly diminishing. Brands also generate less value for consumers than earlier.

Another significant research was run by Havas Media. Their Meaningful Brands Index from 2013 stated that most of the participants wouldn't care if 73 % of brands vanished. The results divided by continents show as follows: USA & Europe 92 %, Latin America 58 % and Asia 49 %.

The B2B market is in no better condition. Core Brands that measures the image of corporations and companies providing B2B services noticed a new downward trend in brand preference. The researched group grew also more skeptical towards corporations.

From this overview prepared by Northwestern University it appears that the space that brands occupied in consumers' minds is decreasing. Due to this they seem so similar to each other, which leads to less reasons for preferring one brand over another.

One of the suppositions made by Schultz and Block about the reasons of this change is the new way in which we consume media. We watch much less TV, read less magazines and in exchange use more Internet. So on one hand we have brands promoted with the mass media communication model, on the other the most successful methods according to NU research participants are Word-of-Mouth, coupons and in-store promotions.

The conclusions are not optimistic for brands. According to Schultz and Block, in the beginning companies will use promotions to drive clients away from their competitors. However, as others will do exactly the same, the method will soon become ineffective. As the long term outcome, identifying and differentiating target groups will become extremely difficult. Additionally, the lack of ROI from investments into building brands that have no impact on consumers, may seriously threat the credibility of marketing and branding.

However the authors forgot about one unique element of each brand: people that create it.

Companies rarely base their communication on real people that work for them. Employees are usually treated as cogs in a wheel that are easier to replace than updating antivirus program. It's not only the problem of the past few years and international economic crisis. It seem to be the effect of treating people as a community instead of independent individuals for centuries.

When the human world was centered round the calendar of harvest, everybody worked side by side on farmlands. Later the industrial revolution came with the promise of freedom. But people simply moved from patches to production lines and their world started revolving around the calendar of orders. The twentieth century was supposed to change that. People started studying on a mass scale. They moved from workshops to offices. They ditched their gabardines and put on suits. And their world started to go around the calendar of reports.

On the surface everything changed. But in fact, everything stayed the same. Every day we gather in the same appointed place. We perform the same appointed tasks. Always in the same appointed time. Always in hardy different clothes. Like little grey cobs in a big wheel. When one of them break it's quickly exchanged for a new one so that the wheel never stops.

On the other hand, we all admire the great individuals. Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Helena Rubinstein, Margaret Thatcher, Albert Einstein to name a few (of my favorites). We compare ourselves to them in our dreams.

Long, long time ago the rulers and great warriors were mythical, divine heroes who were supposed to be worshipped and admired. Hardly anyone had a chance to see them even once in their lifetime. They lived in the stories and one of the characteristics of stories is, that there's enough space in them only for a few great individuals.

Later on mass media were created, and with them more heroes on a mass scale – artists, politicians, businessmen. Still, the place on the top was reserved for those who had money, power and connections. As only a few ones had it, common people could again only admire their new idols. Everybody wanted to be just like those chosen ones and hence brands and promotion were born.

Nowadays, we live in a different world – the one dominated by the Internet. Here admiration and popularity is available to anyone who has a passion, her own, authentic views and is engaged in spreading the word about them. Though we still may not realize it, we're already inspiring those who surround us to make positive changes in their lives. Hello Reputation concentrates on developing this impact on a much wider scale.
MARKETS ARE CONVERSATIONS

The branch of communication since its beginnings can't seem to find a way to overcome one serious problem – how do you measure the effects of your activities? From comparing article's space to advertisement process in the same medium (a big no-no nowadays), through a race for the number of fans on Facebook, you could even find some black magic in it from time to time ('this article, boss, is, you know, like if we put a huge needle in a voo-doo doll of our competitor's *I'll leave it to your imagination*).

The atmosphere around measuring effects got so tense at some point that AMEC (The International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication) decided to do something about it. First there came Barcelona Principles and after that the rest was easy – an endless stream of one complicated table after another. Fascinating reading, competes only with statistical yearbook.

The main problem of current failed attempts to measure effects of communications activities, with AMEC sadly leading the way, is aiming to control elements over which we have no control: the number of recipients of our message and the quality of third party's publications. Let's be honest about it – the only aspect over which we have control is the quality of our message and communication.

When the branch discovered Internet, life was supposed to be beautiful again – mass scale promotion with hardy any costs. The ROI would skyrocket! But the Internet, unlike mass media, wasn't designed to broadcast information but to conduct conversations. And conversations are like relationships in a poem by Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński, who in 1913 [prophetically for the branch] wrote: 'The biggest trouble is with both of the people being interested in each other at the same time'.

Internet is based on relations.

And we're back to the question: how do we measure it?! In 1999 four pioneers of Web 2.0 – Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinberger – decided to stand up for the sake of their eyes and ours, and wrote down 95 principles of proper company's behavior on the Internet. This is how Cluetrain Manifesto was born. And its first principle is: Markets are conversations.

The magic formula for successful conversations online is identical to those offline. If you want your listeners' respect, share your knowledge because it fuels conversations. If you want to be appreciated, show your sense of humor. Internauts understand it as being self-conscious but not egocentric, which is for them the ultimate proof of us being authentic. The only goal you can truly accomplish when communicating on the Internet, is building a network of friends you can trust and count on their loyalty. But only when first you give the same to them.

How do we measure our communication according to Cluetrain Manifesto? Let's imagine for a moment that we're not sitting in front of our computers but we've just met and we stand in front of each other. What should happen to make us want to continue the conversation and want to meet again?

First: the way we enter the conversation

1. Introduce yourself: if we'd met in real life we'd shake hands, told our names and try to make friends with each other.

2. Join the conversation: there's nothing worse than somebody standing by your group, listening to your conversations and not saying a word but 'while we're on this topic maybe you'd like to buy...'.

3. Don't be anonymous: the main goal of all participants is to meet and talk. Can you imagine a meeting where everybody's wearing Guy Fawkes masks?! [yes, we're excluding any Eyes Wide Open type conventions].

4. Respect your interlocutors, show them you care about their problems.

5. Listen: the most important part of any conversation is the ability to listen. If you want to make friends with them it's the easiest way.

Second: Quality of your message

1. Share your own, authentic point of view: it will drive to you minds that think alike. There will always be people who won't agree with you. But arguing with them is a waste of time, don't you think?

2. Share your passions: nobody's interested in this new super-duper function that you've just introduced. They've already read and heard about it and if they're interested they'll confirm it with friends they trust. Even the biggest tech maniacs have other interests, too.

Third: the form of your message

1. Be honest and open in your conversations: if somebody is preparing for a camping trip and wants to know if the sleeping bag is really waterproof, there is no way she'll be interest in foot spa at this moment. You can share your opinion on other topics too – as long as you're not trying to trash your competition between the words.

2. Use real words and once and for all stop using technical and marketing gobbledygook (words 'leader' and 'innovative' included).

3. Have sense of humour – it builds trust.

Fourth: Build relations

1. Tell not fairytales, but honest and clear stories: this is what we remember best.

2. Use hyperlinks because they are online equivalents for relations with people. It's like introducing new friends offline. Good networkers connect to new people. Best networkers connect new people with each other, thanks to which their own network grows exponentially.

3. Share your knowledge: direct people to useful links, materials, other experts and your sources. Can you imagine the world without Wikipedia? We see it as a neverending encyklopedia but in reality it's a network of connected minds who share what they think could be useful for you.

4. Concentrate on analysis of information and helping the others understand what it implies: In most of the cases we don't need additional facts but we need help with understanding their possible impact on our lives, with the least inconvenience and in shortest time possible.

In short: We trust people. We remember stories. We buy experiences. You can't talk to a brand. For a real conversation you need another human being.

Bonus for resistant minds – fifth: spamming is like having a garlic and onion snack before going to a meeting. Sure, it was tasty, easy and quick to prepare but now everybody is running away from you and the host will make sure you're not invited next time.
HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

We love talking. About ourselves. We hate to listen. Unless it's about us. The typical promotion techniques don't fulfill any of these conditions. And that's why they don't work.

When I think about it, I always go back to Steve Jobs' interview for Wired magazine in February 1996 when he commented on the state of creativity in the field of new technologies: "A lot of people in our industry haven't had very diverse experiences. They don't have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions, without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one's understanding of the human experience, the better designs we will have."

During past nine years I've been involved in different aspects of communication in various fields. One element was invariable: the most important were people who surrounded me. If we look around the world of communication and connect some dots it'll occur that there's one set of techniques that always works. Networking. [But please, never the type when you end up running between conference rooms and throwing your business cards at every person you pass. And not the type when you pinch your interlocutor to the wall after a short, pleasant chat and start squeaking with tears in your eyes 'But you'll buy it, right?'. Yes, this was one of these moments when I was seriously considering taking up self-defense classes.]

Keith Ferrazzi summed up the essence of the real networking in his book Never Eat Alone. According to it, the key to success is sharing your knowledge and experience, as well as base your conversations on the 'How can I help you?' question. Keith also suggests the best topics that everybody will always want to talk about. We can sum up our needs in three aspects: making money, finding love and changing the world. How does it work in practice?

Armando Christian Pérez, better known as Pitbull, never gained recognition as a talented musician. In fact, thanks to his work, in 2011 GQ put him on the list of the 25 Least Influential People Alive, stating that: "Because who could be less influential than a guy whose music sounds like the aborted offspring of Nelly and Will.i.am?". But Mr. Worldwide, as he now calls himself, two years later is one of the most respected businessman in music industry. Since 2012 he's been the king of zumba and regularly produces new hits with the biggest pop stars in the United States.

Gabrielle Bernstein started her guru career from teaching New York yuppies how to find the sense of life. Soon she noticed that what they crave most, is finding a partner and building a long lasting relationship. There are lots of love advisors in the United States but girls cling to Gabrielle because apart from teaching how to build relationships she's been happily engaged to a New York banker (and it seems that since Sex and the City nearly every girl dreams of finding her Mr. Big). Cherry on top: you don't meditate with her in your old truck suit but in full make up and most trendy clothes.

I'm not sure if anybody managed to count which type of companies was founded most often in recent years – IT startups or fashion brands. Most of the stories read as a slight variation of one, but in the fashion industry you can clearly see one trend gaining momentum: social responsibility. One of the first to implement it were Dana Alikhani and Tatiana Santo-Domingo, better known as Muzungu Sisters. For past four years they've been running an online shop and pop up boutiques in biggest capitals with original ethnic designs from all over the world. They are building not only their own brand but also opening the eyes of fellow fashionistas on new regions they weren't interested in before, like Eastern Europe.

The stories that we remember and like listening to concern identity. Mostly because we can identify ourselves with them and thus they become the part of our own story. We all want to be admired and be in a company of those who already are.

Taking care of the form of your message will additionally strengthen long-term relationships you want to build with your recipients. Usually it's enough to concentrate on just two elements: making our recipients feel like they're special and making sure that time spent with us is of highest quality, no matter if it's a couple of minutes or hours. If you're looking for inspiration go straight to Lauren Conrad. All she did was implementing two simple tricks. First, every week together with her team she chooses one stylization from her community as 'Chic of the Week' and publishes it on the main blog. It appears online on Friday afternoons so it stays as one of the first posts for the whole weekend. Second, she's one of the few people who noticed that Instagram is not only a mobile app but also a portal visited through browsers. When we visit most of the profiles through them we'll simply see lots of psychedelic blots. But Lauren's profile is coherent thanks to the peachy filter she uses that reminds us of sunsets on Californian beaches.

Summarizing, there are two pillars of good networking: the content and the form. The first is individual to each of us, varying depending on our interests, experience and how we combine them to answer the 'How can I help you?' question. The latter are the techniques you can learn. We'll concentrate on those suggested by Keith Ferrazzi and talk about their effective implementation in the Internet.

How do you start? [kudos to Michael Ellsberg, author of The Education of Millionaires]

1. Choose the field that you feel most confident about:

1.1 making money

1.2 finding love

1.3 changing the world

2. Now look at this field from your own perspective. What about it:

2.1 excites you most?

2.2 is the most challenging for you?

3. Now look at this field from your recipients' perspective. What about it:

3.1 excites them most?

3.2 is the most challenging for them?

4. Connect information from points two and three and you'll find the answer to the 'how can I help you?' question.
STORYTELLER

#

Let's go back for a moment to our childhood days. Our grandmas reading fairytales before we went to sleep. Our grandpas telling us anecdotes about their youth. We love listening to stories. The best storytellers are those who share the best things that ever happened to them with us, in belief that they will also have a positive impact on our lives. A good storyteller adapts the content to the recipient's needs.

One of the funniest moments of gathering materials for Hello Reputation was a meeting with Josef Dunne and Mayel de Borniol, the founders of Babelverse. They startup connects interpreters with clients all over the world through a simple online app. When they came to Warsaw for a couple of days we met in the Café Flora – one of Warsaw's hidden gems, placed just between the Royal Park and Botanical Garden. Before I even had a chance to ask my first question they ask theirs 'Do you have a piece of paper?'. After a moment I got it back with one word written on it 'NEMAWASHI'. And they kindly informed me that it's all that I wanted to know about their company. Nothing beats the startupers' work ethics – even a second can't be wasted.

Then they told me that nemawashi is a Japanese term for hoeing tree roots to prepare it for moving into another place. In business it means talking to the people interested in our project to lay the foundations for implementing it. Babelverse implements it by spending long hours on talking to each new interpreter until they're sure that she is able to provide quality services. One word changed a description of a company into a story worth remembering (and sharing).

The everyday communication of Babelverse is based on its beginnings – two guys living in foreign country, being at the mercy of their friends to translate for them whenever they need to deal with the local administration. In Josef's and Mayel's social media channels you won't find repetitive advice on running a startup. Mostly because everything has already been described in Eric Ries' Lean Startup. But if you're looking for stories of travelling off the beaten tracks, that's the place you have been looking for.

Services and products created nowadays are more niche and adaptable to clients needs. Usually you wouldn't know it, looking at how they run their communication. This is one of the easiest methods to avoid this mistake: be yourself.

Josef is a typical traveller whose Facebook profile contains mostly three types of messages: lots of tasty food, meetings with interesting locals and unknown places of leisure [1]. As he has over 22 000 followers on Facebook, including yours truly, he has to be doing something right.

One of Babelverse's latest travels was The Great TECH Expedition. It's a British initiative to connect companies from London with potential markets in Brasil. But you won't find a word about business meetings on Josef's Facebook. Instead, he created a photo gallery about the trip and took us for a walk around two biggest cities in Brasil – we learn how they look like, what's worth visiting and, of course, eating. "Arrived in Rio! Such an amazing landing, you literally touch the water! Also São Paulo on takeoff is just VAST! It's like Sim City! Block after block after block sprawling 80km wide!!!" [1] Now I know that after living my whole life in Warsaw I don't really need to go there.

Next month and next change of address. Babelverse is moving to Lisbon to participate in startup accelerator Lisbon Challenge. "I took a ride on my local tram number 28 today, this was my view, up until the end where I almost knocked my head off. You'll see." [1] It's just a short video from a ride in a tram, nothing special, but now you know that it's better to not go for a walk around that part of town (how narrow are these sidewalks? 30 cm each?!).

Mayel describes himself as glomad and he even claims on his LinkedIn page that he created this word. If you wonder who the hell is a glomad, here's the definition for you: glomad is a type of global citizen without the 'citizen' part, a word that Mayel can't stand. Maybe because he was born in France, but who'd blame him for not being too attached to the country which is one step away from introducing 75 % income tax?

If you follow his Facebook account, probably from time to time you'll find there a story from Babelverse travels, like this one from Washington "I am the most influential person at the White House, says Klout" [2]. But he's mostly interested in open borders, freedom of speech and linguistics. Like a true glomad. So you'll find his take on language barriers "#LanguageBarrierOfTheDay: A new friends film was playing at a festival here, but I missed out because it was in Dutch and the subtitles in Portuguese." [2]. As well as on the current controversial events like selling Tumblr, a popular blogging platform: "Whatever the price, doesn't that value belong to the bloggers creating the content, rather than the handful of people who happen to run the servers and publishing software?!" [2]

Not everybody leads such a changeable and unpredictable life. I guess most of us don't, so it might get hard to find a new inspiration for our stories. Especially when we're involved in a topic that is tough to narrate lightly and might bore or dishearten our recipients. Just like Brené Brown. We try to ignore fear, shame and depression and pretend they don't exist in our lives. Brené changed this. She was a psychologist known only in the academic world till her, now famous, TEDxHouston video on vulnerability. Let's have a look at where she finds inspirations for stories that inspire millions.

Though it might seem too obvious, it's good to go back to the terms and definitions connected to our field, linguistics and important events or findings. Don't repeat stories we all know but try to find an aspect that is unknown to a wider spectrum of your recipients. One of the core questions in Brené's research is 'What is courage?'. She found an answer in a dictionary:

"What they had in common was a sense of courage. And I want to separate courage and bravery for you for a minute. Courage, the original definition of courage, when it first came into the English language -- it's from the Latin word cor, meaning heart -- and the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. And so these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect. They had the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others, because, as it turns out, we can't practice compassion with other people if we can't treat ourselves kindly. And the last was they had connection, and \-- this was the hard part -- as a result of authenticity, they were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they were, which you have to absolutely do that for connection." [1]

Let's concentrate for a moment on the above mentioned aspects. When you tell a story try to show it from different points of view to present a full picture. Take Brené's explanations of the problems which perfectionism may cause. She presents two examples of developing shame – by women and by men.

As long as I remember I've been hearing complaints about advertisements. Lately it's become fashionable not to own a TV set. I personally can't imagine my life without TV, though I must admit that for past couple of years I've been solely watching thematic channels: Travel Channel (in HD version they don't even have advertisements!), business news on CNN, FC Barcelona games on sports channels and movies. On one hand, I save time and can comfortably watch the programs I'm interested in. On the other, I feel like I'm losing touch with a majority of society. You'd be surprised how important are advertisements and popular shows in our everyday lives. They are also a great inspiration for your stories:

"For women, the best example I can give you is Enjoli the commercial: "I can put the wash on the line, pack the lunches, hand out the kisses and be at work at five to nine. I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan and never let you forget you're a man." For women, shame is do it all, do it perfectly and never let them see you sweat. I don't know how much perfume that commercial sold, but I guarantee you, it moved a lot of antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds. (Laughter) Shame, for women, is this web of unobtainable, conflicting, competing expectations about who we're supposed to be. And it's a straight-jacket." [2]

If this didn't convince you to turn on Idol or Masterchef, then you're left with our another favorite topic: other people. In fact, this option should appear first, as it led to the creation of reality shows in the first place. I strongly advise you against describing details of your family life or conflicts with a boss. It never ends well. But you can find inspiration even in a coincidental meeting: attending local food market, taking a ride on a bus, having a look around the café you're sitting in right now or like Brené, meeting her reader:

"For men, shame is not a bunch of competing, conflicting expectations. Shame is one, do not be perceived as what? Weak. I did not interview men for the first four years of my study. And it wasn't until a man looked at me one day after a book signing, said, "I love what you have to say about shame, I'm curious why you didn't mention men." And I said, "I don't study men." And he said, "That's convenient." (Laughter) And I said, "Why?" And he said, "Because you say to reach out, tell our story, be vulnerable. But you see those books you just signed for my wife and my three daughters?" I said, "Yeah." "They'd rather me die on top of my white horse than watch me fall down. When we reach out and be vulnerable we get the shit beat out of us. And don't tell me it's from the guys and the coaches and the dads, because the women in my life are harder on me than anyone else."" [2]

When we're telling stories that mostly concern our field of work, at some point we're going to run out of topics from our own experience. Especially, if we concentrate on the meritorical aspects. In this case we can find a sea of possibilities in research, thoughts and publications of other professionals in our field. Scientists do it all the time. The only difference between them and Brené is that they're so dreadfully boring:

"Shame is an epidemic in our culture. And to get out from underneath it, to find our way back to each other, we have to understand how it affects us and how it affects the way we're parenting, the way we're working, the way we're looking at each other. Very quickly, some research by Mahalik at Boston College. He asked, what do women need to do to conform to female norms? The top answers in this country: nice, thin, modest and use all available resources for appearance. When he asked about men, what do men in this country need to do to conform with male norms, the answers were: always show emotional control, work is first, pursue status and violence.

If we're going to find our way back to each other, we have to understand and know empathy, because empathy's the antidote to shame. If you put shame in a Petri dish, it needs three things to grow exponentially: secrecy, silence and judgment. If you put the same amount of shame in a Petri dish and douse it with empathy, it can't survive. The two most powerful words when we're in struggle: me too." [2]

If you still have no idea what to write about, it means you need the key word that works every single time: business. As we're living in times of the end of corporations as the main source of jobs and people start growing a bent for entrepreneurship, it's always a safe choice. You're not an entrepreneur? It doesn't matter. Surely you can find a common aspect with your field. Brené talks quite a lot about vulnerability in business. Here using as an example her own experience:

"One of the weird things that's happened is, after the TED explosion, I got a lot of offers to speak all over the country -- everyone from schools and parent meetings to Fortune 500 companies. And so many of the calls went like this, "Hey, Dr. Brown. We loved your TEDTalk. We'd like you to come in and speak. We'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention vulnerability or shame." (Laughter) What would you like for me to talk about? There's three big answers. This is mostly, to be honest with you, from the business sector: innovation, creativity and change. So let me go on the record and say, vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change. (Applause) To create is to make something that has never existed before. There's nothing more vulnerable than that. Adaptability to change is all about vulnerability." [2]

No matter where you look for inspirations, you have to remember one thing: most of the topics have been already mentioned in some way. The only unique element of your story is you. That's why from time to time it's good to mention an event from your life (but please be reasonable when it comes to your privacy). Before you start to describe your life, take a look at some lifestyle bloggers: how they separate they private life from their publications, what information they keep for themselves and how they interact with their readers. Most of the bloggers moderate the comments and delete those that don't comply with their image, so it's good to check how they're perceived also in some other places. Brené managed to find a balance when she describes current events from her own perspective on her blog:

"I love Generosity Day. The idea is simple: Let's reboot Valentine's Day as a day of "sharing love with everyone." You can read more about the origins of the movement here.

