Leaderful: Twit Rapper The Movie

Leaderful: Twit Rapper, The Movie

Derived from...
Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom; The Starfish and the Spider

Previously
Twit Rapper N-Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDGOQHT0RYc



Get the full Book Rapper issue: Leaderful

Leaderful: A book in 26 tweets: Twit Rapper N-Z

Leaderful: A book in 26 tweets: Twit Rapper N-Z

Derived from...
Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom; The Starfish and the Spider
Previously
Twit Rapper A-M

Twit Rapper N-Z

3N History of the Music Industry: Starfish > Spider > Starfish: Live travelling performers > Gramophone/Recording Companies > Napster

3O 5 Legs of Decentralized Organizations: Catalyst to start, champion to implement, ideology to follow, network to build, in small circles

3P Two ways to decentralize your organization: Decentralize the customer experience and spin-off business units

3Q Decentralize by letting your customer contribute: go DIY, crowdsource, give them voice, let them instruct others

3R Centralized organizations build structure whereas decentralized ones use clear ideology as glue

3S To fight a starfish organization: attempt to change it’s ideology or suggest it centralize. Otherwise decentralize yourself.

3T Centralized organizations rely on scale to achieve big results. Starfish organizations thrive on being small.

3U CEO’s might rule spider organizations. And, Catalysts inspire people to act. They suggest a course of action then let go.

3V In a spider organization it’s presumed the head knows best. Starfish organization spread knowledge rather than concentrate it.

3W Spider organizations rely on command and control to standardize and bring order. No wonder innovation struggles!

3X In a starfish organization people are more likely to want to share their knowledge. Think Open Source code or Wikipedia.

3Y WANT MORE? Get the complete @BookRapper issue: #Leaderful

3Z Want even MORE? Follow @RodBeckstrom and Ori Brafman. And, buy their book! The Spider and the Starfish

Get the full Book Rapper issue: Leaderful

See other Twit Rapper examples

Leaderful: A book in 26 tweets: Twit Rapper A-M

Leaderful: A book in 26 tweets: Twit Rapper A-M

Derived from...
Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom; The Starfish and the Spider
Previously
The Rules for Building a Decentralized Organization

Twit Rapper A-M

3A Leaderful: The Power of Decentralized Organizations, Derived from: Ori Brafman and @RodBeckstrom The Spider and the Starfish

3B Big Idea: The internet + digital technology swings the pendulum to decentralized organizations: self-organizing with no one in control

3C Speed RAP: Spiders are centralized: ruled by the head. Starfish are not: no head, no one part in control

3D Your Challenge: Notice how centralized + controlling you are + the people around you. Loosen the reins: become a catalyst

3E Centralized organizations rely on a dominant leader. Decentralized organizations require some leadership from everyone.

3F Book Review: The future is decentralization and this book cleverly uses a potent metaphor to show us the way

3G Book Rapper Thinks... If you were going to design an organization from scratch today it would be decentralized/fusion.

3H Three Types of Organizations: Centralized, Decentralized and Fusion (a combination of both) – find your sweet spot

3I Centralization Examples: Spiders, Dictatorship, Military, Government, Sit-com, Typical Corporation, General Motors, Microsoft

3J Decentralization Examples: Starfish, The Internet, AA, Apache Indians, Terrorist Cells, Open Source and Peer to Peer Software

3K Fusion Examples: Reality TV, Wikipedia, Craigslist, Toyota, Skype, Ebay, GE

3L Spider organizations = Headquarters, someone in charge, knowledge/power in the hands of the few, rigid structure, clear division of roles

3M Starfish organizations = No headquarters, no one in charge, distributed knowledge/power, flexible structure, amorphous division of roles

Get the full Book Rapper issue: Leaderful

See other Twit Rapper examples

The Rules for Building a Decentralized Organization

The Rules for Building a Decentralized Organization

Derived from...
Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom; The Starfish and the Spider
Previously
How to Lead a Decentralized Organization

RAP7: Leaderful Rules!
In the history of warfare, when the technology changes, so do the tactics required to win. The Polish Cavalry charging German tanks was not a winning move. When organizations change from being top-down and centralized to networked, open systems of the starfish organization, the rules we play by need to change too.