I love this idea! For me it's really easy to forget about real love on Valentine's Day. When I was a tween and teen, the entire day was cringe-worthy. It was always about watching the popular girls get the crappy $1 roses sold at school. When I was was dating and first married to Steve I felt pressure to "get it right" which launched all of my shame gremlins.

As a mom it's about running to Target at 8PM on 2/13 to rummage through the picked-over cards. As you can see, my perspective has been about how the day makes me feel. Where's the LOVE in that?" [3]

There's one thing you always need to have in the back of your mind: trust. You will need a lot of time to build it and just a moment to lose it. Decide which aspects of your life you're ready to show and stick to this decision. Show your real hobbies. And what if you don't have any? Many people concentrate too much on learning or partying during studies and later on they are drawn into the vortex of working life and forget about developing their interests in free time. All you need is the right attitude to use it to your advantage. If you don't have a hobby, it means there's room for at least one in your life. Start testing different options and share your experiences with your recipients along the way. Why we trust Brené? Because she shows her true self on Facebook in her everyday communication:

1. Talking about her free time:

"Confession: Sometimes I procrastinate by watching drum line videos on YouTube. This one is making me happy."

"Listening to Christmas carols while I'm writing my December column for O Magazine. Topic: Scarcity, holiday gremlins, and gratitude. I'm always so excited about the holidays then find myself just trying to get through them. I'm rethinking my approach."

"We're only 20 minutes into Scandal and I'm already pacing. Nobody better hurt Huck. I want him to marry Quinn and move to the suburbs.

PS I use "Olivia Pope" as a verb. "I need to Olivia Pope this!""

2. Showing her real emotions, including the negative (but not too often and described only In an entertaining way!)

"I just shook my fist and yelled, "Slow Down!" to a driver in my neighborhood. I'm officially my mother."

"Am I the only person who constantly looks around for the "grown ups" in charge? I keep thinking, "Where are the responsible adults around here?"" [4]

I guess the reason why so many of us want to work as a psychologist is the desire of constantly feeling good about yourself. All the time unhappy people come to you and you're the special one that gives them hope back. But let's make no mistake here – the business of psychology thrives on unhappiness. Sure, after some time the patient will feel better (otherwise the cash flow would stop) but that's not the key goal. Houses have been built and boats bought, thanks to our obsession with perfection. And here comes Brene and says: 'You're imperfect, but you're enough.' I wonder how many exotic holidays haven't been funded due to this one sentence. Brene is for psychology what Apple was for mobile phones. She disrupts the status quo but also nicely fits in the rise of positive psychology.

I love travelling. But it takes a lot of time to plan and budget a trip. That's why I no longer read travel guides but turn to bloggers for tips on what's worth seeing. I'll leave you with citing my recent comment from my friend's blog Foodandthefabulous.com: 'So many travel blogs concentrate only on 'what I saw', 'what I ate' and 'what I bought' and forget about the most important part of the places they visit – people. We always say that travelling is so important because it widens our perspective and then concentrate on the easy & superficial. Thank you for this :)'. Because in the end I don't travel for sightseeing or food tasting nor for shopping. I travel to meet the people.

Key points to remember:

1. Try to give new, interesting information.

2. Connect your story to a well known situation but show its new aspects.

3. Build it around the topics related to your work and interests (gives you additional authenticity).

4. Tell stories about yourself and your experience (again gives you more authenticity).

5. Remember that your message has to be clear (esp. in longer texts).
MIRROR

How did they accomplish that? This is one of our most frequent questions. People who based their communication on the Mirror technique let us know this step by step so that we're able to progress together. Usually they go through the same problems as we do. What differentiates them, is their decision to get out of their comfort zone. And thanks to it, they're starting to get successful.

They say that there are no longer any real men in Europe who would be able to survive in a forest for a month with nothing more than their backpack. But it seems that there are some who are able to do it even for five months and at the same time build their software company, like Thomas Backlund.

So you want to change your life but you're only starting. In the world where success and experience is all that counts it might be discouraging. But there are many aspects to success. Acquiring a new big client or VC funds are only some of them. Equally important is the ability to solve everyday problems (we all face them and look for solutions). The most important thing is to start. Thomas' first step was to publish his plan publicly. After that it's much harder to retreat:

"Prelude 21.03.2013

I've quit my job.

I've quit my apartment.

7:th of May I'm moving out into the Swedish forest to live and work from a tent.

I do not know for how long.

There I'm gonna code om my startup idea.

I have a laptop, battery pack, solar cells and mobile broadband.

Stay tuned.." [1]

Life of a beginner entrepreneur is not a Disney-style fairytale, though many prefer to present it this way. Creating entrepreneurial legends may cause a much more painful fall down, but most importantly it has a negative impact on the development of entrepreneurship. We live in times of instant gratification and the legend of instant success: after one week your product should be ready, after one month you should have regular clients and after a year you should be a millionaire. Being honest about the problems concerning making the decision and the beginnings of starting your business works wonders. Not only for your credibility but also positioning you as an expert who knows how to solve problems. Better than being lucky because somebody found your glass slipper, isn't it?

"If you are in the startup business, you know that raising capital is not easy. I speak to some seeders. They love my idea. I mean everyone I speak to loves it. But the seeders say it's too early to invest in without having actually seen the product. Maybe they're right. Hard for me to decide. I'm a bit biased." [2]

"Quitting my apartment and my job at the same time was really hard to do. I had elevated adrenalin levels for days. To sooth the waves of anxiety that swept over me regularly, I had one picture that I kept looking at. It was a picture of the beautiful forest which I was to move to. That gave me strength to take the steps necessary to get on the trail." [2]

If you ever started a new project you know this pain – the product is still not ready and you feel that you're wasting time you could spent on promoting it. On the one hand, you can't give away any details yet. On the other, you want to start building the interest. Then sharing your everyday life, work and company's key events might be a solution for you. Provided that you concentrate on information that is surprising, funny and from time to time gives a little pang of jealousy that will drive your recipients to take action:

Thomas' everyday life:

20.05.13: Deciding to live in the forest feels very right right now. Birds chirping. Solar panels charging. Me :) #forestcoding

5.06.13: Took a after lunch swim in the lake. Birds chirping. Mayflies copulating. Now back to #foresthacking. Life is good days like these.

10.06.13: Good, found a beautiful lake to set up camp. Bad, mosquitos found me! Making dinner and being it at the same time

15.07.13: Had no internet. Put my phone up in a tree to act as a hotspot. Gotta love technology :) (and trees) #foresthacking

7.09.13: There seems to be some animal lurking around my bubble of integrity. I wonder what it would taste like? Mmm.. I've got onions to go with it.

20.09.13: After two weeks in the tent it's time for a wind shed again. I hid the local horror movie axe. As always.

Forest style international relations:

8.06.13: "you can live in my apartment in Shanghai for weeks you homeless brave son-of-a-b". And similar emails keep coming. :) #foresthacking

As well as building relations with your stakeholders:

29.08.13: This guy and his dog came across the lake and invited me to dinner. Because he recognized pic on FB #foresthacking :)

25.06.13: Tracking down bugs in C++ while fighting of mosquitoes would have been a great game show. #foresthacking

Forest style recruitment process:

5.07.13: @easteggreppin internship you say, how much of a haxx0r are you and have you ever slept in the forest before?

Media relations:

1.09.13: Another photo shoot today in the forest. This time for the COVER of a magazine! The paradox of isolating yourself.. :)  #foresthacking

But what can you do if you don't really feel like becoming a new Bear Grylls or Philippe Cousteau Jr.? Reading stories about eating raw scorpions or teaching monkeys to eat termites from the branch of tree is great, but for some reasons you won't find neither of them in standard restaurant menus. Sometimes all it takes to get recognition is to tell step by step the story of moving from a hobby, through sharing it with others to starting own business. Adding a couple of practical tips from time to time. A little bit more useful than learning that scorpions are much tastier after being grilled than eaten raw, isn't it? Zuzanna Stańska went all the way from being an Art History student (considered to be one of the most impractical specialization) to owning an app business, while sharing her passion and development all along the way.

Step one: running a blog about her hobby. Over past few months many bloggers resigned from writing regularly, preferring to post updates on Facebook or Google+. It might be a good, short term decision because it saves time and gets you a bigger number of followers faster. But speed is also the biggest downside of this type Social Media platforms, as after a couple of days nobody will reach your previous entries. That's why it's good to have a blog as the core of communication, it's much easier for a reader to browse through it and it shows the way you developed:

"I started this blog because there's been no place in Polish Internet where you could find information on the implementation of new technologies in museums.

I will write about apps for smartphones, social media, augmented reality, the phenomenon of gamification and many more interesting topics. I'll cover the aspects of education, marketing and Public Relations. With examples and clear explanations. I'll concentrateon history and art museums which I like most – but not only." [1]

Step two: organize an independent event. You have a hobby. Great. You started to do something more about it and write a blog. Splendid. What you need now is to put the theory into practice. Volunteering is an interesting option but it's mostly about helping others with their projects instead of running your own. It's also hard to get a job in our chosen branch when we don't have experience. On the other hand, we're not working on our ideas to give them away to someone else. So what else can we do to start being perceived as experts? Organize our own non-profit event. Zuzanna started to develop her passion by organizing Slow Art Day in National Museum in Warsaw.

Notice: she never hides the source of her inspirations and is not afraid to admit that she only implements international solutions.

So how do you start organizing an event?

First of all – observe the latest news from the field you're interested in (e.g. on Twitter):

"A year ago I read on Twitter about a cool museum action Slow Art Day. Briefly speaking, it was created to propagate a different way of visiting museums than running through a whole museum in two hours, which usually occurs to be a traumatic experience. To avoid this, Americans came up with an idea that for one day in a year we should enter a museum and for one hour concentrate only on five exhibits. Stop, think, let our thoughts wander. It started three years ago. The action had an international reach – that year it was organized in about eighty museums around the world." [2]

Second – never give up and find a partner:

"So last year I checked Twitter, I read about Slow Art Day and I thought wow! We have to do it in Poland! And... it occurred that the action took place the day before. After thinking it over I decided that we have to make a local pilot action the following month in The National Museum in Warsaw."[2]

because 90 % of success depends on commitment:

"A lot of people got interested in the action, over seventy visitors came to participate in it and all were satisfied. The pilot was a success." [2]

Third – don't stand in place but keep looking for new possibilities of developing your project:

"In 2012 thirteen museums decided to participate. We got a patronage from the National Institute for Museums and Public Collections. This was already something. I was in awe when I learned that National Museum in Cracow wants to organize the action in its six branches. Slow Art Day was showed in TV, we talked about it in radio stations. It was awesome.

In 2013, on the 27th of April at noon twenty eight museums in seventeen Polish cities will open for Slow Art Day. I'm really happy that we managed to reach the local museums in small towns, sometimes only one person organizes the whole action and powers it with her own energy. Without them this action would never take off." [3]

Step three: start your own business. You have made the decision: it's now or never. In your dreams, you already see yourself winning one award after another for your brilliant idea. In reality, you're too busy solving tax problems and counting what's left of your budget till the end of the month. You have so many things on your mind that communication is the last thing you want to think about. So you do what we're all best at: complain. Sometimes you also add a short note about what according to you is a great success but in fact is of no interest to your recipients. Not the best strategy, right? That's why it's better to start planning your communication from the very beginning. All you have to do is to answer the question: what's the most interesting thing for my recipients? And here go the answers:

First: your road to making the decision.

"I was never afraid, as I was always spoiled enough to simply leave when I didn't like something or thought that it's not a place for me. I was convinced that I've got nothing to lose. I tried to do different things while still studying, e.g. I worked for a museum in a foreign country, in a PR agency, organized events. During the fourth year of my studies I got interested in the use of technologies in museums. I started a blog about it, I based my Bachelor's degree in Art History on it and I wanted to create projects like that. When I say "create" I mean think up and organize because I can't code. When I started working for a fund I met a lot of people working with technologies who could help me create things that I dreamed up. After less than a year of working for HardGamma I knew I had to jump in at the deep end and try something new. This is how my company Moiseum was started." [4]

Second: how do you make money on your own business?

**"** I knew from the beginning that the museum's market in Poland is tough and it could be hard for me to make a living by working only for clients – that's why after finalizing a job for The Museum of the History of Polish Jews we decided to create our own projects, which occurred to be a success. I mean DailyArt, an app that sends to your smartphone one image of a piece of art with a short description a day. The app has been so far (5 months) downloaded 25 000 times, mostly from users from United States and Asia. The Next Web named it one of the twelve best educational apps of last year. We also have a group of loyal fans, which is the best part of it all." [4]

Third: how do you promote it?

"We gained the first thousand of downloads very quickly, in two weeks after publishing the basic version (MVP). The Next Web wrote a very flattering review of Daily Art, which brought us a lot of interest. As to promotion, which is my specialization, we based it on Public Relations. It worked because we were mentioned by portals like TUAW, Mashable, VentureBeat and The Next Web named it one of the twelve best educational apps of last year." [5]

Fourth: do these promotion methods really work?

"They work quite well, which wasn't so obvious – both The Next Web and VentureBeat are branch portals and our main target group are women in their thirties who look for a daily dose of culture and art. After each of the big international publications, DailyArt was downloaded by a couple of thousands new users. Unfortunately, in Poland we're still a niche product." [6]

Fifth: how do you successfully crowdfund your project?

"I tried to promote this action in every possible channel – mostly through Facebook and Twitter, it was also mentioned by befriended startup portals and blogs on culture.

In effect some of my friends and their friends donated some small sums and one person, whom I never met before but who can call herself our first real investor, invested over 2 000 dollars just because she liked the idea of DailyArt." [6]

Sixth: what are the main problems you face?

"Our main problem is, that big European and American museums already have lots of apps, both the audioguides-type, as well as gadgets like games, photo apps, apps for kids and so on. It has become so important that American museums open their own mobile departments.

European museums are also much more aware, they make their APIs accessible and participate in hackatons, like Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. However, in Poland we always hear that museums don't have money or don't see a need for this kind of projects. The market here is just beginning to open." [6]

Step four: support your community actively. You have a ready product that is selling. So you're concentrating fully on improving the next version and next further promotional activities. That's not enough. This is the best moment for doing something more for your community. Take an opportunity to earn brownie points from your potential future clients (don't know how to start? Go back to step 2).

First: recognize their needs

"We conducted a brief interview with our colleagues from Poland (quite a lot of them) and it occured that there's a real wish for this kind of event to take place – that would combine a forum for education and spreading new ideas as well as integration." [7]

Second: adapt a working model (if there is one)

"We started to organize metamuzeum – informal meetings of Warsaw museum workers where they can listen to short presentations, discuss them and then integrate by the bar. We didn't create nothing new, we were inspired by popular in the West 'drink about museums' meetings – the name says it all :)" [7]

The idea to move out of the city and get out of a rat race is nothing new. What I like about Thomas Backlund's strategy is that he decided to go back to the roots of real manhood (sic!) and that he didn't give up under all the adversities that, according to social assumptions, block your possibilities of development. 20th and 21st centuries are defined by a constant fight between the cult of work and lifestyle. Thomas proves that you can combine both of them. Some time ago Australia had its 'the best job in the world'. Now Sweden has its 'the best office in the world'. And they didn't have to pay a dime for it. They simply allow camping whenever one wants. How's that for a smart promotion strategy? Thomas' adventure brings also additional implications for Sweden and Swedish entrepreneurs. Since the summer of 2013 they have become synonymous to courage, vision and the sense of humor. It's also a great promotion for ecological lifestyle – through living it and inspiring others to follow, not because it's good for the environment, but because it's fun.

Zuzanna created for herself a career in the field in which there are hardly any opportunities. She showed a new direction for all art historians, who till now were mostly looking for jobs in museums. Zuzanna also works in a kind of museum. The difference is that she created her own mobile museum. I admire her for never getting stuck in one place. She's constantly on a lookout for new inspirations, observes art business all around the world and looks for possibilities of implementing new solutions in Poland. There was no market for DailyArt in her country, but instead of resigning from doing it, she moved directly to international market. It's worth noticing that she runs an international promotion of DailyArt with hardly any budget – she based it on Public Relations activities on popular English language technology portals and blogs.

Key points to remember:

1. Be honest about how it started – what triggered your idea.

2. The turning point – when you started.

3. Step by step – how you moved to the next stage, what inspired you.

4. The most interesting moments.

5. Funny stories.

6. Problems you had to face: ideas for solving them, what worked, what didn't and why.
MENTOR

It can happen to any of us. We're standing at the crossroads and we have no idea where to go next. So we look around and try to find someone who could show us the right direction. A good mentor is like a signpost, she shares her experience and knowledge but then lets you choose your own way.

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, shares his formula for success whenever he can. Less experienced businesswomen could be scared of this approach. The inevitable question appears: what if someone steals my idea? Those who've been in business for a bit longer already know that a good idea turns into a valuable one only when it gets implemented. Most of the people you'll meet along the way have too little discipline and persistence. Then again, thanks to this the business of management and personal development publications thrive. No matter if you agree with Jeff Bezos' ideas for running a business, it's worth to take a look at issues he brings up as they can be perceived as standards in business consulting.

Let's start with the issue of how you should advise. Your knowledge is only half of the success, the other half is the way you present it. It's easy to get vain and forget about staying humble. Remember, your knowledge and experience are only yours. On the one hand, it means that you're the only person who can communicate them right. On the other, what worked for you, won't necessarily work for everybody else. For example, let's have a look at the entrepreneurs who made millions on technology companies in the late 1990's/early 2000's and their advice. Putting it simply, most go along like this: build a product, get users (doesn't matter if they're not paying), sell it ASAP. This could work then but now the company to be perceived as successful and worth investing in needs to be profitable. [I know, you're showing me Twitter as an counterexample – let's go back to this talk when you have a database of about 215 million active users, shall we?] It doesn't mean that you shouldn't listen to them but you need to take changing circumstances into account:

"By the way, one thing I should tell you is that our approach is our approach, and we don't even claim it's the right approach. It's not something that's new, but it's something we've done since the founding of the company. In my view, you set up the business in a way that is aligned with the customer, or you can set it up in odds with the customer. When you have the option, you should figure out a way to be in alignment. Sometimes that requires you to be more patient, so it's part and parcel with long-term thinking." [4]

One of the most important issues we want to hear about from a business mentor concerns creating a business strategy. Usually we have an interesting idea and an inkling that we could make some money on it. But we get stuck when it comes to creating the right business strategy. What I like about Jeff's advice is, that he concentrates on the elements that are unlikely to change in future:

"It helps to base your strategy on things that won't change. When I'm talking with people outside the company, there's a question that comes up very commonly: "What's going to change in the next five to ten years?" But I very rarely get asked "What's not going to change in the next five to ten years?" At Amazon we're always trying to figure that out, because you can really spin up flywheels around those things. All the energy you invest in them today will still be paying you dividends ten years from now. Whereas if you base your strategy first and foremost on more transitory things—who your competitors are, what kind of technologies are available, and so on—those things are going to change so rapidly that you're going to have to change your strategy very rapidly, too." [1]

And then he defines those elements for his industry. It happens too often that we hear a general theory about something that sounds good, but it lacks any details, which stops us from being able to implement it:

"We know customers like low process. We know customers like big selection. And we know customer like fast delivery. These things are gonna be true 10 years from now, they're gonna be true 20 years from now. So we can count on these things and we can put energy into them." [2]

Last but not least: help us identify the biggest threat to our business and find a solution. When we start, we have no idea about all the traps that are waiting for us. A mentor's advice can make all the difference between our success and failure:

"What you see happening is that we can have inventory geographically near major urban populations. If we can be smart enough--and when I say 'smart enough,' I mean have the right technology, the right software systems, machine-learning tools--to position inventory in all the right places, over time, your items never get on an airplane. It's lower cost, less fuel burned, and faster delivery." [3]

Now that we have a strategy we can turn into Hamlets for a while and concentrate on a business "to be or not to be": customers' trust. How can we build it?

First of all, you need to know what they want and try to adapt your offer:

"What we try to do is find things that customers would want. You can always be differentiated, but it's hard to find differentiation that customers care about. So, we are always looking for things that customers would love" [4]

Second, no matter what, you need to stay honest – in the times of online communication nearly every (or if one works in NSA then simply every) information can be checked in a couple of clicks:

"In the old world, you could make a living by hoping that your customer didn't know whether your price was actually competitive. That's a very tenuous strategy in the new world. [Now] you can't convince people you have the low price; you actually have to have the low price. You can't persuade people that your delivery speeds are fast; you actually have to have fast delivery speeds!" [3]

Third, you need to adapt our long term strategy to your recipients' lifestyle. It helps if you have a similar one and concentrate on "how can I improve my client's lives even more" then "how can I make them pay even more":

"Our point of view on that is it allies us better with customers. For example, when we see somebody using a four-year-old or a five-year-old Kindle, we don't have to be discouraged by that. We don't need people to be on the upgrade treadmill. We're basically selling our devices at break-even. If we were making most of our money when people buy the device, we would really want people upgrading. So we think this is a good alignment with customers." [5]

Fourth, make sure your offer is worth more for them than its price:

"Once you become a Prime member, your human nature takes over. You want to leverage your $79 as much as possible. Not only do you buy more, but you buy in a broader set of categories. You discover all the selections we have that you otherwise wouldn't have thought to look to Amazon for."[3]

Fifth, invest in customer service. I know, I know, according to the most of business strategists it's a waste of money. But they forget about two rules of business: the cheapest client is a new client brought to us by our current client (and she'll do this only if she's happy with us), and the most loyal client is the one that once had a problem with our product or service but we solved it (which builds trust and makes her want to stay with us):

"We can see Dylan, and he can hear us, but he can't see us. We did it that way for a couple of reasons. One, it preserves bandwidth for the more important side of the conversation, two the customer doesn't have to worry about what they are or aren't wearing," [6]

And finally, learn (and later teach others) how to be a good boss. There comes a moment when you no longer can run the company on your own. You've invested years of work and sacrifices, so sometimes your emotions can take over your sense. How can you reinvent yourself in the new structure:

"I spend my time on the things where I hope I can contribute the most. The rate of invention here is very high. And it's a place where I can contribute. I once found myself in a meeting with a room full of international tax experts talking about a dispute between Japanese taxing authorities and American taxing authorities. I was invited to the meeting because it was a large amount of money and in the worst-case scenario, we would have had to pay both. This was many years ago and I can't even remember how it was resolved. But 30 minutes into the meeting I said, "Look, guys, I know this is an important issue, but it's not one I can contribute to, so I will bow out."

By the way, I don't spend all of my time focused exclusively on this business. I do spend a lot of time on digital and the device business and Amazon Prime, basically in areas where the rate of change is high and where I can bring various parts of the company together. That's one of the things I can do well because of the length of time I have been here. Anything that requires cross-coordination—and certainly this business does—it brings together Amazon Prime, all of our digital assets, the music store, videos, the Kindle bookstore, everything. That kind of cross-coordination is something I can help with. But the short answer is: When I'm disciplined, I try to spend my time on things where I can contribute." [7]

What can you do when the industry you work in is much more controversial and usually marginalized? The best solution is: always stay meritorical and cool like sex educators Betty Dodson and Carlin Ross.

First of all, promote the tolerance. The most important thing is not to take sides but promote tolerant solutions that are based on respect for every decision:

"Then there are issues of lifestyle. "Children should be told that they can be heterosexual, homosexual, celibate or polysexual," Dodson says. "They can be single, married, divorced, in a monogamous relationship, or not. We should tell children that their status will likely change throughout their lives, that their needs and desires will change, that they don't need to follow one path for their entire lifespan." [1]

Second, define a clear goal. When you mention controversial topics, you risk being designated as "extremists" and, in consequence, being excluded from the discussion. Remember the role of jester? In his jokes he touched the topics that otherwise would stay unmentioned:

"Sarah: If you had to give a short, overall goal for your work, what would it be? Carlin: Female sexual liberation. Viva La Vulva!" [2]

Third, concentrate on questions and needs of your recipients by inviting them into the discussion. When we start communicating online it's tempting to become the stars of our own show, a so called cewebrity. But in the case of difficult topics it can only put more distance between you and them. Instead of broadcasting your own information, become their loudspeakers:

"C: She's the top sex educator In the World

B: She's the best attorney on the planet and my stunt

C: and together we're answering your sex questions

B: All of them. You can't ask a question that we won't answer. No censorship. Lay it on us. We're there for you" [3]

And prepare summaries that will allow those not oriented in the issue to understand it:

"The disjuncture between what teens see and what they actually understand is evident in the emails Dodson and Ross receive.Can I get pregnant during my period? asks one. How do I know if I am a virgin? another wonders." [1]

"Sarah: What are your top three types of questions you receive to the site? Carlin: 1. Am I normal, 2. Did I have an orgasm, and 3. How do I orgasm during sex. First, it's about body image and genital shame then it's about not knowing how to stimulate their bodies or recognize an orgasm." [2]

Fourth, don't be afraid of controversy but provide clear explanations:

"We should expand sex education to include excluded information such as porn," Ross continues. "Everything should be on the table for discussion. This generation is the first to have 24/7 access to online technology. They can watch porn stars and see anal sex and double penetration with one click of a mouse. Almost all of them have a cell phone and can take pictures of themselves that mimic these actors and they can post these photos on Facebook. Telling them to abstain when sex is all over the internet is ridiculous. We need to teach them that what porn stars do - or how they look - is not typical, that porn is for entertainment and can be used for fantasy, but it is not how we have sex." [1]

I'm a big fan of Amazon and their environmentally friendly business model (ebooks). You don't need a new Kindle device every year or two because Amazon makes money on digital content. And even more important side effect is that one's worth is not defined by a gadget but by the knowledge obtained thanks to it. In fact you don't need a Kindle Reader at all. You can use a free reading app on any of your devices – PC, laptop, tablet or even smartphone.

As to Dodson and Ross I have only one thing to say: if you want to talk about tabu, leave 50 shades series and check their YouTube channel. If you want to write mummy porn you'll find some inspirations there, too. Not that I tried, I suck with fiction.

Key points to remember

1. What is your experience (regarding all aspects of your life: work, hobby, everyday life)?

2. Remember the three aspects that always drive interest: money, love and healing the world. What do you have to say about them?

3. What are you best at and what you like doing most – combine these elements and see what comes out of it.

4. Register on Quora and see what people have to say about the topics you're interested in and which answers get the highest votes.

5. Show the direction but don't get tempted to guide your recipients by the 'only right road'. What worked for you might not be so good for the others.
PROBLEM SOLVER

"New" and "innovative" are probably two most overused words when introducing new (see!) solutions. But those really innovative (huh!) usually are based on well known solutions implemented in unexpected ways. How can you adapt working business solutions to fight the world most urgent problems? And, what's even more important, how can you convince others to join you?

Armenia Nercessian de Oliveira left her career in United Nations to become the President of International Operations in a new online gallery. Novica.com connects local artisans from poor regions with clients all over the world. Sounds familiar? You're right. She's the Armenia from Eat, Pray, Love. There's nothing new about this portal – it's simply an online shop with jewellery, accessories and clothes. There are thousands of them, many also support charities. But National Geographic chose Novica as its partner. So let's have a look how Armenia answers the "how can I help you?" question step by step.

When we talk about solutions, we often concentrate on ourselves and we ignore the most important part – how can our solutions help others with developing their projects? If we want our work to have a positive impact on changing the world, we have to remember that one company won't be able to do it. To create permanent change, we need to engage more enterprises into our plan. And they won't do it until they fully understand how it works. Novica's business model is a solution for the main problem of the modern trade – how we can combine the proper earnings of local artisans with the comfort of a chain shop:

"What Novica is doing is truly revolutionary. We have actually combined the best of both models to create a third, more powerful model. Through the Internet, and through our extensive physical infrastructure, we are able to provide the financial and technological means to promote small businesses, which benefits individual craftsmen, and we are also able to serve as a massive, consolidated, worldwide marketplace, which benefits customers in much the same way as a typical superstore does. But, of course, our items are handmade, and mostly one of a kind, which makes the value much, much greater than any other superstore experience. This powerful balance that we have created has quickly proven to be an extraordinary success." [1]

If we're working for the well being of a community, the first question we should ask ourselves is how our action will impact not only on their image in the world, but most importantly on their internal relations (which determine their happiness in everyday life). Apart from financial development, the gallery has a significant impact on strengthening relations inside the communities it cooperates with:

"But beyond business and the economic improvement of artisans, we are also and mainly talking about dignity, about pride, about the international recognition of extraordinary work. Our artisans become personalities in their communities. Luiz Antonio, one of our painters, said that all his neighbors know him and respect him more because he is a Novica artist. When the artisans become successful and important, their children and other young people in the communities begin to have a new respect toward traditional cultures and skills. In many areas, because Novica has dramatically increased demand for traditional crafts, many skilled craftsmen are now able to return to their traditional work. In many cases the artisans had been working as unskilled laborers, because the local market for traditional handicrafts had dried up." [1]

The Internet has been named a 'web of possibilities' because it allows more and more people to free themselves from the sigma of their localization and provide their services and products wherever they're needed right now. But the ability to use the Internet is not as obvious as we'd think. It's very important that you help the communities to learn how to function online, and not only attach them to your company. The key to success is providing help and independence in right proportions:

"I've also heard many stories from our artists about how they go to cyber cafes to check their Novica inventory and experiment with their marketing strategies. Few if any of our artists have computers in the beginning, so they pay someone to log onto our site for them - and of course they love to show everyone that, "This is me - this is my business on the Internet."" [1]

Economic development is often accused of destroying local cultures and traditions. On the other hand, at the time when we're tired with globalization and the lack of diversity it brings, the cultural differences are what attracts us most. Instead of perceiving tradition as a symptom of backwardness, you can find it to be your distinguishing mark on modern markets. For example, helping local cultures survive like Novica does:

"It is also a pleasure to help introduce people to other cultures - to be able to offer people around the world the uniqueness of khadi, for example, the handspun and hand woven Indian cloth that has been so poetically described by Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, the granddaughter of Gandhi, as "a thread of creation, bringing philosophy and reality together and a source of bread and beauty." Novica has been able to respond to Tara's appeal for the welfare of traditional khadi artisans by providing them with the opportunity to present their products to the world." [1]

Another problem concerns the recipients. People are often not interested in other cultures, unless they are promoted in the mainstream media. They want to own the same "uniforms" as their friends to show their material status. But it seems that consumerism can be fought with consumerism, too:

"Likewise, it is also rewarding to read the emails that our Novica customers send to us, thanking us for our mission and raving about how purchasing through Novica turns out to be an extraordinary, unexpected cultural experience." [1]

Some time ago I met a friend for a coffee. We were talking about life and she said one sentence that guides me since then "When everything's good, don't stand in the same place but ask yourself 'How can it be even better?'".

"We have a project called "Build a School," which we intend to expand this year. And we will also focus more on putting Novica.com's infrastructure at the service of some UN projects related to education and child labor eradication in the 12 countries where we have offices. In Brazil, there is a good initiative to keep children at school and take them out from the streets — the "Bolsa-escola." Poor parents are given a "scholarship" — money to replace the earnings the children would otherwise make in the streets to help their families." [2]

We love nice, shiny things. So it's much easier for us to accept the ugly ones (like poverty of local artisans) when they're packed in the pretty ones (unique products we can buy from them). It's much harder to deal with tough topics when we see them just as they are. Like in Samasource's case, a social company founded by Leila Janah. It challenges the perception of the poorest people living in developing countries as unable to provide valuable work. How did she convince us to listen and participate?

First, she formulated the main idea in a way that's attractive for all of us: how solving economic problems on other markets has a positive impact on our own financial situation. The crisis in the United States and Europe doesn't help when it comes to building support for international actions. To overcome this obstacle you need to concentrate not on the idea of philanthropy but on promoting solutions that even when implemented in another region, in the end will improve also the quality of our lives:

"Work is at the core of human dignity. it's how we define ourselves and our position in the world. so this lack of work represents in my mind the biggest threats to global stability." [1]

"Our greatest natural resource is the human capacity of the people our current economic system has written off. What propels me forward is the vision of building massive social businesses that enfranchise these bottom billions, treat them fairly, and offer them the chance to achieve their human potential." [2]

To do this, first you have to fight myths that have blocked the development till now. As long as you don't challenge them, there will always be enemies of your solutions who by stressing the short term disadvantages will drive away your recipients from long term advantages:

"I graduated from high school a semester early and I spent the second semester of that year teaching English in Ghana. My students, who were blind and living in one of the poorest countries in the world, were incredibly articulate and just really capable at a level that surprised me. They could name U.S. senators. They could write well. They had read all sorts of interesting books.

I was really shocked because I'd internalized this myth about poverty — that poor people were either incapable or unable to work — and it struck me, as a teacher there, that all of my students would have been completely capable of doing all sorts of basic white-collar jobs. The people certainly were not charity cases and, yet, that's how we were treating them." [3]

You also need to explain how your business model works. We're back to the topic mentioned before – if you want to change the world you won't be able to do it by yourself. You need participation of other companies and they need to be shown how they can get engaged in the project:

"I had just read Thomas Friedman's book the world is flat and I thought is outsourcing with generating billions of dollars for a few rich guys in India and china why couldn't the same model generate a few dollars for billions of people in poor countries. why couldn't we convert internet cafes like Steve's into digital factories in every village and slum fueled by working for large corporations sitting on coffers full of cash." [4]

"Sama means equal in Sanskrit and our mission is to give work rather than handouts. we're a different kind of technology company we build tools to connect to the world's poorest people to income by internet using a concept that we invented called micro work. Micro work refers to any small task that a person can do with the computer and internet connection." [4]

Don't be afraid to show how the business model works in practice. Remember the second sentence from the cover? We remember stories. With current information overdose it doesn't take long to forget what we have just heard or read. It's much easier to remember a story that we can associate with our experience:

"Micro work includes small tasks that you can do on a smartphone or cheap computer with internet connection. One company we heard of generate sales leads this way. They sell solar panels and to find out which houses need them they upload thousands of images of rooftops in San Francisco and ask people to click a button if the rooftop has a visible panel. Micro work tabs the cloud. A large group of casual workers completes tasks with a couple of pence each. but these small payments can add up to real money." [1]

And we're back in the game of finding ways to duplicate our model. If you want others to join, you have to remember that showing possibilities of development while using your business model is as important as explaining it properly:

"Right now there's more than three hundred billion dollars of micro work sitting in the budgets of large companies. it could go to traditional outsourcing firms. or it could go towards satisfying dr king's audacious belief. Give work and every family can afford three meals a day for their bodies. give work and every child can enjoy education and culture for her mind. give work and one day and keep future people everywhere can enjoy dignity equality and freedom for their spirits." [4]

It's often hard to help a community to get out of poverty because the solutions concentrate around the localization and not abilities. No matter if it's work, education or new business relations, in the 21st century we should definitely concentrate more on online possibilities. Think of all the materials and courses provided for free by the best universities in the world. And remember how Zuzanna found clients, though there was no direct interest in her product in her country?

"Few of the informal jobs available to the port take advantage of the education that so many young people now receive. jobs like making handicrafts or selling things in local markets or hopping agricultural produce are not going to catapult people out of poverty in the long run. I'm going to propose that we give poor people more credit. and I'm not talking about microcredit. I'm talking about including them in the future of work, digital work. digital work includes everything that can be done and delivered using a device with an internet connection from tagging images to turning books into text files to selling real estate on second life." [1]

"So for many areas too remote to set up a factory or to infertile to grow crops digital work is a new ways to bring much-needed capital to the people who need it most." [1]

Another important element of promoting your business strategy is the cost of implementation. Neither enterprises nor NGOs have limitless budgets, so before they make a decision they need to see if it is profitable for them:

"The number of computers in the world has now reached over two billion and what's remarkable is that they are all connected. we had one pathetic undersea cable in eighteen fifty eight between the US and Europe. just one. fast-forward to twenty eleven cables have landed everywhere. the cost for East African to get online will go down by ninety percent this year thanks to two new fiber optic cables that landed on the coast." [4]

The promotion of social projects is a never ending story, mostly of failures. Communication activities often are more discouraging than encouraging as they concentrate on making us feel guilty. In effect it works as an anesthetic – when we see too many of these communicates we start ignoring them. One of the most important aspects of promoting a social enterprise is talking about optimistic and positive solutions. In other words, make people feel like heroes, not villains:

"I've found that, at the end of the day, you have to make the message positive, and you have to relate it to people's day-to-day experience in life. The first way you relate it to people is you bring them back to the idea that a human is a human, no matter where he or she happens to live, and that no human's fate should be determined by an accident of birth." [3]

Companies and NGOs that work on social projects usually are so concentrated on their goals and people participating in them, on proving their disinterestedness to others, that their personalities disappear. They forget that people are driven to action not only by a goal but by people they can identify with. What differentiates Leila in the NGO world is that she tells the story of Samasource from her own perspective, including the hard moments:

"Nothing is an overnight success. Building Samasource and now Samahope has required more persistence than I knew I had. For the first few years, we got little attention from funders and clients. I was friends with a group of people who joined Facebook in the early days, and it was incredibly hard to see how quickly Facebook was growing and then return to my tiny desk at Stanford (where I incubated Samasource) and be motivated to keep plugging away at my vision. The boldest ideas — those that create radical cultural and business transformation — take a great deal of time to mature and take form." [2]

What drew my attention to both of the companies is, that they give me a simple answer to such questions as how I can live a better life, have an impact on improving the world while not putting too much energy into it. Bonus they usually provide: getting to know new people, different points of view, new cultures and alternative business models. Who knows, maybe it's the solution for me or you? It's getting easier thanks to the development of online tools and English becoming the official language of business around the world. Lack of interest or market for our products or services in our direct localization doesn't mean anymore that we have to resign.

Key points to remember:

1. Describe the problem and emphasize why it's important to find a solution.

2. The solution: what's right and what's wrong.

3. The solution: what are the business opportunities.

4. The solution: social impact.

5. The solution: how others can implement it step by step.

6. The solution: impact on other areas of life and regions (remember the butterfly effect?).

7. Concentrate on sending a positive message.
KNOWLEDGE BROKER

#

During one minute people run through Google over 2,000,000 searches, publish 48 hours of videos on YouTube, send 204,166,667 emails, post 684,478 Facebook updates and 100,000 tweets (source: http://mashable.com/2012/06/22/data-created-every-minute/). There is no way we can process all this information by ourselves. That's why we turn to people who are able to put order into it – knowledge brokers. We trust them to provide us with truly most important information from our chosen field. What are their methods?

Robert Scoble's name has become a synonym to tech trends. But apart from the amount of time he spends searching for new technologies, notice how he does it. He mixes different online sources (which usually are not traditional news portals but rather social media platforms where he can hear directly from those who create the trends) with face-to-face meetings:

"Here's how I stay ahead of the technology trends:

1. Study the money. Investors see everything before other groups. So, watch what they talk about. I built a Facebook list of investors here: https://www.facebook.com/lists/1...

2. Study the startups themselves. Startups often tell you what they are seeing. Also, they brag about partnerships, growth, etc. That will let you see new trends before other people see them. I built a Facebook list of 1,900 startups here: https://www.facebook.com/lists/1...

3. Study the programming tools. When a new tool comes along, it often predicts what kinds of technologies will be built in the future. I built a Facebook list of stuff for programmers here: https://www.facebook.com/lists/1...

4. Study the journalists. If you watch the journalists who cover tech, you can often see tech trends before others do who don't follow the news that closely. I built a Facebook list of journalists here: https://www.facebook.com/lists/1...

Some other things I do:

1. Network face-to-face. I'm in London right now and later today will meet with entrepreneurs and coworkers at Rackspace to learn about what they are building, seeing. Last week I visited Autodesk and Flipboard and talked with their execs. Autodesk showed me how big a deal 3D printing is becoming. Flipboard showed me new curation models and discussed the changing roles of social media in contextual software (I'm writing a book about that).

2. Visit University labs. I saw self-driving cars in 2007 at Stanford University, for instance, and interviewed the guy who built the algorithms for what became the Google car.

3. Visit research labs. I regularly visit SRI (where Siri and the mouse were invented), IBM Research (where the hard drive was invented, they currently are working on new storage techniques and new batteries), and Microsoft Research. They often know about and are working on trends five to 15 years out. SRI showed off the mouse and Windows in late 1960s and it wasn't until the Macintosh in 1984 that we could buy those technologies.

4. Watch TED videos. TED tries to identify trends before anyone else and get the world's leading experts on those trends to give talks about them. http://www.ted.com

5. Follow tech trends and topics on Quora. Quora is a great place to see what's happening. I am following about 100 topics (no people) and it's a great way to see what interests people in the tech world.

Hope that helps you stay current on trends. I've also built lists of tech executives and tech entrepreneurs over on Facebook that I will be sharing soon. Why Facebook? Because I can build lists of more than 500 things and share them with you (I can't do that on Twitter or Google+).

I have two other lists that are also helpful:

1. Tech VIPs. This is a list of people who have done extraordinary things in the tech industry. They often see trends before others. https://www.facebook.com/lists/1...

2. Big tech companies. Big tech companies often see trends and act on them. Here's a list of big tech companies: https://www.facebook.com/lists/1..." [1]

It's easier when you're in a branch that everybody's interested in. But what you can do when general public is not into your topic at all? Elise Andrew has a good answer for you. It took her only a couple of months to build I Fucking Love Science, the most popular science page on Facebook.