Can’t beat ‘em...
To fight a decentralized organization we can attempt to change it’s ideology or encourage it to become more centralized. If that fails, then our best chance is to join in and decentralize ourselves.

Not the head
When attacked, a decentralized organization will splinter and grow several more heads. There are ways to attack a starfish and chopping off it’s head is not one of them.

Spread of Knowledge
The presumption in spider organizations is that the head of the organization knows best. This top down approach belies the reality that people on the front line are often in the best place to know what is truly going on. In a starfish organization knowledge is spread rather than concentrated.

Smaller is Better
Centralized systems rely on scale to achieve big results. Think big factories, big machines and big production. Starfish organizations thrive on being small. Skype upended AT&T and a college kid upset the music industry through Napster.

Enjoy Chaos Power
Centralized systems run on command and control, all in the name of bringing standardization and order to things. No wonder innovation is a struggle! A starfish organization enjoys chaos and is free to explore, innovate and create.

Catalyst Inspiration
CEO’s might rule but Catalysts inspire people to act. They suggest a course of action and then let go. Warning: Don’t turn a catalyst into a CEO or the whole network will suffer.

Ideology is the Glue
Whilst centralized organizations build structure, starfish organizations build ideology and define values. This is the glue that holds them together and inspires action.

Let me contribute
Top down, central control stifles the opportunity for people to contribute their thoughts. In a starfish organization people are more likely to want to share their knowledge and contribute. Think Open Source code or Wikipedia.

Measure Wellbeing
Centralized organizations pursue precise measurements of their results whereas starfish organizations are more difficult to measure accurately. The key is not to get a definitive answer, it’s more like monitor the general wellbeing of the organization.

Build Network Power
The Network Effect says the power of the network increases with the addition of each new user. In the physical world of phones and faxes, it takes time and effort to build the network. In the digital world, a new user can be added DIY in minutes. Ebay grows with each new buyer and seller.

How to Lead a Decentralized Organization

How to Lead a Decentralized Organization

Derived from...
Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom; The Starfish and the Spider
Previously
How to Decentralize Your Organization

RAP6: The CEO and the Catalyst
Where a centralized spider demands leaders who take charge, the starfish requires a completely different kind of leader. Instead of a CEO, they need a Catalyst. Their qualities will be very different.

Leadership Quiz
Are you a traditional CEO-type leader or a Catalyst? Take our test to find out...


Catalyst Leadership Qualities
Here’s a list for you to consider...

Genuine Interest in Others
A CEO doesn’t really have to be genuinely interested in others, they can just bark orders. However, a peer or an equal cannot take that tack and expect to succeed.

Loose Connections
A CEO may have a team to call on to get things done whereas a catalyst will have an extensive network of diverse contacts.

Mapping
It’s not just who you know, it’s who they know and how they fit in the bigger picture. Catalysts look for potential advocates and map out possible relationships where everyone wins.

Desire to Help
Catalysts really do want to help you. It’s not always about what you can get from your contacts.

Meet People Where They Are
A traditional leader with command and control is more likely to demand action. When you’re running a team of volunteers or simply working with a decentralized group, this has less likelihood of success. The ability and willingness to empathize and meet others where they are at is more important.

Emotional Intelligence
Whilst essential for any successful person, the willingness to cede control and loosen the reins of command in a starfish organization requires a higher degree of emotional intelligence. One cannot rely on position or power for your identity.

Trust
If you can’t control the outcome and you can’t enforce errant behaviour, you need to focus on what you can influence: build relationships based upon trust.

Inspiration
To inspire action from people without personal gain, you need to instil inspiration. This is not about the people involved, it’s about the bigger purpose.

Tolerance for Ambiguity
A CEO may demand clarity but don’t expect it in a starfish organization. To be a great catalyst you need to be able to ride ambiguity as an opportunity for creativity and innovation.

Hands-Off Approach
The CEO is often the centre of attention whereas the catalyst gets out of the way and let others step into the breach to drive the organization forward.

Receding
Whilst a CEO may bask in the glory of victory, a catalyst is likely to have already left. A catalyst who stick around too long risks becoming a CEO and stifling growth by centralizing operations.