Nowadays, there are so many sources of knowledge, you can be sure that when you're planning to do something, somebody has already been doing it. It doesn't mean that you should give up, but instead on concentrating on providing neutral information, you should find a way to distinguish yourself from others. In today's online world your personality is in many cases even more important than your knowledge. How does Elise distinguish herself in the worlds of social media and science? Thanks to her unique style of curating information:

"I just keep sharing things I think are amazing, and people keep agreeing with me. I certainly think our name contributes (you certainly can't scroll past it without at least looking) and I know many people enjoy the irreverent, humorous take on science. It's easy to relate to, it's easy to enjoy. It doesn't feel like a lecture or a lesson." [1]

The key to her success occurred to be the name she chose for her fanpage. There are two approaches to creating blog addresses and social media names. You can either choose a catchy name or use your own. The latter is suggested if you want to establish yourself as an expert in your field. It's also easier to adapt your channels to your new interests without the burden of positioning new name. Though if you're planning to turn it into a portal with a couple of editors you might want to stick to the first option:

"I think the name is a big part of it. The nice thing about the name is that you can't ignore it, you have to go and look. A lot of people view science as dull or boring, and I think the stance we take, using humour, not taking ourselves too seriously... I think people enjoy that. I think it's quite refreshing." [2]

As we mentioned before, there are so many sources of information available that staying neutral is the worst mistake you can make. The second is concentrating on quantity of presented materials. Automatic news aggregator will always win with you anyway. Nowadays, what matters is your opinion and offering clear explanations. Elise also chooses all the information so that they correspond with her goal:

"For me personally, the most important scientific breakthrough wouldn't be a new discovery or technology. It would be the average person waking up to how incredible our universe is - realizing what's out there and working towards their own education. A scientifically literate society." [1]

Keep in mind that sources in themselves have no value. Everybody has access to them, so you should always remember to share links with your recipients. What matters is why you chose this source, what you have to say about it and that you share it with others:

"Science is amazing and it's f****** interesting and you should want to go and learn about it. That's why I link to different sources and show them different things—there's YouTube, there's this website, there's that website.

I try really hard not to overly rely on one source for example, even though there's some that I'm overly keen about. I'm always trying to link people to all these different ideas and all these different places on the Internet. I recommend the science page of the week or different places they can go. That's what I think is really important about it. I'm never going to teach people promotion of critical thinking or translating scientific information that influences me and blah, blah, blah, blah... But I can open people up to everything that's out there—and then they'll go and do that themselves, because the best education is always self-education, but you have to pique their interest to get there." [3]

Often the biggest challenges appear not in the innovative fields but those traditional ones that have been functioning for years according to the same set of rules. Writing about new technologies and trends is tempting but the real market for your knowledge is elsewhere. What would happen if you connected traditional branches with new channels of communication? If you do this right, you get an explosive mixture. Elise notices the wider perspective regarding the new channel for science communication and implications for the branch:

"Sometimes I worry that science communication is just preaching to the choir, speaking to the converted. Social media gives us an amazing opportunity to reach new people. All those people who were turned off of science at school, because of a poor curriculum, or bad teachers or parents who just didn't see that it's important - we can show them that they shouldwant to learn, not because they have to but because this stuff is fucking cool. We've got a second chance to capture them." [4]

The first two knowledge brokers concentrate on providing interesting knowledge and facts in one field. What if your interests are much wider? Like in Maria Popova's case, whose blog Brain Pickings covers all types of information that might play role in driving your inspiration.

Being a man of Renaissance is very tempting. Especially when we all have some eclectic interests that may impress our company. Still, few of us have deep knowledge and skills in a wide spectrum of fields. I really like the Renaissance-style mix of science and art as both are a form of creation, designed to improve human life. If you decide to take this route remember that there's no tolerance for shallow knowledge based on Wikipedia. Check how Maria chooses the right content to be a source of constant inspiration (the blog's been already working for 7 years):

"Brain Pickings is a highly curatorial endeavor. And the art of curation isn't about the individual pieces of content, but about how these pieces fit together, what story they tell by being placed next to each other, and what statement the context they create makes about culture and the world at large. Every piece of content on Brain Pickings is hand-picked for embodying the sort of cultural interestingness at the core of our curatorial vision – it's creative, compelling and makes a meaningful contribution to the world; it offers a justification to be curious and enriches you in the process of indulging that curiosity.

Great curation is also about pattern-recognition – seeing various pieces of culture and spotting similarities across them that paint a cohesive picture of a larger trend. Brain Pickings addresses this with our signature "omnibus" posts that spotlight 3-10 examples of a larger creative or cultural trend – cross-disciplinary conferences, urban guerrilla interventions, vintage-inspired posters for modern movies, hand-cut book sculptures, you name it." [1]

P.S. don't be afraid to share your method with others. For most of us it'll still be too complex and time consuming. For those who'll want to adapt it, the core is still your opinion and it is something that nobody can do better than you. How does it work in Maria's case:

"One thing I've honed over the years – in part by countless hours of reading and in part because I suspect it's how my brain is wired – is drawing connections between things, often things not immediately or obviously related, spanning different disciplines and time periods. I wouldn't call that "expertise" so much as obsession – it's something that gives me enormous joy and stimulation, so I do it a great deal, but I don't know if that constitutes expertise." [2]

Have you ever felt like you need to get a sign from above that this is what you should do? I think we're all guilty of that. But the real inspiration, as Steve Jobs said, comes from looking back at our experience and connecting the dots. The turning point for Brain Pickings – Maria's inspiration came from the real life and continuous work on making things better:

"I noticed that what the guys were circulating around the office for inspiration was stuff from within the ad industry and I didn't believe that was how creativity worked. I started sending out an email every Friday including five things that had nothing to do with advertising, but that I thought were meaningful, interesting, or important—and not just cool." [3]

When you're a knowledge broker you need to remember the importance of research in comparison to search. An average person narrows down her research to the first two pages of Google search. Apart from the risk of ignoring the information that is crucial for our topic, it also has a negative impact on our reputation – a child who is just starting to use the Internet can do it, too:

"And I think that's part of our challenge today, not just semantically but also practically – we tend to conflate "research" with search, which is always driven by looking for something you already know you're interested in; but I think the richest "research" is driven by discovery, that intersection of curiosity and serendipity that lets you expand your intellectual and creative comfort zone beyond what you already knew you were looking for." [2]

Up till now we have concentrated on the Internet's advantages in the development of the individuals and societies. But we can't forget the threats and traps it creates. Here are some of pros and cons of the Internet when it comes to driving human development according to Maria:

"I worry about the temporal bias of the web – everything online is based around vertical chronology. The latest stuff floats at the top, and the older stuff sinks towards the bottom. It suggests that just because something is more recent, it's more relevant; yet, in culture, the best ideas are timeless, they have no expiration date. This makes the internet a tricky medium for organising information and prioritising knowledge. The best thing is the obvious thing – the remarkable access to nearly infinite information. It is my hope that, as we find better ways to transmute that information into knowledge and wisdom, we'll be better able to ameliorate the former with the latter." [4]

What motivates you to continue your work? Being a knowledge broker is a tedious work and effects might not be visible for quite a long time. That's why it's good to have a goal that will help you overcome boredom or excess of information. In Maria's case it's going against the culture of Google:

"We've created a culture that fetishizes the new(s), and we forget the wealth of human knowledge, wisdom, and transcendence that lives in the annals of what we call "history" – art, literature, philosophy, and so many things that are both timeless and incredibly timely.

Our presentism bias – anchored in the belief that if it isn't at the top of Google, it doesn't matter, and if it isn't Googleable at all, it doesn't exist – perpetuates our arrogance that no one has ever grappled with the issues we're grappling with. Which of course is tragically untrue." [2]

Have I mentioned the amount of tedious work in front of you? Let's be honest, the knowledge broker technique is not for the faint of heart or those who have problems with motivation and work's organization. If you decide to do it, your whole life will be centered around it. How do you organize your work?

"I keep a comprehensive editorial calendar that stretches weeks, months, and sometimes well over a year into the future, where I plan my reading (and thus my writing) – book releases, notable birthdays, anniversaries of important historical events." [2]

Don't let the number of social media icons on different websites and blogs fool you. Usually only one or two really matter. As long as you don't have an army of PR specialists who need to be occupied with something, decide from the beginning which platforms you want to use. The most important technical aspect of Maria's everyday work is how to choose the right channel for particular information:

"What I pick for my blog and what I pick for Twitter are different things. One thing that is true for both, by and large, is that it has to feel like something that leaves you with more than just a moment of gawking. There are really cool or funny videos, or visually stunning photos, and that's fine, but none of them really give you more when you close that tab, you know? I try to find stuff that a little bit, in a tiny way changes how you see something about the world. With Brain Pickings, especially, whenever I look at a piece of content. I think "Can I add something to it? Can I add some depth and context and background to really make it worth featuring?" Or do I just do what Jeff Jarvis calls "do-what-you-do-best-and-link-to-the-rest," and just tweet it instead? That's always the litmus test. Is there something that I can say. If I can pull in pieces of older content or something else that connects different disciplines or different ideologies, then I will write an article about it." [5]

Like in any other field, apart from the current situation you need to be aware of the future prognosis to adapt your development according to it. Like Maria, who has to find her place in the future of curating information:

"I think the need for curators will increase disproportionately to the number. I don't think we'll ever reach a point where there will be too many excellent curators because, like any market economy, there's a limited pool of resources – in this case, people's attention and loyalty – so an increase in the number of curators will simply raise the bar for what constitutes great content curation, rather than dilute the art of it. We'll probably see more of a specialization, with many curators branching out into narrower areas of expertise." [1]

Usually we start acting as knowledge brokers because of our ego. But we continue due to our impact on our community. How do you make sure that your needs and your recipients' expectations are equally fulfilled? First, by remembering that if creating it isn't a pleasure for you, it won't be a pleasure to read for them. You need to know what drives your need to contribute to the world and to making it a better place:

"It's very challenging to talk about these things that are very deep and existential without it sounding contrived or dishing out clichés, but at the end of the day, the reason clichés exist is that they're true. That's all one big disclaimer to what I'm about to say, which is that I truly, truly believe that our first responsibility is to ourselves—to be true to our sense of right and wrong, our sense of purpose and meaning. That's how we contribute to the world. Anyone who is able to do that for him or herself is already contributing a great deal of human potential into our collective, shared pool of humanity. That's my litmus test, I guess." [3]

What attracts me to knowledge brokers? Mostly the way their work facilitates my life.

Robert Scoble and my work: with the current pace of technology development it'd be impossible for me to keep up to date with it. So I check what trends will be most important according to him and then analyze their possible impact on my branch.

Maria Popova and my hobby (or rather addiction to reading): she provides me with a flow of new ideas which is much easier than searching, especially that anywhere else I'll find mostly the new titles, not necessarily worth my time.

Elise Andrews and inspirations out of the blue: I was never good at science [sigh] so she surprises me with something new practically every day. I follow IFLS because it's not really connected to my work or hobbies, so it gives me an insight to the world, otherwise I'd have no idea about. This gives me the distance to what I'm doing, my everyday life and all the information that surrounds me.

Key points to remember:

1. You can start with sources available to all of us but remember that you have to go through amount of it, which is hard to digest for a normal person. That's why we'll come to you – for the essence.

2. Don't hide your point of view. There are so many sources that we don't care about the neutrality anymore. We want to hear from people who have their opinion and to be able to discuss it with them.

3. As you develop your brand be sure to work on getting access to the sources hard to get for an average person.
EXPERT

To be honest, I got stuck here for a while. I'm writing about communication techniques but in case of any person mentioned here I've been observing their work and fields of expertise for a couple of years. During past few years I've come against so many experts that it would be hard to choose only two or three names. In the end, it's one of the most frequently used communication techniques. So I prepared a list of names and... one by one I asked myself: can I guarantee my readers that this person is a real expert , not only good in implementing the technique? So I decided to narrow it down to the field of communication which I've been occupied with for about ten years (doing research during my studies and later working in the field).And as you're here to learn something more about communication it's a win-win.

The best way to see how an expert works is to take the advice she gives and check if she uses the same rules in her work. I chose Chris Brogan as an example, as he's mastered not one but various areas of online communication: blog, newsletter, Twitter and recently his own online magazine. Here we go: 97 Ideas for Building A Valuable Platform – what Chris advises and what he does:

START SOMEWHERE

1. Don't fret as much about the technology. Don't have a blog? Start one at WordPress.com or Tumblr.com. If you want more flexibility, get your own WordPress blog (affiliate link) by clicking the 4th option on this page.

Though you may be misleaded by "ChrisBrogan.com runs on Genesis Framework" note on the bottom of his website, Chris's website uses WordPress technology. Genesis Framework provides only Premium Themes for WP. So he knows what he's talking about. I'd just add that if the design is not your primary concern you might want to choose Blogger due to its better positioning (checked by me personally and confirmed by fellow professionals).

2. What are you passionate about? What is useful to others? These two thoughts combined are your best bet at defining your platform.

"I'm working hard these days to equip professionals like you for what I'm calling the personal business revolution. Whether you plan to keep a day job and just want to be the CEO of your cubicle, or if you're planning to try something new with your next steps, that's what I'm helping with via courses and my media, and most everything I'm doing. Most people here are anywhere from ages 35-76, and I'm less interested in startups than I am start-overs." [1]

3. You might be the "little drummer boy," worried that what you have to say isn't worthy. Everyone has something to contribute, especially if you remember to be the real you and not a copy of others you feel are successful.

"We talk about marketing and sales and service, but almost always as a kind of blended part of the fabric of the digital channel. The concept, as we understand it, is that understanding how better to connect with people, how to create valuable media, and how to build all the other important points of contact in the digital space is what matters most." [1]

4. Get in the habit of writing daily, even if you don't post daily. Start with 200 words. Then 300. The current best bet for a blog post's length is between 300-500 words. You can get that.

You're welcome to count ;)

5. Remember that there are all kinds of platform-making choices. You can do blogs, video, newsletters, social networks, and many more avenues. What you can't do is do ALL of those well. Pick a few and work from there. One, maybe two, is a good start.

Blog: ChrisBrogan.com – main outlet

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/chrisbrogan?feature=watch \- for videos

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisbrogan \- for talking with readers

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+ChrisBrogan/ \- additional positioning

6. Don't be afraid to consider video or audio as part of the mix. We are inundated with text. Why not give all those shiny new smartphones and tablet computers something to consume?

Chris also has a podcast version of many of his blog entries:

A big plus for people who commute a lot, so they can download it and listen on their way. Chris also gets a brownie point as it allows those with sight problems to benefit from his knowledge.

Link: http://humanbusinessworks.com/radioshow/

7. The simplest of messages is often the one we need to hear the most. Paulo Coelho has a world record for how many languages and countries his book, The Alchemist, has been translated into for consumption. The real core of the book is about love and how all things are essentially the same.

"But I believe belonging and learning how to belong and learning how to foster belonging is something that will define a lot about you and your business in the coming years. Belonging. When one feels they belong, they will give you a lot of leeway." (from weekly newsletter – one of his best IMHO). [2]

8. People always worry about how often or rarely they should post. The answer is "how often do you have something worthy of tapping into my attention?" Do it that often.

Have a look at the frequency of the new posts on his blog – sometimes they appear every day, sometimes there's nothing new for more than a week.

9. It's hard to create consistently without inspiration. Read often. Keep your eyes open. Be wary of how your world offers you stories every day.

In November 2012 Chris announced that he's going on a 3 book diet and for the following year he'd read only 3 books. On January, 2 2013 he called it off. He was looking for inspiration for improving his business. So the 3 book diet goes to the same drawer as only-apples-and-eggs-for-a-month diet. Never to be opened again.

10. No matter what other tools you use, make sure you have a website that is your "home base." Everything else is an outpost. You can spend more time on the outposts, but your goal is to encourage a visit to the home base for a furthering of the relationship.

Go back to question 5. However tempting building a business page on Facebook might be, remember that you have no impact on what will happen tomorrow and you have to adapt to their terms of use, however inconvenient for you.

EMBRACE BREVITY

11. We are in a consumption society. People can barely read a tweet. Keep everything brief. Note how a numbered list helps with this? Do similar things. Think bite-sized.

"For the next time you feel like you don't belong, here's a quick recipe.

1.) Accept that you're a great and wonderful person.

2.) Think about why NOT. Why shouldn't you belong? (There are times when there's a good reason, but rarely are they the ones you do to put yourself down.)

3.) Connect. Dare to go first. Say hello. Or whatever. Do something to lash yourself to someone else, if only briefly.

4.) Find the common ground.

5.) Think of a way to add value to that other person without wanting anything for yourself (the hardest part, but the best chance)." [2]

12. We tend to overwrite. Most people's first few paragraphs are throat-clearing, and their endings are weak. Try cutting from the beginning, and making sure the ending of what you write lands well.

Let's have a look at first and last sentence from a couple of his posts:

"I built you a business magazine.

It's my promise to you." [3]

"As part of what I'm doing for Owner magazine, I'm working on partnership offerings for businesses who want to work with us.

Well, that's the owner's game, isn't it?" [4]

13. Short sentences rule. Read The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. You can't not write like her afterwards.

"I'm so glad you're here! I'm Chris Brogan and this is my personal website. My business website is Human Business Works. My podcast is the Human Business Way. The very _best_ thing I do every week is the super secret awesome stuff I share in my Sunday newsletter (it's FREE)." [1]

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/new/

"And that's how I decide. How do YOU decide? Where do you put your best work? And why?" [5]

14. In video, the goal is under 2 minutes, unless it's a speech or an interview. A trick: you can break up videos with your own "commercials."

10 newest videos on YouTube (in minutes): 1:52, 3:24, 2:40, 1:14, 0:35, 1:02, 2:58, 1:10, 2:36, 0:43.

15. People can barely read tweets. If your blog post is super long, make it worth it.

Yes, 300-500 words is usually considered a long read online.

16. Writing commentary about other people's ideas is great – occasionally. Start formulating your own brief ideas.

"Every year since around 2006, I've been challenging people to forego the idea of a resolution, and instead, to come up with 3 words that will help you define your goals and experiences for the coming year"

2007: seek, frame, build, bridge [6]

2008: believe, loops, farm [7]

2009: equip, armies, needles [8]

2010: ecosystem, owners, kings [9]

2011: reinvest, package, flow [10]

2012: temple, untangle, practice [11]

2013: Walt, Ender, Monchu [12]

17. Want to master brevity? Learn how to create useful posts on Twitter. It spreads to other mediums quite well. Participate in a few hashtag chats like #blogchat on Sunday nights (US time).

"The guy behind me sounds like John Wayne. OH: "Would ya hold my banana?" And he meant it. :)" [13]

"An investor is an owner. Be really sure you want someone else to own some of your future choices." [13]

"If you ask great questions, you stand to learn something of great value." [13]

18. If you can say it with fewer words, do so.

Go back to question 17.

19. Think of ways to "chunk" your content, so that people can consume it. We're consuming more and more on mobile devices. How will you serve that marketplace?

"I was going to say no. The answer is: mobile responsive design. If your site isn't flawlessly beautiful on a smartphone and a tablet, stop blogging. No one will care in a week or two. Mobile responsive design is a MUST, not a nice to have." [14]

20. Email newsletters were born to be brief. One "ask" per email is plenty.

In all his newsletters and mailings there is never more than one "selly sell" offer.

VIDEO. VIDEO. VIDEO

21. Find a video recording tool and start using it. It can be your laptop. It can be a standalone like the Kodak PlayTouch. Whatever. Just start recording. Practice getting comfortable. Delete the first dozen until you feel like you can look at the lens.

Does Chris look into the camera on his videos? Check.

Tip: remember to check that you turned off the camera on your computer before talking on Skype or Hangouts while still in pajamas.

22. Get a YouTube account. You can use any other platform you want, but you must also use YouTube. It's the #2 search engine in the world. Why would you NOT use it?

Date of establishing YouTube account: 7th April 2006 [15]

Videos uploaded: 378 (checked on 4.10.2013)

Views: 723 003

Subscriptions: 3 130

23. Practice recording daily. Practice publishing weekly. Even if it's just a few minutes. (It's better 63ust63 's 63ust a few minutes.)

Chris started his blog in 2006 (~7 years ago) and posted 378 videos which gives 54 videos per year. [15]

24. Remember that brevity rules. 2 minute videos (or even shorter) get much more play and have many more views until the end than long videos. Yes, interviews are a different beast. Break them up with "commercials" or other ways to segment them.

If you compare videos on his YT channel you'll see that it's not the rule. The most played videos were those that had the most catchy title and answered viewers' needs at that time. E.g. "How to record a podcast on a Mac?" (2 235), "How NOT to reconnect" (1 526) or "How to Update Your Google Plus Primary Identity" (2 213). [15]

25. You can edit just fine in iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. If you graduate to Final Cut Pro or Sony Vegas or whatever, great. But don't worry about that at first. Just start with the simple and the inexpensive.

Just google "free video cutter".

26. AUDIO is the secret to better video. People forgive a lot of visual mess if you have solid audio.

Stop for a while on "New here?" page to watch the video. [1]

27. How I learn more and more about video comes from watching and dissecting how others do what they do. Find interesting video shows (or TV shows) and figure out how they get what they get.

Check his YT account to see how to make great videos without creating studio at home. [15]

28. Remember: start somewhere. You don't have to do amazing video. You have to start telling a story that reflects you, and that is helpful to others. This is the core of a humble platform.

Chris makes the videos in his home office, he didn't even set up a studio like many popular vloggers do. Still the two most important elements of a video that serves its purpose are: ability to match voice with face and good quality audio.

29. Interviews are a great way to get started in video, because you can ask others to talk about themselves. Learning about others is often helpful to people.

Let's have a look at the number of views for his latest videos. The most popular ones were:

"Steven Pressfield - Turning Pro - An Interview with Chris Brogan" (4546)

"Michael Bungay Stanier on Coaching" (1 078) [15]

30. The more you practice with video, the more you'll see rewards. We are a visual race, we humans. But don't forget to add text in the post that contains the video.

As his company, Chris is also human and sometimes bit lazy when it comes to descriptions. Especially with new videos. But you shouldn't be. Remember to choose the right theme, tags and license.

IDEAS DRIVE PLATFORM

31. If you're the same as everyone else, how will we notice you? Ideas need contrast to make sense.

On his approach to advertisements in his new magazine:

"Business partnership, in my lingo, means a relationship where both entities work alongside each other to satisfy the goals of the organization. If I were a "typical" magazine, I would be accepting advertising for whoever would pay my magazine, with maybe a little bit of vetting, but with the goal (mostly) of making loot. That doesn't work for a project like Owner. With Owner, we're building a community of value. We're working on helping owners improve their worth by growing their capabilities and connections. It's at the core of what we do. My primary question before working with a business partner is this: will this product or service improve an owner's worth? If the answer is no, then I have to refer that person elsewhere." [4]

"Maybe I miss out on a lot of money. But money comes and goes. Relationships? Well, that's the owner's game, isn't it?" [4]

32. The best ideas are the ones people can take and make their own. Give your ideas "handles" and let people take those ideas with them when they go.

Introducing the concept of Monchu to business relations:

" **Monchu** – it's an Okinawan word that means something like "one family." The idea is that you treat more people outside of your bloodline or your tribe as if they are family. This concept will remind me to work even harder on my connecting with value, my relationship-building, and my attention to people who matter to me. It's probably the hardest one to put down simply, but that's what I'll be focusing on." [12]

"What the Heck is a Monchu?

The word "Monchu" is an Okinawan word that means "one family" or sometimes "extended family" or sometimes "the family we choose." What the definition tends to mean from all who talk about it is this: people you like and care about as much as you are supposed to care about your flesh and blood family. We use it to mean something much more valuable than a network connection and yet clearly not our uncle or aunt.

In the context of Owner, we talk about YOU as being part of our Monchu, as being part of a larger "inside" or "inner circle," such that the people we connect with via Owner will eventually spread far and wide across the globe, and offer value to others in the Monchu as it develops.

Have you ever had that "Cheers" feeling with a restaurant or place, such that they know your order, know what you like, make you feel special in some way? At the heart of what we want to convey with Monchu is that sense of helping keep your most important people feeling most important. There'll be more on this, but that's the concept. [16]

33. If you can clearly articulate your ideas, even simple ones work well.

"We can't choose how our relatives feel about us. We can't choose how our loved ones think about us and react to us. We can't alter how those people at work speak about us when we're not there. None of that is ours.

What you can do, however, is work on yourself, is accept yourself as you are right now, is start to fuel your own personal inner fire of belief without any external sources. It's not that you don't value the thoughts of friends and people you love, but instead, that you accept them as simply that: thoughts and input from the outside world." [17]

34. Sharing other people's ideas helps show that you don't feel you know it all. (Humble, remember?)

"Get in that kitchen and start networking, says Dr. @terrysimpson : http://ow.ly/ptBfC" [13]

"There's greatness inside. It just takes work to find it, says @charleshgreen : http://ow.ly/ptB6s" [13]

"You can fix your business. @bornfitness has the solution right here: http://ow.ly/ptBct" [13]

"Legend @BobBurg says you can't just play to your strengths. Here's how to REALLY grow: http://ow.ly/ptB47" [13]

35. Sometimes, a question makes for a great idea. I've learned plenty from admitting I don't know something.

"I asked people via Twitter: "Does following=attention? If someone follows you, do you think they're paying attention to you?""

Most of the answers: NO. Attention can be measured only by interaction. [18]

This answer is very important when we also look at it the other way round. Does following a company's profile gets you its attention? No. That's why social media is perceived as the best channel of communication for small companies, as they engage more in conversations with clients.

36. One amazing idea trumps a lot of little ideas. And yet, usually really little ideas can be amazing. Sir Richard Branson's biggest business idea is to keep his companies small. For a long time, only the airline bucked that trend.

See: 32.

37. To come up with great ideas, read and listen to other people's great ideas. To make your ideas great, share them as often as you can.

On Twitter and Google+ Chris mostly shares other people's ideas that he finds inspiring. He presents his own ideas through his blog and newsletter.

38. Hoarding ideas is like stashing ice cubes under your mattress for later. Use them when you get them, and share them liberally.

"I wanted to talk about simplicity as it applies to business. Why? Because most people really make this far too complex. I love simple. Here's some of that.

My marketing setup for my business is dead simple, Gata. Here it is:

Freebie online events → newsletter subs → potential buyers → referrals + affiliates.

And even that's probably more complex than I actually think about it on a given day." [2]

39. Never worry that someone else "stole" your idea. Ideas are free. Execution is what makes you money. I've met countless bitter people who "invented Facebook" years before.

Look at the marketing setup described above. And now into your mail box. How many of the newsletters you get, open and then are driven by them to take action?

40. We love learning from people who have interesting and positive ideas. It's harder to keep an audience, if you're forever in the negative and griping camp.

For the Polish politicians with love. As to Chris, just check his newsletter.

BE YOURSELF

41. The more I act like myself, instead of like what I thought the world wanted, the more successful I become.

"I went from really seriously not having the rent and being two months behind on a mortgage or something like that, from ramen noodles and all that, to five star hotels and as much steak as I could put in my belly and still have a liver. I did that the hard way, I did that with well over a decade of hard work, and to your point about the overnight success, it's baffling how many people really honestly think that we all just started, that Brian Clark just started one day and started Copyblogger and was wealthy, and I just turned on my thing and was wealthy, and Gary Vaynerchuk was just handed all his money." [19]

42. Realize that there's a "hot mess" line, meaning that you have to filter the "you" that you put out there a little bit. People don't want to hear every woe and misery in your life. (Most times. Dooce not withstanding.)

"I don't just talk about depression. I talk about the fact that depression isn't an excuse. Depression is a "yes, and" experience. I'm depressed AND I have a responsibility to do the work I am supposed to do. That's the trick of it." [14]

43. Realize that being yourself means you won't be everyone's cup of tea. Embrace that.

Fast forward to 75.

44. The "yourself" that most people want you to be is the one that they can learn something from. And yet, if that's not what you want to be, disregard me and be yourself.

"Sometimes we mistake poor preparation for not having a choice (I had to get McDonalds - I ran out of time). Other times, we mistake our emotional limitations for a lack of a choice (he was disrespecting me - I didn't have a choice). But there's always a choice. That's the most important lesson that I took from reading Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Between stimulus and response is humankind's greatest ability: the ability to choose." [2]

45. Part of being yourself is untangling from other people's expectations. This is a very difficult matter, and yet important to building your platform.

"The world's #1 secret game is Distraction. Capital D. We have an incredible ability to take in lots and lots of information, and we spend an amazing amount of time worrying about things that don't matter. And we worry about belonging. We get distracted by all kinds of things. Distraction is a game and you, I'm worried, might be losing." [2]

46. "Be yourself" doesn't mean be only about yourself. Connecting with and caring about others is always a trait that earns more attention.

"As always, you can hit reply and start a conversation with me. Directly. :)" [2]

"I'm looking forward to talking with you soon!" [2]

"And thank you! I'm glad you're here." [2]

47. It's great to have a lot of passions. When displaying this via your platform, try to tie them to a larger storyline so that people understand how they connect.

"When I was younger, I was in the Boy Scouts, and my troop was really active. We did a lot of outdoorsy stuff, and I learned how to canoe and climb mountains and tie knots(poorly) and orient via a compass. Part of the experience of camping out was always the campfire. Have you ever sat around a campfire?

What happens is kind of magical. The fire is where everyone's eyes go. At best, people will give you a quick sideways glance. Then, conversations will happen, usually about silly stuff. Then, if you're lucky, someone has brought along a guitar or some other instrument. Maybe you sing. Maybe you tell some ghost stories.

Then, a bit later in the night, some folks go off to sleep. Others get quiet. And then some deeper conversations tend to happen.

What was there at the heart of all this activity? That campfire.

CONTENT IS YOUR CAMPFIRE

The campfire isn't the core of camping. It's something that catalyzes us into action. Similarly, making great content that's at least interesting, and at best helpful, is not always the core of what we do. Great content the "media layer" that rides above our primary business layer." [2]

48. Never let your shortcomings become your reasons why not. Richard Branson is dyslexic. Ryan Blair went from gang member to millionaire success story. Excuses are Band-Aids on wounds that don't exist.

"We were talking about the fact that I couldn't afford to be at half of the conferences that I was at. I was paying out of my mortgage and I was paying out of my bank account, such that when I'd land in Manhattan, I would have like a negative $120 balance in the bank or something. I didn't even have the money to get the cab from JFK to the hotel and then if there wasn't decent conference food at the event I would be stuck eating whatever might have still been in my bag, like a granola bar or toothpaste." [19]

49. Marsha Collier said it best: "You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do."

Fast forward to question 59.

50. Start where you are. Lots of people worry that everyone's so far ahead. Those people? They started somewhere.

See: 41.

HUMBLE IS BETTER MARKETING

51. It's better to focus on helping and creating useful information than it is to seek and share praise about yourself.

"Though I run a business, my belief has always been that I can share as much as 90% of what I know how to do for free, and that if you need more than that, then you'll likely want to pay for the extra help. You'll find lots and lots of free information that should prove useful to you. If you ever get stuck or have a question, don't hesitate to contact me and ask. We're always there to be helpful." [1]

52. Promoting others does more for your reputation and reach than promoting yourself.

"You can fix your business. @bornfitness has the solution right here: http://ow.ly/ptBct" [13]

"Legend @BobBurg says you can't just play to your strengths. Here's how to REALLY grow: http://ow.ly/ptB47" [13]

"Want to succeed? @tomterwilliger says you've gotta crack this very special code: http://ow.ly/ptB0" [13]

"Why hide your practice? @JeffGoins says do it right out in the open: http://ow.ly/ptAVT" [13]

53. Share other people's great work, and create great work. Yours will be shared, at some point.

I found Chris not through his blog or any of his Social Media accounts, but through one of my favorite Polish blogs JestKultura.pl [20]

54. Leaving comments on other people's sites with your links and promoting your stuff is poopy. It smells of desperation. Don't do it. The only exception is when you're invited to do so.

Still want to leave your links? Go to blogs that use commentluv (technology that automatically adds link to your last post). Don't forget to install it on your blog, too.

55. Ask about others first. The most famous people I've met do this and do it well. Both Sir Richard Branson and Disney CEO Bob Iger asked me about me before I could start my interviews with them. In both cases, they were sincere and interested. Learn from the big dogs.

A bit hard when you're writing a post or newsletter, isn't it? Here's how Chris does it – he usually starts his newsletter with telling you what he's drinking and asking you to share what's your choice:

"Pull up a little something to drink (I'm having some delicious Honest Tea just black tea in honor of my conversation with founder Seth Goldman – podcast episode coming up!). What are you drinking?" [2]

56. The more you care about the success of others, the more you will be successful.

"You are loved. You matter. You're what will make the universe different (maybe even better!)." [2]

57. Being humble isn't a marketing plan. It's a requirement for doing human business.

"May I pause and say something about bios? They always sound so arrogant and pompous. They are this moment in time where we're supposed to brag about ourselves so that you think we're worth your time. I'm worth your time. If you're stuck having to read this to a crowd at a conference where I'm keynoting, hopefully, this will be easier" [21]

58. Humble doesn't mean "forgotten," nor does it mean self-destructive. If you're too humble, that's also called "invisible." Realize when the right times to chime in might be.

If you open the October issue of ownermag.com you won't even see Chris's article on the first page. He gives this space to the other writers creating the magazine for promoting their ideas. However, when you go to the About page you can clearly see who's the leader.

59. Yes, occasionally, it's great to pat yourself on the back.

"If you're wondering why you're bothering to read anything Chris writes, here are a few bullet points of things that he's done in his past that might be relevant:

  * Made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists for Trust Agents

  * Wrote for Entrepreneur magazine (print), had TWO cover articles in SUCCESS magazine, and wrote for American Express OPEN Forum (online)

  * Won the  Mass High Tech All Stars award for 2008.

  * Blogged since 1998 (when it was called journaling).

  * Recorded several podcasts, and launched a small new media network in 2006.

  * Built data centers, released software, acquired companies, and all kinds of other fun projects while working for a wireless telecommunications company.

  * Launched the PodCamp unconference series with Christopher S. Penn.

  * Programmed and hosted the Video on the Net conference in 2007.

  * Worked on an Internet video startup with Jeff Pulver in 2007.

  * Collaborated on tons of social media and social networks projects over 2007." [21]

60. Remember that praise and criticism are the same: other people's thoughts that shouldn't sway your overall mission. (We tend to accept praise but loathe criticism. Learn to loathe it equally.)

We have to trust him on that.

YOUR THREE ROLES

61. Whether or not you want to be, you are now in sales and customer service, along with whatever your main goal or drive might be.

"In all these digital spaces, there are all kinds of weird distraction games. Worrying about your Klout score doesn't change how many clients you have. Finding more clients does. Worrying about comments doesn't improve your customer's opinions. Most of the measurements of the web play the distraction game of having you try and improve them. Your game is to improve the community you have the pleasure to serve." [2]

62. If you want your platform to succeed, you have to become comfortable with selling. Sell yourself. Sell your product. Whatever you're looking to do, learn how to be open, clear, and honest with how you sell.

"SELLY SELL: ABOUT THAT ACTION

If you missed joining Mastering The Digital Channel the first time, it's ready for you now. Want a reason to join right NOW? If you use the code "action" (all lowercase), I'll knock the price down from $697 to $447 (which you can do in 3 easy payments of $149).

But because we're talking about action, I'm only leaving that code live until 5/20. So, you know, you can read about the course, or you can jump in while it's $250 off!" [2]

63. Customer service (and use this term broadly) matters. If you're selling something, serve those who are your customers. If you're hoping to sell, realize that how you treat your prospects is how you should treat your customers.

"(I'm not supposed to give you this offer, because we have a regular price for a reason, so if you don't tell Rob, I won't tell Rob. Use the code "friend" and it should drop the price over $200 for you. You can pay in three payments, which makes it even more affordable. I'll leave that code open for a few weeks, in case you have to wait until you can make the first payment. Okay?)" [2]

64. Marketing is part of sales. If you're not finding ways to promote (humbly!) your ideas and your goals via your platform, you'll not get the chance to have sales.

At the end of most of Chris's Sunday newsletters there's a short "Selly Sell"part – you can choose to read or skip it.

65. Listening and responding are core to customer service. It's amazing how many people miss opportunities simply by missing a reply. (Happens to me, often.)

Go back to question 46.

66. The old "ABC" from Glengarry Glen Ross was "Always Be Closing." The new ABC is "Always Be Connecting." Networks are what make selling easier. Your platform is part of how you network.

A vast majority of Chris's tweets are mentions and replies.

67. Customer service also means sometimes learning who isn't the best customer. It's a tough moment when you have to let a customer go, but often times, this leads to improved success. (Tread cautiously here.)

Probably we'll never know.

68. Most small businesses split their time in thirds: 1/3 prospecting, 1/3 executing, 1/3 serving your customers. That's a good model for us, too.

About his newsletter:

"Here's exactly what you get when you sign up to my newsletter: I write you a weekly newsletter every Sunday. In it, I'll tell you a story that will illustrate some point that's useful to your life, your business, your organization, or maybe all of these. I'll invite you to participate. I'll be very personal. My goal is to help you build a strong, sustainable, relationship-minded business.

This letter is written by me, Chris Brogan. If you hit reply, the reply goes to me. I respond as soon as I can. Most people can't believe how fast, but don't let me get your hopes up. Sometimes, it takes a few days. But if you hit reply, I'm there.

If I intend to sell you something (and I do that, sometimes), it'll be very clear. Somewhat comically so.

So join me. I respect your privacy and will honor your trust in us." [2]

69. If you're doing it right, all three roles complement each other. We buy from people we know. A platform helps with that. Serving the people you care about, your community, is just what comes with the territory.

"My community came about from my hard work commenting and promoting others. The more you shine the light on those who are giving you attention, the more they feel like they're part of your story, and thus, they share. I'm doing this now with a test Twitter account to recreate the experience, and I can tell you that we all still want the same currency: head pats." [14]

70. No matter how busy you are, if you're not doing one of your three prime roles, you're not working on your business or your platform.

Go back to question 68.

OVERNIGHT SUCCESS

71. Building a platform takes time. Years. But you have to start somewhere.

"Blogged since 1998 (when it was called journaling)." [21]

72. Doing the work requires more time and effort than not doing it. Unemployment is also easier than working.

"Chris Brogan is everywhere.

From the outside, it seems that in just a few short years, he's created an independent publishing and speaking empire with nothing more than his personality and a laptop.

The truth of his story is a lot more compelling.

He spent 10 years writing into the void. He flew to conferences around the country broke, eating leftover granola bars. He struggled to pay the mortgage, to pay the electric bill. After eight years of work, he had an audience of just _100_ subscribers." [19]

73. No one ever hands you success. Even those stars you sneer at, saying "but they had ____" , really have to earn it.

Go back to question 72.

74. Success, as I define it, is the ability to choose how you spend your day, and a full belly.

Go back to question 72.

75. It takes a lot of "kitchen table" time to find ideas that can bring you success. But you need to test those ideas out at the "lemonade stand" to know whether they have any play in the marketplace. And ultimately, the beauty of this platform you're building will be that it provides a "campfire" around which you can gather and further develop the community. (Something that Julien and I have been musing over for years.)

Newsletter – An Invitation to Unsubscribe

"But here's the thing: what if you're just receiving this email because it seems like a good idea, but you're not really reading it? You're no longer interested. You're not _doing anything_ with the information or even liking it any more.

If that's you, I want to invite you to unsubscribe. <\--- that's the link! You click that, you push the 2nd option way down at the bottom. You hopefully don't say yes to the question that follows, and pow. You're free. You're out. You get at least one part of your inbox yet." [2]

Outcome mentioned in the following newsletter:

"By the way, after asking you to unsubscribe, I gained almost 1000 new subscribers." [2]

76. There are very few successes in the world that happened as solo acts. You need a team, a network, and a lot of goodwill.

Trust Agents, a New York Times Best Seller, was coauthored by Chris and Julien Smith.

He created his company Human Business Works, together with Rob Hatch.

77. Success doesn't just show up. It comes in tiny molecules daily. If you didn't work today on building success, how will it come to you tomorrow?

Go back to question 71.

78. Success is also about knowing what not to do, and what to cut out. Success is about stripping down to the core of what you can do for the world. This takes work.

"The concept, as we understand it, is that understanding how better to connect with people, how to create valuable media, and how to build all the other important points of contact in the digital space is what matters most." [1]

79. Never mistake popularity for success. There are plenty of popular people who still haven't made it.

Facebook likes won't pay the bills (see chapter 2). Add-to-cart's will.

80. Success never comes to those who don't put in the work. If this seems like a lot of repetition, it's because this one lesson is often skipped over.

And we're back to question 71 again.

WHAT TO TALK/WRITE ABOUT

81. Write about your potential audience or buyer more than you write about yourself.

Have a look at "One way I love helping" blog post: it consists of 3 medium length paragraphs about his clients' needs and only two lines describing his offer. [22]

82. Sometimes, the best posts or videos come from the frequently asked questions people have.

"One question I receive quite often is this: "You create a lot of content. How do you know where to put each piece of content and why?" Up until fairly recently when I launched my brand new business magazine, my answer was a lot more cut and dry. But now that I've got several outlets for my content, the question definitely deserves revisiting. Plus, it gives me a chance to showcase ways you can use your various tools of the digital channel to build your own business out even more." [5]

83. Share more than just a few tiny tidbits. People know if you're trying to lure them in deeper.

"Though I run a business, my belief has always been that I can share as much as 90% of what I know how to do for free, and that if you need more than that, then you'll likely want to pay for the extra help." [1]

84. Interviews make great content, but only if you ask great questions.

See a couple of interviews he published on his YouTube account. I'm totally buying it!

85. Product and service demos can be interesting.

"I've compiled a free ebook on personal branding called Personal Branding for the Business Professional (pdf format). It runs just about 15 pages (including the cover) and contains everything from strategy advice to some considerations to over 100 tactics and ideas on what to do next." [23]

86. Testimonials are good to talk about, but ESPECIALLY if you can highlight the hero, your customer, and not your product. Meaning, talk about a successful ____ customer, but don't talk as much about the product as you do them.

About his new consulting by phone offer:

"I had a really great call via my consulting by phone offer the other day with Glen. What I loved was that he had really good, crisp questions ready to go, and that he was able to complete all of his requests for information within twenty minutes. In such a short time, Glen was able to question some assumptions, seek my previous experience, get my take on a few related items, and also be introduced to someone who will help him advance his project. All for what came to less than $200." [22]

87. Personal posts can make for really great content. And by personal, I mean, connect people with who you are and what you are about outside of your professional role. What else are you into?