How to Decentralize Your Organization

How to Decentralize Your Organization

Derived from...
Ori Brafman & Rod A. Beckstrom; The Starfish and the Spider
Previously
The Five Things You Need to Create a Decentralized Organization

RAP5: Creating Fusion
To fuse the best of spiders and starfish two primary strategies are available.
Firstly, decentralize the customer experience by letting them have a role in business.
Secondly, decentralize internal parts of the business into separate independent business units.
Here’s some suggestions as how you can decentralize your organization.

➊ Decentralize the Customer Experience
The Playground
Creating a Fusion Organization is like building a playground.
First, you need to add a slide, then a swing, a climbing frame and make sure you build a fence around the playground.
Second, we want the kids to play fair so we need to make some rules.
How about... only one person on the swing at a time, no kicking, no foul language...
Third, we want to let the kids play.
That’s it, just let ‘em go and enjoy themselves.

Three Steps to Creating a Fusion

1. Create the Structure : Define the system or process of the organization. Ebay built a website; Big Brother built a house and Skype built peer-to-peer software.
2. Design the Cultural Rules : Share your ideology and design some rules to represent it. Ebay has feedback points to build trust; Alcoholics Anonymous has the 12 step process and the Internet has software standards.
3. Let People Play : That’s it just let ‘em loose... Ebay provides DIY tools for buying and selling; Skype lets you make calls to who ever you want and Amazon lets customers make recommendations.

➋ Spin-off Business Units

• Run the business unit ‘as if’ they are stand alone businesses with their own profit/loss statement.
• Start by spinning off a project team.
• Give them a separate budget, separate facilities and their own team.
• Encourage them to be innovative and create their own objectives.
• Let them establish their own cultural rules.
• Let business units compete against each other paying full retail prices for services.

Actions: How to let your customers contribute...

1. Instruct : Let customers provide instruction to others through a forum or a wiki eg Quicken, Adobe
2. DIY : Give your customers tools to help themselves or help you, For instance, let customers police your website eg Ebay, Wikipedia
3. Create : Let customers make their own products or serve themselves eg IBM’s support of Linux, Sun Microsystems making its software open-source
4. Shape : Let customers shape your products eg Google’s Page Rank/News - user habits define the rankings; Brewtopia lets users design their own beer
5. Voice : Give your customers a voice eg Oprah’s Book Club and Amazon’s Recommendations

The Five Things You Need to Create a Decentralized Organization

The Five Things You Need to Create a Decentralized Organization

Derived from...
Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom; The Starfish and the Spider
Previously
How Decentralization re-invented the Music Industry

RAP4: Five Legs A decentralized organization stands on five legs.
Just like the starfish, you can lose one or two of them and still function.
For best results, five legs working together are better than less.

Catalyst
A Catalyst initiates the project by creating and sharing the ideology, they lead by example and then fade into the background.
They let go of control and allow the organization to become it’s own entity.

A catalyst is like an architect who designs the organization but never moves into the finished building.

They give the users the power to decide and they transfer ownership and responsibility to the circle.

Champion
A starfish organization needs 2 types of people, the catalyst to get things started and the champion to implement.

The Champion is relentless in pursuit of an idea - they take it to another level.

They’re like a bull terrier with a bone - they just won’t let go.
A Champion will tell everyone about your idea, they’re a natural sales person.

Ideology
Why would you contribute to Wikipedia or Open Source software?
You don’t get paid - at least not in dollars.
Your reward is being part of a movement or forwarding an ideal.

Ideology is the glue that holds it all together.

What is your mission?
The ideology of Alcoholics Anonymous is represented by the 12 step process.
Virtual or online starfish organizations may have less dependence on an ideology because the commitment to join is less involved and this does not lessen its importance.
In a typical corporate environment where dollars rule, the commitment to shared values and common belief is less important.
Many corporates cling to misfired mission statements in the hope of lighting the fire of idealism in their employees.
Gen Yer’s in particular are not interested in this.
Give them something to truly believe in!

Circles
Small cells or independent and autonomous circles of members are the core of a decentralized system.
They need to be exclusive not open.
Once accepted you’re an equal member and expected to pull your weight and contribute to the best of your abilities.
In a physical setting, 14 is a useful rule of thumb for a cell size to maintain an effective bond.
In virtual or online cells, the number can increase although the bond will naturally be less.

When a circle becomes too big it enables free-rides or destructive behaviour.

Given there are no rules or power to enforce, personal responsibility and face-to-face accountability are crucial.
Trust is created by applying norms based upon standards, models or process.
Ebay feedback points are the marker of trust in their starfish organization.

Network
It may not be easy to start a physical starfish organization from scratch.
It’s much easier to piggyback on to an existing network or build an online viral organization via the internet.

Critical mass is important - the power of the network increases with each additional member.

Also, designing a meme or a way to pass on the ideals and values is critical to entice new participants.
In the short term, it is easy to rule top down giving orders and expecting members to follow.
Some will, some won’t.
Ultimately, this limits creativity and involvement which will strangle the growth of the organization in the long term.
A decentralized starfish organization is more open to innovation because it is not structured or attached to a fixed approach.
The adoption of new ideas versus force and power allows the network to grow more rapidly.

How Decentralization re-invented the Music Industry

How Decentralization re-invented the Music Industry

Derived from...
Ori Brafman & Rod A. Beckstrom; The Starfish and the Spider
Previously
Examples of Centralized and Decentralized Organizations

RAP3: The Music Industry Pendulum
The story of the music business shows how industries swing from decentralized to centralized and back again.
It’s a useful reminder for your industry and the context of ‘The Starfish Era’ in which we are living.


Prior to recorded music, travelling performers operated independently as they sang their way across the country.

Then Edison’s invention of the gramophone changed all that - he allowed you to take music home with you and as a result numerous independent record companies emerged to tap into the demand for sound and new found profit.

The pendulum soon swung away from the independent musicians to be taken over by the recording companies who were able to create a star simply by publishing their records and scoring radio airplay.
By the end of the 20th Century, 80% of the global record industry was dominated by just five companies.
To get anywhere in the music business you needed a recording contract and for this you needed to join one of these major players.
Centralized power was held in the hands of the few.

Then, as quickly as the gramophone and radio had created the music industry, the internet provided the means to dismantle it.

The internet was decentralized power in the hands of the many, and it naturally decentralized the music industry one swapped song at a time.

The shift started in Shawn Fanning’s college dorm room.
He created a simple piece of software that allowed users to swap files.
It seemed innocent enough and yet this birth of Peer to Peer software started a revolution.
Fanning’s software became the infamous ‘Napster’ and it’s effect on the music industry was devastating.

Over a five year period from 2001 to 2005, revenue from the major music industry players had fallen by 25%.
CD sales were spiralling downwards.
Sales weren’t being transferred to any new players, Napster wasn’t making the money.
Sales were simply disappearing.

As with any change toward a decentralized structure, profits will decrease - perhaps that’s why we hear so little about decentralized organizations in our business schools?

At first, the music industry didn’t know what to do.
Their sales were dropping but they couldn’t figure out why.
They couldn’t spot their new enemy.
It wasn’t like another giant corporation had muscled into their turf.
No, it was a bunch of kids swapping their music over the internet.

The music industry did the only thing they knew to do, they went to court to put Napster out of business.
In the past this would have worked, but they were up against a phenomenon that was operating out of a different paradigm.

Eventually, they had Napster closed down but all that did was force new, even more decentralized organizations to pop up.
Napster was a relatively easy target because they could shut their servers down.
But along came Kazaa, then Kazaa Lite, then eMule which was open source peer to peer software - no one owned it, no one person created it and it didn’t live in a specific location.

The music industry has now adopted a new path.
They know they cannot beat the music pirates.
Even more so, they know that the Achilles heel of a centralized organization is a decentralized one and that is precisely the point of this book.

Action: Where is your Industry at?

• Is your industry heading toward centralization or decentralization?
• What are the threats and opportunities on the horizon to swing the pendulum the other way?

Examples of Centralized and Decentralized Organizations

Examples of Centralized and Decentralized Organizations

Derived from...
Ori Brafman & Rod A. Beckstrom; The Starfish and the Spider
Previously
Can you spot a starfish organisation? (Quiz)

RAP2: The Pendulum Swings
In the Industrial Age, the top-down controlled hierarchies of centralized organizations were dominant.
In our Information or Knowledge Age, inspired by the decentralized structure of the Internet, a swing toward loosely connected networks or cells is becoming more common.The immediate future suggests a flood of hybrid organizations that will change our view of organizational structure and leadership. Here's some examples of each type of organization...