Chris is a big fan of fitness and he raises this topic quite often:

"Have you felt in a rut with your exercise program? Have you recently fallen off the habit of fitness? Want to try something new just to mix it up? I'm going to publish my personal fitness regimen for a 4 day a week program. I want this to be "open source." This means that I want others to help tweak and add to the idea, and that the idea is "free". The details are fairly easy to follow. The goal of the program is to get back some muscle tone, get my running back into gear, and to lose the almost-20 pounds I've thrown on over the last several months. I'm in mediocre shape right now. I'm not couchy, but I'm definitely not last year's Chris Brogan. So, if you're in a similar state, you're probably qualified to follow along. (*blah blah, check with your doctor, etc...not legally libel, etc, blah blah)." [24]

88. Point out the great people in your community. Posts or interviews really make this happen.

See: Chris's Twitter.

89. Deliver instruction. Teaching someone how to do something never goes out of style.

**"** **HOW TO BE HELPFUL**

1.) Start by thinking through what the person needs before making the offer, and write it down.

2.) Seek a time to talk or simply send an email with your analysis and suggestions.

3.) Ask before making an introduction. (This is a huge one.)

4.) Check back in 2-3 months.

5.) Understand if nothing happens, that it's not likely anything bad about you or your offer to help." [2]

90. Don't forget to do the occasional series.

E.g. the first edition of ownermag.com was all about launching from different perspectives.

WHAT TO AVOID

91. Any post bragging about how great you are is a wasted post. You want to feel proud, but it's just hard for people to feel it with you, unless you've built the relationships first.

Check.

92. Posts that are selling, but that are masked such that they don't appear to be selling aren't good business. If you're going to sell something, be clear about it.

Check. All newsletter/elements of free Sunday newsletter that include offer are marked "selly sell" – you decide if you want to read it.

93. Try never to say "you guys." Address one person, a very important person.

"Welcome back, Gata!

I've got a hot cup of Yerba Mate from Samovar Tea in San Francisco. How about you? Share what you're drinking by hitting reply and letting me know directly. :)

"What are you waiting for, Gata?

We all tend to wait for something, don't we? "I'll be great once I ______." Maybe we think, "Once I graduate, I'll find a great job. Once I have that great job, I'll find a great place to live. Once I have that place, I'll find the one I will love. Once I find the one, I'll get married." And so on.

Waiting for.

I'm drinking a big tall glass of plain water. Nothing fancy. You?" [2]

94. Try never to write about us and them.

Check. It's "me" – Chris and "you" – reader. Together "we".

95. Want to wow people? Don't write nasty posts about your competitors.

Check.

96. Don't worry about link-baiting. Worry about becoming a trusted and valuable resource.

Check.

97. Before you blog or shoot video in anger, rethink whether it's worth it.

Check.

The thing I like most about Chris and the reason why I have chosen him as the example of an expert is simple. Every week when I'm reading his newsletter it feels like a letter from a friend. Not a professional (though his tips are). Not marketing guy (though he's one of the best). Not a hidden advertisement. Simply a friend.

Key points to remember (as if you didn't get enough from Chris, right?):

1. Write such a list for your branch of business.

2. Prove by your actions that it works.

3. Make sure it concerns various aspects of activities.

4. Make it a logical step by step instruction that is easy to follow and implement.

5. If it's not easy to comprehend then it's not an expert advice.
THOUGHT LEADER

When the model of smartphone you own becomes the proof of your innovativeness, it's easy to fall into a trap of "here and now". As the opposition to the instant gratification culture, many projects have been started, among them TED – Technology, Entertainment, Design Conference that through a network of affiliated events connects us with thought leaders from all around the world. This allows them to promote alternatives to the overwhelming consumerism on an international scale but with local budgets. Today's thought leaders don't concentrate only on our inner life but actively promote and comment on business solutions which have a positive effect on social and environmental development. So how do you sell a thought?

Jonathan MacDonald is a renowned British marketing specialist but he's become one of TEDx's favorite speakers thanks to his deep insight into connections between the development of technology and human mind. You can learn from his example that as a thought leader your role is not only to promote your own ideas but mostly motivate others to get involved in important issues themselves. How do you explain a thought that is in the beginning too overwhelming for most of us?

First of all, define your main thought that you'll be examining together with your recipients in an easy to follow manner:

"And to cut a short story long, I eventually ended up with these ridiculous philosophical questions such as "What about if Mandela had tweeted?" And that's how we get to where we are today.

It's not to do with Twitter that I'm fascinated with. It's not necessarily to do with Nelson Mandela, who I have a private passion for, but that's not really the point. The point is if the people who have changed the world and had a massive difference, actually had the tools and technologies in their hands that we do today, what else could have had taken place?" [1]

Next, show that it's happening on a much wider scale than one could imagine in the beginning. Jonathan starts with the social aspects of the problem but then moves to art, technology and communication:

"So, then I started thinking "Well what about if da Vinci had Photoshop?" Bear with me. It's just starting to wonder how the tools that we have now, so readily available, would actually impact the people that have made fundamental difference.

What about if Einstein had Google? What would that mean? How would that actually have changed the work that he did? What if Ernesto "Che" Guevara had mobile? All he had was 'Radio Rebelde', Radio Rebel. What about if all of his troops in his guerrilla war that took down Batista with Fidel Castro, had actually been armed with weapons of mass communication rather than mass destruction?" [1]

And then go straight to showing the problem from the other side. That's when your recipients, instead of following your line of thought, can start making up their minds – which side they're on:

"But maybe it's actually the fact that the Vitruvian man is geometrically perfect anyway, so therefore, it doesn't matter that da Vinci didn't have Photoshop. It's arguable E=mc^2 is actually the ultimate answer, therefore, what would Google have done for him? Computers are only as good as the data that we put into them after all. And finally, with someone like "Che" Guevara, who knows? All we can go is as far as who cares but there's a limited amount of time that you think about these things until you brain starts hurting. Well, in my case anyway, because it's not much to hurt." [1]

You don't have to give the answer straight away. Give your recipients some time to think it over before you continue. In the meantime, go back to the question you asked in the beginning. Is there anything you'd like to add now?

"But it's something which I've been amazed by when you start thinking about the tools that we have today, what can we actually do. So to answer this question, is it the tools? Is it what's in our hands? Or is it what's in our hearts that actually makes those differences?" [1]

As we know, it's best to explain every theory with examples. And nothing is a better inspiration than telling real people's stories. This way you're sharing also a little more about yourself – as usually we talk about those who had a significant impact on our life and choices (for sure I did here):

"But actually the ones that I have found the most resonant, is that, sometimes, to change the world, you just have to be genius. That's quite handy. I wouldn't know of course.

The second one is the absolute conviction of belief as shown by MLK [Martin Luther King Jr.]

The third, shown by someone like Tim Berners-Lee. The imagination of seeing something that any sane person would've found absolutely improbable or arguably impossible.

The passion of the Wright brothers. The Wright brothers who were in competition with a certain gentleman from the Smithsonian Institute to be the first people to have a flying machine. He was funded --the guy from the Smithsonian Institute, was funded with grants from Kings and Princes and he very much wanted to win. He very much wanted to be the first person. The Wright brothers who actually, eventually, became the first, the day afterwards the guy from the Smithsonian cancelled his project. You'd think why would he cancel his project? The thing was that he didn't want to fly, he wanted to win. The Wright brothers wanted to fly.

The persistence of someone like Churchill. Especially on this day of awe. And for those watching us on video this is Remembrance Day, hence the poppies.

The compassion of someone like Ghandi. How many tools did he have? How many Facebook accounts, How many Facebook likes did he receive?" [1]

What is your conclusion, based on the examples you've just enumerated? Don't leave it unfinished. As my friend and the first reader reminds me all the time 'don't forget to state your opinion, it's the most important part'. Even if you still have doubts. Probably most of your recipients also have them, not sure what to think about it all. For a moment you can be a mirror-type thought leader. Nobody said mixing is forbidden (it only applies to %):

"So when I start looking at these things, I start thinking to myself, "Hold on a minute, these guys didn't have any tools." They had an old radio station here and there, and a chalk board and some chalk. (...) But the bravery that's needed to act in these ways of changing the world, is something which isn't related in any way, to necessarily using the modern tools of technologies. So looking at what we have today, these tools, are they actually irrelevant?" [1]

"And eventually you end up back with the question, "So what if Mandela had tweeted?" What if he was able to smuggle a phone into his cell? And somehow mobilize his group? What if that had happened? Would it be the case that he had been released earlier because of the pressure from the crowds?

If you look into how the Berlin Wall fell, it started with one person protesting. The tipping point with that was actually when there were more people protesting than it was possibly able to police. It's the power of citizens, [it] is immense if mobilized.

Maybe what would've happened with Mandela is that the messaging from inside his cell, which could only really be transported by writings, at much later days would actually have changed the minds of people around the world to stop apartheid much earlier." [1]

Finally, the conclusion. What can I say – don't be afraid to express your real thoughts. I'll give the final word on this one to Jonathan 'I don't believe that you can use the tools in the most effective powerful way, unless it's in your heart':

"So the question, is it more to do with what's in our hands or is it more to do with what's in our hearts? How important is what is in our hands in relation to the importance to what's in our hearts?

And this has confused the hell out of me for a year.

And I think I have the answer and it's a really simple one. And I think the answer is this it doesn't really matter what's in your hands unless it's in your heart. I don't believe that you can use the tools in the most effective powerful way, unless it's in your heart." [1]

If you've already watched the video from his talk you probably noticed that an important part is missing. Please trust me and read on.

But what when the idea you're promoting hasn't aroused positive emotions, is considered to be rather dull or not prestigious enough? How do you sell it? How about turning a shameful topic into a respected economic movement, like Rachel Botsman did with collaborative consumption? Notice the role that the right key words play here.

Above all, your idea has to be clearly defined and easy to understand so that your recipients don't get discouraged. After that, make sure that your message is attractive and optimistic. Concentrate on elements which add to its prestige. Like Rachel, when she defined rules of new consumption:

"There's a great quote that was written in the New York Times that said, "Sharing is to ownership what the iPod is to the 8-track, what solar power is to the coal mine." I believe also, our generation, our relationship to satisfying what we want is far less tangible than any other previous generation. I don't want the DVD; I want the movie it carries. I don't want a clunky answering machine; I want the message it saves. I don't want a CD; I want the music it plays. In other words, I don't want stuff; I want the needs or experiences it fulfills." [1]

Don't stop with the general description. Your recipients need concrete answers about how it works and clearly defined elements. Otherwise, it'll be extremely difficult for them to make up their minds if this solution is cool enough, how their community will react and if it is something they want to be involved in. And only positive answers to those questions will lead them to take action:

"So my co-author, Roo Rogers, and I have actually gathered thousands of examples from all around the world of collaborative consumption. And although they vary enormously in scale, maturity and purpose, when we dived into them, we realized that they could actually be organized into three clear systems. The first is redistribution markets. Redistribution markets, just like Swaptree, are when you take a used, or pre-owned, item and move it from where it's not needed to somewhere, or someone, where it is. They're increasingly thought of as the fifth 'R' -- reduce, reuse, recycle, repair and redistribute -- because they stretch the life cycle of a product and thereby reduce waste.

The second is collaborative lifestyles. This is the sharing of resources of things like money, skills and time. I bet, in a couple of years, that phrases like "coworking" and "couchsurfing" and "time banks" are going to become a part of everyday vernacular. One of my favorite examples of collaborative lifestyles is called Landshare. It's a scheme in the U.K. that matches Mr. Jones, with some spare space in his back garden, with Mrs. Smith, a would-be grower. Together they grow their own food. It's one of those ideas that's so simple, yet brilliant, you wonder why it's never been done before.

Now, the third system is product-service systems. This is where you pay for the benefit of the product -- what it does for you -- without needing to own the product outright. This idea is particularly powerful for things that have high-idling capacity. And that can be anything from baby goods to fashions to -- how many of you have a power drill, own a power drill? Right. That power drill will be used around 12 to 13 minutes in its entire lifetime. (Laughter) It's kind of ridiculous, right? Because what you need is the hole, not the drill. (Laughter) (Applause) So why don't you rent the drill, or, even better, rent out your own drill to other people and make some money from it? These three systems are coming together, allowing people to share resources without sacrificing their lifestyles, or their cherished personal freedoms. I'm not asking people to share nicely in the sandpit."[1]

We're working on creating a vision of the perfect world but we can't have our heads in the clouds. If we want our solution to get implemented, it can't be only inspiring and prestigious but also has to be practical. Which means that the next question everybody will want you to answer will be: how much it will cost me? Financial aspect becomes even more important during the times of economic stagnation:

"So I want to just give you an example of how powerful collaborative consumption can be to change behaviors. The average car costs 8,000 dollars a year to run. Yet, that car sits idle for 23 hours a day. So when you consider these two facts, it starts to make a little less sense that we have to own one outright." [1]

Remember what plays the key role in creation of this new economic movement? The key words. They have the biggest impact on how our idea will be perceived. In case of collaborative consumption, which till the beginning of 21st century wasn't seen as a business solution, Rachel was using a lot of economic vocabulary to underline its significance for the economy. Reputation is no longer our public image. It's a new currency:

"Now in the old consumer system, our reputation didn't matter so much, because our credit history was far more important that any kind of peer-to-peer review. But now with the Web, we leave a trail. With every spammer we flag, with every idea we post, comment we share, we're actually signaling how well we collaborate, and whether we can or can't be trusted. Let's go back to my first example, Swaptree. I can see that Rondoron has completed 553 trades with a 100 percent success rate. In other words, I can trust him or her. Now mark my words, it's only a matter of time before we're going to be able to perform a Google-like search and see a cumulative picture of our reputation capital. And this reputation capital will determine our access to collaborative consumption. It's a new social currency, so to speak, that could become as powerful as our credit rating." [1]

When you've managed to call professional's (in Rachel's case economists) attention to your concept, it's time to win general public's hearts. Nothing works better than telling a story of a real person that we can identify with. How does running a collaborative consumption business look like? Rachel introduces us to Sebastian. First, we can learn what collaborative consumption means for him and his life:

"I'd like to start by introducing you to someone whose life has been changed by a marketplace fueled by reputation. Sebastian Sandys has been a bed and breakfast host on Airbnb since 2008. I caught up with him recently, where, over the course of several cups of tea, he told me how hosting guests from all over the world has enriched his life. More than 50 people have come to stay in the 18th-century watchhouse he lives in with his cat, Squeak. Now, I mention Squeak because Sebastian's first guest happened to see a rather large mouse run across the kitchen, and she promised that she would refrain from leaving a bad review on one condition: he got a cat. And so Sebastian bought Squeak to protect his reputation." [2]

One of the biggest epidemics of our times is loneliness. We have hundreds of friends on Facebook but we stay in touch only with a couple of those that we don't meet in our everyday life. Like Rachel, you can ask yourself if your idea has any positive impact on strengthening our relations. Stress it. Just like in Sebastian's case:

"But the real magic and the secret source behind collaborative consumption marketplaces like Airbnb isn't the inventory or the money. It's using the power of technology to build trust between strangers. This side of Airbnb really hit home to Sebastian last summer during the London riots. He woke up around 9, and he checked his email and he saw a bunch of messages all asking him if he was okay. Former guests from around the world had seen that the riots were happening just down the street, and wanted to check if he needed anything. Sebastian actually said to me, he said, "Thirteen former guests contacted me before my own mother rang." [2]

Since its beginnings, the human world has been working according to the same set of rules. A person's worth was measured by the position on a social ladder and the number of acres, sheep or zeros in the bank. Movements that concentrated on the worth of human mind have always existed, however only the past few years have brought them to the mainstream. Does your idea fit this trend? The emotional aspect of collaborative consumption is extremely important because it has a direct impact on our self esteem:

"Now at the end of my tea with Sebastian, he told me how, on a bad, rainy day, when he hasn't had a customer in his bookstore, he thinks of all the people around the world who've said something wonderful about him, and what that says about him as a person. He's turning 50 this year, and he's convinced that the rich tapestry of reputation he's built on Airbnb will lead him to doing something interesting with the rest of his life." [2]

The new thought leaders promote not only ideas concerning our internal life but also long term business solutions that are society friendly. We don't like to admit it, sometimes even to ourselves, but loneliness is one of the biggest epidemics of our times. Remember "The Holiday" when Cameron Diaz says "They used to say that single women over 35 were more likely to be killed by a terrorist than to get married. That was horrible. But now our generation is also not getting married. And bonus, real terrorists actually became part of our lives."? Exactly. And most marketing strategies push you deeper into this feeling. You're not good enough to have cool friends if you don't have the latest smartphone model. Nobody will run with you if you don't buy this new pair of running shoes. Wear this. Eat there. Buy or perish.

I fell in love with the idea of collaborative consumption the moment I read about it in Fast Company. Basically, thanks to owning less, by not having all the things, you can have more friends. Finally the key words in business are not: selling and marketing but connecting and caring.

I just looked through my notes from Jonathan's opening talk on TEDx Warsaw 2013. It's still one of my favorites. I underlined three sentences: allow chance to happen, look for references from other experiences to your life and share your knowledge with others to keep balance. When I approached him during afterparty to ask a question that was nagging me for some time and which I couldn't answer myself (he stresses the sharing back part, right?) he saw the value in one little side thought to which I didn't pay any attention. Two months later the outline of this ebook was ready.

Key points to remember:

1. Clearly define your line of thought.

2. Choose your key words wisely – the terms that will catch attention.

3. Make sure that your keynote is always in the back of your recipients heads (e.g. by providing examples that clearly define it).

4. Where can you find inspiration? I recommend: Fast Company, TED videos and Brain Pickings. Don't forget about your experience and hobbies. Choose the elements that are important for you and look for the aspects unmentioned by others in this field. And if this doesn't work, there's always Communication First Aid Kit: making money, finding love and changing the world.
ACTION LEADER

Remember Scarlet O'Hara's famous words 'I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.' We also like to postpone everything for tomorrow, and then for the next day and so on. However, action leaders treat everything they like as an opportunity to move forward. They also don't hesitate when it comes to doing it. How does it work in practice?

We define our life by our work but Clive Cussler defined his work by his life. I think it's worth underlining, don't you?

How do you start? By honestly admitting what's your favorite pastime. What do you love doing when you have some free time. What inspires you to research the topic in the evenings so that you can get even better next time you'll be doing it. When are you not afraid of experimenting anymore? What makes your heart skip a bit (apart from your significant other)? Yes, this is it. Clive started writing in late 1970's but since the beginning of 1950's his biggest passion was diving. Long before he even started imagining that he could connect it to his job:

"JL: How long had you been diving before NUMA?

CC: Started diving when I was in the Air Force. We were in Hickam Field in Hawaii for a while in 1951, and my friend Don Spencer and I sent for a dive tank and regulator from Cousteau in France, who'd started manufacturing them. I think we might have had the first tank in Hawaii, and I remember we went into the hanger and filled it up with a couple hundred pounds of stale air out of a compressor, and just ran into the water. So I would have started diving in 51." [1]

So you love doing this. Great! Now go and explain us why it's so special:

"T2W: In your opinion, what do you find most exciting about deep sea diving and exploration?

CC: It's always the thrill of the unknown. Everybody dives in the Grand Cayman or Bermuda. I don't dive in those places anymore, after 50 years the thrill just isn't there. I always tell everybody, go where nobody goes! Go up into Canada or Alaska, sure it's cold water, but you'll be seeing things nobody has seen before! Go into the colder waters, from Vancouver up to Anchorage, my gosh, all the sounds and all that. Nobody ever dove there before. It's colder than hell, but if you get a dry suit, it isn't so bad." [2]

There's an open secret regarding business manuals. We all love reading them but when it comes to practice most of us skip it. I once heard a man boasting that he read over 30 business books in less then two months. Good for his ego, but when he had time to implement anything he had learnt in his work? We're usually also too lazy to specialize. As long as someone else doesn't do it first, and shows us how many great things wait for us just around the corner. Clive wasn't satisfied with just diving. So he specialized. He wasn't just diving, now he was looking for the lost shipwrecks. Physical exercise developed into solving maritime mysteries:

"RD: Which fascinates you most: new, underwater archaeological projects or exploring the diversity of life forms to be found in the ocean?

CC: Searching for shipwrecks of historic significance is my biggest ¬fascination." [3]

Now we get to the tough part. If you want to inspire people to take action, you need to explain how it looks in practice, including all the disadvantages and failures. But in the end that's the ultimate proof of us being authentic in what we do. Nobody's perfect 100 % of time. And describing perfect life won't inspire others to keep working on theirs:

"JL: Finding lost shipwrecks isn't easy, is it?

CC: Oh, no. Sometimes you get lucky, but I would say most of the time it's difficult. The ghost ship Marie Celeste, we found that in the first hour. The Civil War submarine Hunley took me fifteen years.

JL: Is it the location that makes it difficult? Do the wrecks shift or drift?