Centralized

• Spiders
• Dictatorship
• Military
• Government
• Television
• Typical Corporation
• General Motors
• Microsoft

Decentralized

• Starfish
• Our Brain
• The Internet
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Apache Indians
• Terrorist Cells
• Open Source Software
• Peer to Peer Software

Fusion

• Big Brother
• Wikipedia
• Craigslist
• Toyota
• Skype
• Ebay
• GE

Can you spot the Starfish Organisation? (Quiz)

Can you spot the Starfish Organisation? (Quiz)

Derived from
Ori Brafman & Rod A. Beckstrom; The Starfish and the Spider
Previously
Is your organisation a Spider or a Starfish?

Quiz: Spot the Starfish
Would you recognize a starfish if you met one in the street?
Here’s a quick challenge for you to spot the starfish organisation.
Read through the list and make a note as to which organisation is a starfish and which is a spider.
Once you've done this you can read the rest of the post for the answer.

• Wikipedia or the Wall Street Journal?
• Telstra (traditional telephone company) or Skype?
• Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton?
• The Spanish Conquistadors or The Apache Indian?
• GE or GM?
• Microsoft or Linux?
• Al Qaeda or the US Military?
• Self-service or DIY?
• Ebay or Google?
• Our Brain or Our Body?
• Sitcoms or Reality TV?
• The Internet or Television?

The Answers

Wikipedia or the Wall Street Journal?
Anyone can contribute something to Wikipedia on almost any topic (starfish). The Wall Street Journal relies on Editors to define what shall be written about and the tone in which it will be written. (spider)

Telstra (traditional telephone company) or Skype?
Telstra is a centrally controlled company (spider) whereas Skype is a starfish based upon peer-to-peer software.

Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton?
Hillary’s campaign focussed on big donations from a handful of key players and lobby groups (spider). Barack went online and sourced small amounts from lot of contributors (starfish).

The Spanish Conquistadors or The Apache Indian?
The Spanish were a centrally controlled army (spider) and had difficulty in defeating the loose network of Apaches (starfish).

GE or GM?
General Electric is comprised of a series of business units that compete against each other on the open market (starfish). In contrast, General Motors is one big spider corporation.

Microsoft or Linux?
Microsoft is a classic centrally controlled software house (spider). Linux is the opposite, open-source software that anyone can contribute to (starfish).

Al Qaeda or the US Military?
The spider structure of the US Military has struggled to combat Al Qaeda because it operates as decentralized cells (starfish). Where is Osama Bin Laden?

Self-service or DIY?
Both are starfish operations that allow the user to select their own goods and do it in their own way.

Ebay or Google?
Ebay has decentralized the customer experience letting them buy and sell between themselves (starfish). Google is a centrally controlled search engine with all the work done at their headquarters (spider).

Our Brain or Our Body?
The brain controls the body in a centralized (spider) way but functions in a decentralized way (starfish). For instance our memories are not located in one place.

Sitcoms or Reality TV?
In a sitcom the actors are told what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. Classic central control! (spider) In Reality TV, the actors do and say what they want within the confines of the game - a decentralized approach (starfish).

The Internet or Television?
The Internet is the classic decentralized organization - no one owns it, no one runs it and you can post almost anything on it (starfish). Television shows are created by centralized organizations that control what you see and when you see it (spider). Time for a change?

Is your organization a Spider or a Starfish?

Is your organization a Spider or a Starfish? Derived from...

The Book: The Starfish and the Spider
The Authors: Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom
Previously: Book Review: The Spider and the Starfish

RAP1: The Spider and the Starfish
At first glance a spider and a starfish seem to be similar with their multiple limbs spanning from their core.
On further examination, they are very different in the way they think and act in the world.
The same can be said for Centralized and Decentralized organizations.
They may appear on the surface to be similar yet are operating and thinking in completely different ways.

Action: Is your organization a Spider or a Starfish?





