CC: No, it's just that the records aren't good. I always give the example that, say, a plane crashed in your neighborhood. . . you could come back in two hundred years to find that site, but of course everything has changed, and you don't know where to begin. Maybe they gave you a street, but maybe the streets not there. And they didn't say it crashed two hundred yards from the old rock, you know? So you can see how difficult it is to find the exact spot. That's the same way it is with shipwrecks. Nobody puts a big marker up and says here it is. So when you come by later, there's no GPS coordinates." [1]

When it comes to your achievements don't be shy. You deserve it:

"I have found more than 60 missing ships and planes throughout the world, including the CSS Hunley – the first submarine to sink a ship in battle – which disappeared on February 17, 1864, and was not seen again until we discovered her on May 3, 1995; the Mary Celeste, the first of the so-called "ghost" ships that was found floating off the coast of the Azores with no one on board; the General Slocum, whose sinking caused the worst loss of life in New York City history prior to September 11th; and the Carpathia, the valiant ship that rescued the survivors of the Titanic and then was sunk by a German U-boat during World War I." [4]

But being simply a hobbyist is not enough. You need to become an expert in your field (yes, I know what you want to do, go straight back to Chris. But give Clive a chance). In my opinion Clive's road from being a passionate to establishing his name as an important expert should be a leading example in any get-your-career-straight guidebook:

"Then in 1979 during an expedition, where I was searching for John Paul Jones' ship, the Bon'homme Richard an Austin attorney who was a volunteer suggested that I should incorporate as a non-profit organization rather than just write the checks out of my own bank account. So that is what I did and that is how NUMA became a non-profit ic erem n in Texas. Therefore, yes Virginia, there really is a NUMA! (laughing) And that was the basis for the non-fiction NUMA, which has been the umbrella for all the expeditions and all of the shipwrecks we've found." [2]

So, you're appreciated as a passionate, admired as an expert but how you make money on it? As usually, by connecting the dots and looking for a niche. See how Clive's hobby changed into his work by providing him with the idea to create a series of books and a hero like no other:

"I started writing when my wife, Barbara, got a night job for the local police station as a clerk. At night after putting the kids to bed, I had hardly anything to do and no one to talk to. So out of solitude I decided to write a book. I thought it would be fun to produce a little paperback series. The thought of a bestseller never crossed my mind.

Thanks to my advertising and marketing experience, I began researching and analyzing all the series heroes, beginning with Edgar Allan Poe's Inspector Dumas. Next came Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, and all the other fiction detectives and spies: Bulldog Drummond, Sam Spade, Phillip Marlow, Mike Hammer, Matt Helm, and James Bond. I studied them all. I didn't want to compete with already-famous authors and was determined not to write about a detective, secret agent, or undercover investigator or deal in murder mysteries.

Since I enjoyed scuba diving, I decided my hero's adventure would be based on and under water. And thus, the basic concept for Dirk Pitt -- the marine engineer with the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) -- was born. I thought it interesting that almost no authors were writing pure, old-fashioned adventure; it seemed a lost genre. The first book introduced Pitt and most all the characters who appeared in the upcoming novels to follow. The book was Pacific Vortex." [4]

Now you've built your career (or should I say lifestyle?) on your hobby don't you even dare to treat it like a job. Explore new options, have fun. It'll have an impact on your work anyway. Like in Clive's case – his hobby is a constant source of new ideas for books:

"Dirk will always have a soft spot in my heart because he started if off. I hope readers see Pitt as a normal, average guy who is down to earth. He likes the Air Force, tequila, and an occasional cigar. I used myself as a model for Dirk. We are both 6'3", have green eyes, and at that time were the same weight and the same age. The only differences are that he is better with the girls and he has aged about ten years while I have aged about fifty. In an earlier Dirk Pitt novel, Dragon, as a joke, I wrote myself into the book. I now do it in all the Dirk Pitt novels, offering advice and information." [5]

'I should' are two of the most scary words when it comes to making decisions about your life. Just two words are all it takes to get you stuck in a Groundhog Day. But what would happen if you changed them to 'I want'? Some are happy with a garden slide, others prefer rollercoasters. And we're the rollercoaster fans, right? So how do we get others to get down from slide and join us? Let's follow Jacek Gadzinowski's example. He used to be a typical corporate guy, now he's a surfer, travels around the world and runs his own consulting company in the meantime.

When you want to sell your lifestyle to others you need to start with the basics – what's the idea behind your choice and how they can implement it:

"It wasn't the question of 'how much I had to work' it' was about one's priorities, goals and lifestyle. You can have passions and fulfill them, even working in an office. The problem arises when your office, corporation or company become an excuse not to do anything (I had too little time for skiing or biking), when you finish your day drinking beer in front of TV. It's like repeating Groundhog Day every morning. It's a road to nowhere, when I look at my colleagues, people same age.

They already have beer bellies, wrinkles and are tired with their life. I feel sorry for them. I'm trying to explain that you can live differently – sure it comes with some sacrifices (another lifestyle, different pastimes, financial aspects, different friends, less time for family). But when somebody tells me 'I can't afford to do this sport or travel' I tell her yes, you can because you've been spending this money for the loss of your car's value each year, stimulants you use or parties. You can afford this lifestyle, you just have to change some things. You can't look for excuses – it's not for me, I'm too old, it would ruin my life. It's about getting out of your comfort zone, to which I'm trying to convince people in their thirties and forties, working in corporations and running their own businesses." [1]

Nobody just wakes up and thinks 'Today I'm going to change my entire life'. Usually something needs to happen to trigger the decision, yet many people are still too scared to act. That's why they want to know what was the breakthrough moment that leads to your change:

"My calendar. Back then I measured my worth by being an Excel sheet. I was its content, if it disappeared I'd disappear, too. I decided that it's not a road for me. The second reason was my health. I was always very active doing sports, travelling around Europe and when I started working for a corporation it all ended. I was coming back from work and didn't feel like doing anything. I needed 2-3 hours to regain my balance. On my way home I acted like a robot. I drove for 45 minutes and didn't remember practically anything of what happened between getting out of work and lying down on my bed while turning TV on. I was in a state similar to being drunk or high and got completely blotto. I was also frustrated with how much time I wasted every day in a car. For about three hours daily I wasn't doing anything. Wasting time, feeling stuck and frustrated just like thousands of other drivers around me. Honking, cursing and cutting in on each other." [2]

It's quite easy to make the decision (blame the adrenaline) but what next? The real life is not the same as the illusion from our dreams. The perpetual problem of the grass being greener on the other side. What really motivates you to continue this lifestyle? Be honest about it:

"I'm not extremely active, let's not exaggerate ;) I think that it's optimal of what I can do right now. My goal is to live a bit like Devin Super Tramp. Combine my passions for sport, travels and making movies and photos. Maybe it'll work out. My energy comes from my huge desire to live my life. Visit new places, see new things, find myself in new circumstances. This is something you won't get out of sitting in one place, browsing through Internet or watching TV." [1]

Usually when there are no financial threats (mortgages, no savings) the other thing that stops us from acting is the fear of being criticized. See how Jacek dealt with it. And how did you act when it happened to you? Be honest about it:

"Some said that my decision was a middle age crisis. But we can't judge someone who decided to change his life as an idiot, because we don't understand his decision. Only because he doesn't meet the social norms. Some cheer you for making this decision but there are many who say 'he's weak, he gave up'. I was also told that I'm maladjusted to life. I think that it's a subconscious explanation of these people, why they didn't have courage to make such a decision themselves because it's neither easy, nor nice." [2]

Every cloud has a silver lining but it's still a cloud. Yes, you guessed right, my favorite character from Winnie the Pooh was Eeyore. Any action leader has to be frank with herself – if you want to inspire others talking about your great lifestyle is not enough. You need to show how it works in practice. Including the clouds:

"I divide my waking hours into three equal parts – work, private life and my sport passions. It's not always divided equally. As time goes by, there's more passion, on the cost of work :) but still the number of things I do stays the same. I simply became more effective where it comes to scheduling my work and other activities. I make short time plans – for each week and month. Without my organizer (in computer) I probably wouldn't manage to do that." [1]

Krzysztof SEMP Bielecki, the creator of Urban Playground location-based series of games, describes himself as "sad and boring". According to Życie Warszawy (the most important local newspaper in Warsaw) he was one of three people who had the biggest impact on Warsaw in 2007. That year he also gained the international recognition thanks to the participation in the European edition of Come Out & Play Festival. He ran there a game that made the biggest impact on every player (and I'm not saying it because he's my friend!). All it took him to create a group paranoia, were two dozens of bright yellow swim caps with numbers worn on the back of heads, photo cameras and twenty minutes. In the meantime he ran in the local elections, established a publishing house, got a degree in psychology and became a finalist of a Polish Family Feud type TV program.

The question you're probably dying to ask right now is: how can you create a large-scale projects with little budget (or none)?

Krzysztof has been creating his image of a contemporary Leonardo Da Vinci for more than 10 years, but the most important were the beginnings. He never waited till he could fulfill the social expectations of the accomplishments required on the way to success. If he was interested in doing something, he simply did it:

"I'm mostly intrigued by the city with all its complexity, diversity, mysteries, potential and atmosphere. Sometimes I say that I'm addicted to it. I like to look at it from atypical aspects and I encourage others to do the same. I've been working in city space for nearly 10 years. Since 2003 I'm concentrating mostly on happenings and urban performances. Urban Playground series, which I started in 2005, is my biggest project. It combines location-based game, interactive storytelling and a mystery that gave birth to similar projects around the country." [1]

He never needed a big budget for his independent projects. They also never created any marketing costs – all communication was based on the word-of-mouth spread by people fascinated by the movement. His first big urban game cost him a couple of xeroxed papers and a Santa Claus hat. The driving impact was the human curiosity, as, apart from the location of the starting point, nobody knew anything till the beginning of the game:

"Chapter 3 – I know what you did last night

On the 4th of December 2005 a note appeared online. It said: "Save some time for Sunday, December 18th. Take a piece of paper, something to write and come to the center of Warsaw. Around 5 PM in front of Rotunda a man in a Santa Claus hat will appear. He'll stay there for fifteen minutes. Approach him and say I know what you did last night and he'll give you a piece of paper with the rules of the first Urban Playground game. The city will be your board (streets, buildings, hidden spots). Your goal will be to find... but this is something you'll learn when you come." [2]

In 2005 Warsaw flash mob community was regularly organizing new actions, so it was a breeding ground for Urban Playground. Krzysztof gained even wider recognition by choosing the busiest part of the city center as a start place for all of his games:

"Chapter 4 – Start

A man in Santa Claus hat really appeared in front of Rotunda. He had a pile of papers. To the astonishment of passers by people started approaching him and saying I know what you did last night. Then they left with one of the sheets of paper which contained the answer about what is Urban Playground.

A project that will run for 2,5 years and change Warsaw streets has just started.

The game begun." [2]

The key to Urban Palayground's success was also a consequence:

"There is a city and in this city hundreds of people have been playing a game for past eight years. Once in every couple of months we go out on the streets to decipher hints and find hidden agents to collect the words, letters and symbols that they guard. Soon we'll be on a search again, and you can become one of us if you guess the starting point right: s*a*e b*twe*n f**nt o* *t*a**ic *ine*a and G*l*r** C*nt*u*. Date and hour are given directly: Saturday 08.06.2013 14:00. This time we'll play according to a little different set of rules. You'll learn the details on the spot! See you in the game!" [3]

Urban Palyground games took place every couple of months. However, Krzysztof organized many side events to keep everybody interested in the meantime. His inspirations varied. For example, the below action was inspired by a Facebook trend in Poland – informing everybody that you won't be able to attend an event because you're abroad:

"On 30th June 2010 on 7:30 AM, by the fountain on the North side of PKiN, there will take place a huge event, which we won't attend because we're abroad. Organizers kindly ask you not to come there and to inform as many people as you can about why you won't attend. You're invited to let others know about the event. They also should declare that they'll be abroad on this day." [4]

When I was in my early teens I dreamed of working in an oceanarium as a dolphin vet – in the one that prepares them to live in the wild, not in a circus. Maybe due to the lack of oceanariums with dolphins in Poland, maybe due to my state of art panic whenever I see a drop of blood (don't be fooled by my CSI addiction, it's just a crush on... no way, I'm not telling you that!), most probably because I always sucked in science, I never did. But I still love oceans, the lifestyle of freedom and its endless mysteries. Maybe I should simply become a pirate? Ok, not the best example of being inspired to take action, I admit.

Another thing that always motivates me to get up and do something are projects connected to my city – Warsaw. To visitors it's a grey post-communist city. To the rest of Poland it's synonymous to rat race. To those of us who were born here it's simply home. What I love most about it? The number of parks. And that although I live 15 minutes from the city center I have a real wood outside my window.

Key points to remember:

1. How did you start?

2. Talk about your motivation. And then talk about it a little more.

3. Don't hide the problems but show the solutions

4. Remember, your road won't be right for everybody else. Respect it.

5. And most important: do what you love because you love doing it, not for profits. That's how the authenticity is built.
CONNECTOR

Let's go back to the beginnings of the Internet for a moment. The first reason why we decided to go online were nearly endless possibilities of creating new relations. And when we meet new people, we're most attrected to those who connect us to their network of friends. How can you create such a network around yourself?

It's worth noticing that both below mentioned connectors have been regularly criticized for being too shallow. Then again, what starts conversations during random meetings are usually shallow topics. The second reason of why we're looking for new connections, is that something's not working in our life. We hope to find answers from the people who have already dealt with similar issues.

I admire Gabrielle Bernstein for her brilliant PR strategy and that between meditations and ideas for living a happier life, she gives quite a lot of good advice on communication for those who want to listen. Let's go through a couple of examples.

If you want people to get interested in connecting with you, you have to show that you had similar problems as your audience, and that because of it, you understand them very well. But what distinguishes you is, that you have already found a way out from this situation. In Gabrielle's case it was disillusionment with her dream lifestyle:

"I was in and out of nightclubs and trying to keep up with all the sceney things New York is. Just very obsessed with where the next party was, who the hot new promoter was etc. I was using drugs and alcohol and looking outside of myself for a sense of completion. I hit my bottom when I realized that I was no longer being nice to people. I was being mean to my family. The days were bleeding into the nights." [1]

We have already talked about it in the chapter on action leaders – one of the most common problems we have to solve is your family and friends not understanding (even accepting) your choices:

"Q: How do you handle friends or romantic partners who don't have a spiritual practice?

Mind your own side of the street. Grow your own practice and trust that as you shine brighter, you'll give people permission to shine bright too. They'll start to want what you have and they'll want to know what you do.

Q: What was the last piece of great advice that you received?

My mentor Gramouk said not to talk about my spiritual practice with the people who are close to me. Don't try to convert people, just be. Don't talk about how spiritual you are, just be spiritual." [1]

If you want to be a connector have your staple topic. If you don't have any opinion how others can feel connected to you? Imagine a La Liga (=Spanish football) fan that can't say if she prefers FC Barcelona or Real Madrid. I'll help you: it's simply impossible. Gabrielle's staple topic brings some controversies – how to be a spiritual girl in a material world. First advice: don't let things take over your life. From the psychological aspect:

"in general I'm not sentimental about material things, I don't get attached. You're setting yourself up for failure that way, because at some point it will be lost, or break, and if it's become so special there'll be a sense of loss." [2]

As well as from the financial one. If you have doubts about on which topics you should have an opinion, play some ABBA and sing along 'Money, money, money'. We live in material world, even if unlike Madonna we wouldn't define ourselves as girls.

"But really if you always shop within your price range you can always feel abundant – buying on credit automatically creates a feeling of lack. And if you've saved up for something special the energy is clean." [2]

Always remember to concentrate on the positive effects. Nobody likes those who complain and, trust me, you wouldn't like to connect with them either. Too late? Play Lykke Li's 'Complaint Department' a couple of times in a row. And check how Gabrielle underlines the positive aspects of communicating yourself through your look (note: we're talking style, not designers' logos):

"Q: Some women can get territorial about their 'look' – what's that all about do you think?

That comes from a place of comparison and attachment to being uniquely 'you' – it's a way for your ego to enhance your 'specialness,' as if only you can have that look. I say, when people want to dress like you see it as a compliment" [2]

"But again, it's about taking those ideas and making things your own – constantly bringing it back to what is real to you, and not getting too into the comparison thing of thinking 'I have to be like you'" [2]

Be honest to admit that you're not perfect either. Being a little bit of a mirror now and then can only help. Gabrielle still gets lazy sometimes when it comes to everyday clothes:

"in terms of how I want to dress, in Kundalini in particular, it's almost like a sign of respect for yourself and the class to show up really well dressed. I remember during my teacher training I was doing like a praktikum. It's where you take a fake class to practice. So I was teaching in front of my 'class' and I was being graded on it. And I didn't wear all white that day and my teacher told me off! Even if you're wearing wrinkled clothes, they're like, 'go iron your outfit!' But it all comes from an emphasis on self-care. Yogi Bhajan was also really into jewelry and gemstones" [2]

And as most of the girls buys things on the spur of the moment:

"Yeah...but I have to be careful, because I can still find myself doing these weird, sporadic shops when I just end up with stuff I don't need. I think a lot of women have this problem. So, I try to stick to only going out shopping with an intention, you know?" [2]

With so many social platforms competing for our attention you need a good story that will appeal to your potential participants. The network Gabrielle created, herfuture.com, currently has nearly 36 000 members. She built it on the idea of spiritual importance of having a mentor and also being one:

"WM: What was your inspiration for HerFuture? How did the idea come to you?

GB: I have been blessed with amazing female mentors. If it were not for mentors like Bestselling author Karen Salmansohn, my coach Rha Goddess and my mother I would not be where I am today. I wanted to create a network where young women could have easy access to incredible mentors.

WM: You encourage women to be mentors or find a mentor. What should we look for in a mentor?

GB: Look for people who are of service to the world. If they are altruistic you know they will be interested in helping you too. Look for women who have what you want. If they have what you want – do what they do!" [3]

You can learn a lot from Gabrielle about what it takes in terms of personality to build a group of followers. Take your time and go to her website gabbyb.tv and watch some of the videos. Notice the differences between her and other female coaches: she always looks confident and doesn't gesticulate excessively, she has a strong voice (have you noticed how often women use soft, sweet tone which drives you nuts after a couple of minutes?) and is not afraid to use some stronger language when needed.

However, the online world is based on the visual so let's have a closer look now at what you need to create a platform based on build trust and long term engagement. I've been a big fan of Lauren Conrad's elegant style for years. I also admire her work ethics and ideas that got her from being a reality TV starlet to a successful entrepreneur.

First you need to build reliability. In LC's case it means staying true to her style. One of the most important things – when it comes to social media do as much as you can by yourself:

"Cosmo: Do you photograph everything on your Instagram yourself?

LC: I usually take all of the pictures with the exception that every once in a while I'll post a photo that someone else took on their camera. But I always give them a photo credit." [1]

Throwing a personal curiosity from time to time will allow you to show that your reality is not so far from your audience's:

"Cosmo: Who's doing your brows these days?! They're amazing!

LC: Nobody! I was so embarrassed about them this morning — I even said to myself, "These things are getting crazy!" I have giant eyebrows and if I didn't touch them there would only be one! (Laughs.) But when I do them, I lightly tweeze them, and then I use clear brow gel just to keep them in place." [1]

Have I mentioned how important is to ALWAYS stick to your style? No matter the platform/project:

"I like to wear a lot of chiffon, which is a sheer, lightweight fabric. I wanted to design a couple of chiffon blouses, but Kohl's research said that customers wouldn't buy a see-through top. We had the option to line the top with a non-transparent fabric, but that would have increased costs and gone over the target price point. Instead of accepting that the customer might not understand how to wear the piece, we decided we would educate her. We made tags with styling tips that read, "I love lightweight tops. I layer mine over a camisole and pair it with jeans." Our solution ensured the clothing would perform well in stores while staying congruent with my brand. I asked Kohl's to trust my knowledge about my fans and they were ultimately open to hearing my point of view." [2]

You also need to explain clearly why people should care about your topic. Lauren explains why style is important in everyday life of all women and girls:

"Q: Why should people consider developing their own unique style? How can it help them improve their work and life?

Let's be honest—we live in a very visual society where image is important. Whether we like it or not, a majority of us tend to project who we are on the inside, on the outside. Having a strong sense of personal style helps tell the world who you are without having to actually spell it out in words.

Q: How can improving your style and beauty improve your career? Can it hurt you if you avoid it?

When you look put together, people will take you more seriously. Who wants to hire a slob? To me that says, "I'm unorganized, scattered, and late." [3]

When building a long term strategy for your platform the most important element is providing a place for your recipients to connect with each other. It should be easy and intuitive, respect the privacy of participants and be nicely designed:

"LaurenConrad.com is a fully functioning social networking community where people can create their own profile pages, participate in the forums, make friends with like-minded tastemakers and stay up-to-date on my musings with my daily blog. It's a place where I can directly connect with my fans and reach out to a formerly scattered online audience (spread across Facebook, Twitter, etc.) in just one place. Connectivity is key—everything I post on my website is syndicated to Facebook and Twitter and vice versa." [2]

Your role doesn't end here. If you want your community to thrive, you need to provide new topics for conversations regularly. You're here to make it easier, remember? That means much, much more than providing server space:

"My favorite part about the revamped LaurenConrad.com is the blog element. The daily blog chronicles my interests—everything from fashion, beauty and interior design to food, travel and even party planning—while housing my current musings. Some of the content is based off requests or ideas sourced from the community. I like to include postings that highlight members. For example, I recently asked readers to share photos of their Fourth of July inspired manicures. By the next day, the site was flooded with photos of red, white, and blue painted nails. To show my appreciation for their efforts, I did a Member Spotlight: Patriotic Polish post where I showcased three of my favorite photo submissions." [4]

All mentioned techniques are worth your notice. But in my opinion the ability to be a connector is the most important one. In my case it was making new great friends, whom I met first on Twitter where we commented on FC Barcelona games, in my offline life. We also happen to be Puyol's most faithful fans. As my friend noticed the other day 'the guy plays two times per year and yet we cheer him every week'. I also never read beauty articles in magazines. I'm too lazy for any make up that takes more than 3 pieces of cosmetics and 3 minutes to finish. That's why I always look for advice from girls on forums and their blogs. I found the best way to wear eyeliner and red lipstick there. Not so easy when you're pale and wear glasses.

As to your fear of being superficial, you simply have to overcome it. For example, here are the reasons why I started talking with other members in my gym in the past few weeks: nice leggings – where you bought it, what you are reading (who else would be glued to her book in a gym but me), which classes you recommend and the never ending story of problems with self-service coffee machine.

I also admire that Lauren and Gabrielle based their business models on giving a lot of free material and connecting you to potential friends. All Lauren's advice regarding the style is free, she sells clothes. Gabrielle shares most of the knowledge from her books in her free videos, yet she still can run a successful business based on them and the lectures she gives. If you're observant you'll also learn lots of good PR tricks from Gabrielle, which you can implement later in your own strategy.

Key points to remember:

1. Introduce people to each other.

2. Give them space to interact with each other (it's like when you introduce people through e-mail and let them get you off CC).

3. Provide them with information useful for driving their conversations.

4. Use user friendly (even dummies friendly) technology.
POSITIONING

We spend a lot of time on building our message but the next step is even more important. How do you reach your target group with your message? You can be the best mentor or expert in your field but if nobody knows it, you can as well keep playing Solitaire on your computer. You'll have just the same impact on the world. Good positioning is a must.

Usually we make one of two mistakes – we don't promote ourselves or we concentrate on quantity, forgetting about quality. The race for highest position in Google, highest number of Facebook fans, press release reprints or (fake) comments never stops. But in fact, they cause more tiring noise in the online lives of the people for whom we care than bring real popularity and engagement. As many confessed to me in private conversations and some admitted openly, like UNICEF in their campaign against slacktivism (doing things that make people feel like they do something important, e.g. liking a charity's fanpage when it doesn't make any difference because no donation follows). This won't bring you the impact you long for. Instead, what everybody needs is the order and clear messages that allow them to find information they're looking for easily (no more 'how was your weekend', pretty please).

If what you crave for is a long-term positioning, then the only solution is concentrating on quality. Just like when you were preparing the message.

We keep looking at positioning through mass media communication which was designed to grow recognizability. But when the access to a chosen channel is not limited to a couple of brands but we're bombarded with hundreds of products, apps and services every day, building your recognition through the range is practically impossible. What you should concentrate on instead is building trust.

The methods that usually work the best are: video, meritorical articles, interviews, live meetings and, if you're lucky, appearing in somebody else's piece of work.

Nothing is more important for building the trust than matching the face with the voice. This is the ultimate proof of you being a real human and a substitute of a live connection. A regular videoblog (if you dare), a welcome video on your page or a simple redirection to a conference speech or interview (that's 2 in 1!). For most of us it means getting totally out of our comfort zone. Do you already feel panic blocking you? I think that the worst part for most of us is hearing our own voice. But there's only one solution to this: voice emission exercises. My tip – go for low & sexy like Marlene Dietrich/Humphrey Bogart. Classic never goes out of style. As a bonus, your voice chords finally won't be overworked. You can trust an asthmatic trained in voice emission on that.

For further inspirations, have a look at:

Gabbyb.tv – videoblog by Gabrielle Bernstein,

Foodandthefabulous.com/about – a welcome video on a food and travel blog by Ishay Govender-Ypma

Every day we are surrounded by such amount of information that we're not able to judge its worth properly anymore. So we turn to meritorical articles where authors share their knowledge instead of shamelessly promoting their products or services. In times of printed media appearing in one of them was practically impossible. The development of online portals and the constant progress of their specialization changed it and recently guest publications by experts in their fields have become much more welcome.

Interviews, earlier reserved for the most well-known and important, nowadays thanks to the development of blogosphere are available for anyone who has something interesting to say. What's the most important about them is, that they let you express your opinion on topics that interest people you'd like to reach with your message.

When you're writing an article or giving an interview you probably want to fit there as much information on your product or service as you can. Don't. If you want to sell your vision, you should concentrate on building attraction, not promotion. I think that Gabrielle Bernstein put it best when she said that we should start with sharing our experience and then let the others gain theirs.

I love the Internet and the possibilities of growing international relations that it creates. Up to this day the biggest role in my life played Twitter. In 2010 during World Football Cup I was lucky to meet a group of other fans of FC Barcelona. Three years later and we still meet every week online to cheer our team. But what changed an acquaintance into friendship was our meeting in the real life. Of course in Barcelona :)

You've read about Josef, Mayel, Jonathan, Zuzanna, Ivan, Jacek and Krzysztof because we happened to meet and they convinced me to their vision. Everybody has her own preferences when it comes to choosing conferences and events she attends. So my advice here is simple: if you feel like going somewhere – go. I'm always trying to cut down on branch events in my field and go where I can meet a mix of interesting individuals instead. I try to attend local TEDx events, meetings for bloggers or branch events in the fields in which I've never worked but that are important in today's world. I've met some of the most interesting people by the coffee machine in my fitness club or we bumped into each other during classes (in the case of zumba literally).

And finally, top of the tops of positioning: being mentioned in somebody else's piece of work. Ok, so Lindsay Lohan might not agree with me on this one after Pitbull sang in Give Me Everything that 'I gotta locked up like Lindsay Lohan'.

If you're not interested in United Nations everyday operations you might have missed the name of Armenia Nercessian de Oliveira. And if you're not interested in ethnic jewellery you probably never heard of Novica.com. Just like me. Till I decided to read Eat, pray, love this summer (tip for readers under 30 – go straight to Bali). Elisabeth Gilbert described there her meeting with a beautiful Armenia who runs an online gallery with ethnic jewellery. First thing after finding a place with Wi-Fi I googled "Armenia + Novica + United Nations". Seven years after the first publication of the book.

I had been working in technology PR already for two years when I heard about Robert Scoble for the first time. Hard to imagine now. I didn't find him through his blog, YouTube channel or any of his social media profiles. I read about him in the preface to David Meerman Scott's The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

If you're a writer you can use one of my favorite Clive Cussler's tricks. He appears in many of Dirk Pitt's books as a mysterious character who saves the heroes from trouble by lending them his historical vehicles and boats. Usually they never give them back in one piece. Oops, caution spoilers.
TO ROBYN AND OTHER BRAVE KIDS

In November 2010 Jonathan MacDonald took the stage at TEDxYouth Manchester and began his talk:

"13 months ago my son's classmate, Robyn Higgins, was diagnosed with something called Neuroblastoma, which is a rare form of aggressive childhood cancer. And all my son could think of was, how can my dad and mum help her?

So, we rallied together and we created a little blog, we created a Facebook group. I know Facebook is popular here. And we tweeted about things, and the problem was that we had to raise 300,000 pounds within about 8 weeks so that Robyn could fly to America, which is the only place where she could actually be treated.

As the person in charge of -- well, self volunteered in charge of trying to coordinate the diligent efforts here and rallying support. I just did what I'd normally do and collaborated with as many people as possible, and it got about 10,000 people involved, actually. So I was just one small cog of a very large wheel.

And a few months ago, Robyn had her tests back from the operation. We did raise the 300,000 pounds and she's now all clear."

Sadly, Robyn died in September 2013 but the treatment allowed her to live for nearly five years longer.

If you would like to help other children fighting cancer, you can support the organization that was helping Robyn and her family – Neuroblastoma Children's Cancer Alliance UK (http://www.childrenscancer.org.uk/) or your local organization.
CONNECTING DOTS

"Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things."

Steve Jobs

This ebook was inspired by some great works that I was lucky to come across:

Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi

Cluetrain Manifesto by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinberger

Killing Brands Softly and Brand Preference Being Challenged by Don E. Schultz and Martin P. Block

The Education of Millionaires by Michael Ellsberg (who adds some useful tips to Keith Ferrazzi's networking strategy)

Have a look at them when you have some free time. I promise it'll be worth it.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This ebook wouldn't be the same without all the fantastic people who inspired and motivated me. Thank you:

Marta Drachal – the best friend and also most patient listener to all my doubts and rears one could wish! Also the legal advisor to this project.

Ishay Govender-Ypma – for fuelling me with inspiration to turn dreams into actions.

Gabrysia van Manmenhalmen – for always being one step in front of me and sharing your insights. Darling, you're a prophet, even without tarot cards.

Marek Krygier – because the best type of mentoring is being able to work side by side with a great businessman on a daily basis.

Sometimes even a short conversation with an expert can make a big change and save from making a time consuming mistake. Thank you:

Jonathan MacDonald – for showing me the right direction back when I didn't even know that reputation will become the leading theme of my work.

Asia Pyrek – for teaching me the 'How can it get even better?' positive thinking.

Mariola Szeląg – for reminding me every time we've met in past few months, that my opinion is the most important part of this ebook (see, even someone working with reputation on a daily basis needs to be reminded of that – we're simply too shy to put importance to that).

Anita Szołdra – for the economic insight.
REFERENCES

STORYTELLER

Josef & Mayel

1. Facebook, Josef Dunne http://www.facebook.com/josef.dunne

2. Facebook, Mayel de Borniol http://www.facebook.com/mayel2b

Brene Brown

1. TED, Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

2.TED, Brene Brown: Listening to shame http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame.html

3.Brenebrown.com, I heart generosity day  http://brenebrown.com/2013/02/13/2013213i-heart-generosity-day-with-a-giveaway-of-course-html/

4. Facebook, Brene Brown https://www.facebook.com/brenebrown

MIRROR

Thomas Backlund

1. Thomasbacklund.com, Get out of the building

2. Mashable.com, I quit my job to live in a tent and code

 http://mashable.com/2013/06/11/homeless-entrepreneur-thomas-backlund/

3. Twitter, Thomas Backlund https://twitter.com/ThomasBacklund

Zuzanna Stańska

1. [PL] Technoatmuseo.com, Wstęp <http://www.technoatmuseo.com/2010/12/wstep.html>

2. [PL] Technoatmuseo.com, Dzień Wolnej Sztuki w 12 muzeach w Polsce

 http://www.technoatmuseo.com/2012/04/dzien-wolnej-sztuki-w-12-muzeach-w.html

3. PL] Technoatmuseo.com, [ Dzień Wolnej Sztuki 2013 - 28 muzeów, 17 miast, 27 kwietnia

 http://www.technoatmuseo.com/2013/04/dzien-wolnej-sztuki-2013-28-muzeow-17.html

4. [PL] Webkomunikacja.pl, Trzeba dużo chodzić i dużo mówić

 http://www.webkomunikacja.pl/nowosci/trzeba-duzo-chodzic-i-duzo-mowic-wywiad-z-zuzanna-stanska-zalozycielka-moiseum/

5. PL] Mamstartup.pl, Zuzanna Stańska o nowym DailyArt [ http://mamstartup.pl/wywiady/4422/zuzanna-stanska-o-nowym-dailyart

6.PL] Blog.kurasinski.com, Zuzanna Stańska (Moiseum) [ http://blog.kurasinski.com/2013/02/zuza-stanska-moiseum-duzo-ludzi-jest-naprawde-zainteresowaynych-zarowno-ogladaniem-reprodukcji-jak-i-czytaniem-zwiazanych-z-nimi-historii/

7. PL] Technoatmuseo.com, Metamuzeum – pierwsze nieformalne spotkanie warszawskich muzealników [ http://www.technoatmuseo.com/2013/06/metamuzeum-pierwsze-nieformalne.html

MENTOR

Jeff Bezos

1. Hbr.org, The Institutional Yes http://hbr.org/2007/10/the-institutional-yes/ar/1

2. Cnn.com, Amazon CEO: focus on customer is key

 http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/business/2013/09/25/lead-dnt-simon-amazon-success-is-customer-service.cnn&iref=allsearch

3. Fastcompany.com, Amazonfresh is Jeff Bezos' last mile quest for total retail domination http://www.fastcompany.com/3014817/amazon-jeff-bezos

4. Allthingsd.com, Making money while keeping prices low: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos explains it all (mostly)  http://allthingsd.com/20120906/making-money-while-keeping-prices-low-amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-explains-it-all-mostly/

5. Mashable.com, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos: Why is this man smiling?

http://mashable.com/2013/09/25/jeff-bezos-interview/

6. Theverge.com, Jeff Bezos wants to delight you

 http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/25/4766878/jeff-bezos-interview-amazon-kindle-hdx

7. Businessweek.com, Amazon's Jeff Bezos talks new Kindles and what he's doing next  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-25/amazons-jeff-bezos-talks-new-kindles-and-what-hes-doing-next#p2

Dodson& Ross

1. Truth-out.org, Birds, Bees and Bad Information: The Deplorable State of Sex Education in the US  http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/13741-bird-bees-and-bad-information-the-deplorable-state-of-sex-education-in-the-us

2. Babeland.com, Sex Positive Talk with Dodson and Ross

 http://www.babeland.com/blog/2011/03/07/sex-positive-talk-with-dodson-and-ross/

3. YouTube, A New Sex Question Every Week http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjJS_MhVHW4

PROBLEM SOLVER

Armenia Nercessian de Oliveira

1. Novica.com, Interview with Armenia Nercessian de Oliveira http://www.novica.com/news/armeniainterview.cfm

2. Adventuredivas.com, Ambassador for the Arts

 http://www.adventuredivas.com/divas/profiles/armenia-nercessian-de-oliveira/

Leila Janah

1. TEDx Sillicon Valley, Leila Chirayath Janah http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ce9EfF2lHE

2. Refinery29.com, Could Nairobi be the New Sillicon Valley? http://www.refinery29.com/2013/08/50517/lelia-janah

3. Experiencelife.com, Leila Janah: The Equalizer http://experiencelife.com/article/leila-janah-the-equalizer/

4. TEDx Brussels, Leila Janah – The microwork revolution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=319sQ9s-lyQ

KNOWLEDGE BROKER

Robert Scoble

1. Quora.com, Technology Trends  http://www.quora.com/Technology-Trends/Why-do-I-always-feel-like-I%E2%80%99m-too-late-for-all-the-startup-trends-How-can-I-be-at-the-front-of-the-trends-executing

Elise Andrew

1. Scienceworld.ro, Mad about science  http://www.scienceworld.ro/features/mad-about-science-interview-with-elise-andrew-creator-of-i-fucking-love-science-12417.html

2. Newstatesman.com, Elise Andrew  http://www.newstatesman.com/sci-tech/2012/12/elise-andrew-there-lot-pseudo-science-and-nonsense-out-there-internet

3. Csicorp.org, how much do you love science?

 http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/how_much_do_you_love_science_interview_with_elise_andrew/

4. Timeout.com, I fucking love science: Elise Andrew

 http://www.au.timeout.com/melbourne/aroundtown/features/2928/i-fucking-love-science-elise-andrew

Maria Popova

1. Neboagency,com, The art of curation  http://www.neboagency.com/blog/art-curation-interview-maria-popova/

2. Copyblogger.com, How Maria Popova writes? http://www.copyblogger.com/how-maria-popova-writes/

3. Thegreatdiscontent.org, Maria Popova http://thegreatdiscontent.com/maria-popova

4. Theguardian.com, Maria Popova: why we need antidote to the culture of Google

 http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2012/dec/30/maria-popova-brain-pickings-internet

5. Motherjones.com, Maria Popova's Beautiful Mind

http://www.motherjones.com/media/2011/12/maria-popova-interview

EXPERT

Chris Brogan

1. Chrisbrogan.com, New http://www.chrisbrogan.com/new/

2. Humanbusinessworks, Newsletter http://www.humanbusinessworks.com/newsletter

3.Chrisbrogan.com, Your Business Magazine Awaits http://www.chrisbrogan.com/your-business-magazine-awaits/

4. Chrisbrogan.com, Why I much prefer the business partnership model http://www.chrisbrogan.com/businesspartners/

5. Chrisbrogan.com, Where do you decide to post which type of content

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/contentmapping/

6. Chrisbrogan.com, Seek Frame Build Bridge - Explained  http://www.chrisbrogan.com/seek-frame-build-bridge-explained/

7. Chrisbrogan.com, My 3 Words for 2008 http://www.chrisbrogan.com/my-three-words-for-2008/

8. Chrisbrogan.com, Your 3 Goals for 2009 http://www.chrisbrogan.com/your-3-goals-for-2009/

9. Chrisbrogan.com, My 3 Words for 2010 http://www.chrisbrogan.com/my-3-words-for-2010/

10. Chrisbrogan.com, My 3 Words for 2011 http://www.chrisbrogan.com/my-3-words-for-2011/

11. Chrisbrogan.com, My 3 Words for 2012 http://www.chrisbrogan.com/3words2012/

12. Chrisbrogan.com, My 3 Words for 2013 http://www.chrisbrogan.com/my-3-words-for-2013/

13. Twitter, Chris Brogan https://twitter.com/chrisbrogan

14. Blogherald.com, Interview with Chris Brogan  http://www.blogherald.com/2013/06/28/interview-with-chris-brogan/

15. YouTube, Chris Brogan Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/chrisbrogan

16. Ownermag.com, New Here http://ownermag.com/new-here/

17. Chrisbrogan.com, Untangled http://www.chrisbrogan.com/untangled/

18. Chrisbrogan.com, Following Does Not Equal Atention http://www.chrisbrogan.com/following-does-not-equal-attention/

19. Copyblogger.com, How Chris Brogan built His Content Platform

http://www.copyblogger.com/chris-brogan-interview/

20. PL] Jestkultura.pl, Pisz jak zawodowiec [ http://jestkultura.pl/2012/pisz-jak-zawodowiec-kolejne-5-porad-dzieki-ktorym-bedziesz-tworzyc-szybciej-i-lepiej/

21. Chrisbrogan.com, About http://www.chrisbrogan.com/about/

22. Chrisbrogan.com, One Way That I Love Helping http://www.chrisbrogan.com/one-way-that-i-love-helping/

23. Chrisbrogan.com, Free eBook on Personal Branding http://www.chrisbrogan.com/free-ebook-on-personal-branding/

25. Chrisbrogan.com, New Project – Open Source Fitness http://www.chrisbrogan.com/new-project-open-source-fitness/

THOUGHT LEADER

Jonathan MacDonald

1. TEDxYouth@Manchester, Jonathan MacDonald – If Mandela Had Tweeted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02RWn2NtbvE

Rachel Botsman

1. TED, Rachel Botsman: The case for collaborative consumption

 http://www.ted.com/talks/rachel_botsman_the_case_for_collaborative_consumption.html

2. TED, Rachel Botsman: The currency of the new economy is trust

 http://www.ted.com/talks/rachel_botsman_the_currency_of_the_new_economy_is_trust.html

ACTION LEADER

Clive Cussler

1. Jonathanlowe.wordpress.com, Clive Cussler Interview

 http://jonathanlowe.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/clive-cussler-interview/

2. Tome2watch.net, An Interview with Dr. Clive Cussler

http://www.time2watch.net/cusslerinterview.htm

3. Readersdigest.co.za, Interview with author Clive Cussler http://www.readersdigest.co.za/clive-cussler

4. Barnesandnoble.com, Meet the writers: Clive Cussler

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/writers/writerdetails.asp?cid=883201

5. Blackfive.net, Clive Cussler Exclusive Interview  http://www.blackfive.net/main/2013/07/book-review-clive-cussler-exclusive-interview.html

Jacek Gadzinowski

1. [PL] Jestkultura.pl, Jacek Gadzinowski opowiada o lifestyle'u <http://jestkultura.pl/2013/jacek-gadzinowski-lifestyle/>

2. PL] Natemat.pl, Uciekinier, słabeusz i "przegrany". Żołnierz korporacji, który został surferem [ http://natemat.pl/66959,uciekinier-slabeusz-i-przegrany-zolnierz-korporacji-ktory-zostal-surferem

Krzysztof SEMP Bielecki

1. [PL] Sztukaulicy.pl _,_ Krzysztof "Semp" Bielecki

 http://www.sztukaulicy.pl/strona.php?lang=p&m=6&pm=10001&idwyk=93&pokaz=2009

2. [PL] Krzysztof Bielecki, Miasto to gra, 2008

3. [PL]Projekty.semp.pl, Niewygodne pytania <http://www.projekty.semp.pl/index.php?go=57>

4. [PL] Projekty.semp.pl, Wszyscy jesteśmy zagranico

<http://www.projekty.semp.pl/index.php?go=46>

CONNECTOR

Gabrielle Bernstein

1. Bonberi.squarespace.com, At home with Gabrielle Bernstein

 https://bonberi.squarespace.com/journal/2013/8/31/at-home-with-gabrielle-bernstein

2. Thenuminous.com, Gabby Bernstein: Fashion Junkie http://thenuminous.net/gabby-bernstein-fashion-junkie/

3. Womensmafia.com, Gabrielle Bernstein of Her Future, Motivational Speaker and Coach

 http://www.womensmafia.com/2009/06/talent-profile-gabrielle-bernstein-of-her-future-motivational-speaker-and-coach/

Lauren Conrad

1. Cosmopolitan.com, Lauren Conrad talks Kardashians

 http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/fashion/lauren-conrad-talks-kardashians

2. Forbes.com, Meet Lauren Conrad Inc.

 http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenconrad/2011/06/23/meet-lauren-conrad-inc/

3. Forbes.com, Lauren Conrad: How Your Personal Style Affects Your Career

 http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2012/10/29/lauren-conrad-how-your-personal-style-affects-your-success/

4. Forbes.com, My Business Plan for LaurenConrad.com

 http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenconrad/2011/07/14/my-business-plan-for-lauren-conrad-online/