Centralized
Spiders : Spiders are like humans, they have a head that’s in charge, a body with the essential organs within and a couple of extra legs.
Chopping off the spider’s head is like killing a king or dictator, you destroy the ability of the organism to function and it dies.

Decentralized
Starfish : Normally, if you attack the head of anything you can defeat it, except starfish don’t have heads.
It’s central body doesn’t even control things.
It’s essential organs are replicated through each of its arms.
If you chop an arm off or cut it in half, the starfish doesn’t die, it simply re-grows.
Some species of starfish can even replicate if only one part of an arm survives an attack.
What’s even more interesting, for a starfish to move, one arm starts wiggling and the rest may or may not follow.
There is no central command making the decisions.

Fusion
In the business world there are no pure centralized or decentralized forms, most are a combination or fusion of both.
The key is to find your sweet spot.
Two primary styles are available.
Ebay is a centralized company that decentralizes the customer experience and GE is a centralized company that decentralizes internal parts of the business into separate independent business units.
Fusion is the way forward and the best mix will be the model that enables optimum results for the organization and its people, who turn up every day to get those results, for the good of all.

Book Review: The Starfish and the Spider

Book Review: The Starfish and the Spider

Ori Brafman & Rod A. Beckstrom; The Starfish and the Spider; The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations, Portfolio (Penguin), London, 2006.

During the Cold War, the Americans and the Russians were engaged in an escalating battle of espionage and defence.
It was thought impossible that a plane could get anywhere near Russia, let alone the beating heart of Moscow, without the Russians knowing about it well in advance.

Well, it happened.
By effectively flying below the radar, a German flying student flew his small plane from Germany and successfully landed smack-bang in Red Square.
You can just hear the jubilant young pilot shout “Surprise! I’ve arrived,” to the amazement of the Russian shoppers and Red Guards.

The central idea in The Starfish and the Spider will have a similar impact on business over the next decade.

Even though there are well-known examples of successful decentralized organisations around us right now, coverage of this concept in the popular press is all but invisible.
While the business press celebrates our prized leaders as the source of strength, certainty and foresight, our business schools champion ‘leadership’ as the great salvation for our confused and ever changing world.

Yet, the ticking clock in the background suggests the pendulum that swings between centralization and decentralization is making a decisive strike in the opposite direction.
Has no one noticed that the central (sic!) feature that is transforming business today is a decentralized structure called the Internet?

In parallel with our opening story, it too is a result of Cold War defence.
Developed by the US Military to create a ‘leaderless’ organization in case the Soviets attacked, the Internet has created its own war on business traditions.

As Seth Godin suggests in his latest serving, Meatball Sundae (see RAP4, Marketing How-Now), the Internet has ended advertising, changed marketing forever and upturned business.
Have you been paying attention; have you noticed?

Decentralized organizations pose a similar threat.
The game has changed, as any music industry executive will tell you.
Napster started in a college dorm room and has dismantled the music empires of the big five recording companies one swapped song at a time.
The starfish had attacked the spider and won.

Historically, the Industrial Revolution gave birth to business based upon top-down control in the form of a hierarchy - think military command.

In contrast, the Internet shapes the Information or Knowledge Era in which we live and this favours a decentralized approach based upon loose networks, open systems and interacting relationships.

Is it any wonder the Big Military of the US didn’t see the tiny cells of Al Qaeda coming?
Talk about slip through the cracks...
The pendulum is swinging.
Whilst it won’t swing completely to purely decentralized structures, competitive advantage in the digital economy is heading that way.

We are likely to have many more fusions like Ebay, Skype and Wikipedia.
Other landscapes will not escape the starfish imprint.

On the political platform, Barack Obama has become the first black president of the US.

However, this will be a mere sideshow to the real change - the first president elected using a fusion of decentralized campaigning.

Whilst Hillary’s campaign was up to $36 million in debt based upon a classic top-down approach of seeking big donations from major players, Obama broke funding records.
More than 250,000 people contributed to his campaign with more than 90% offering $100 or less.
This is more contributors than any previous candidate and simultaneously he gained more than a million friends on social networking sites.
Whilst elections are not won by dollars in the bank they are won by grass roots action one vote at a time.

Most interestingly, given decentralization helped get Obama to the White House, could this be the beginning of the redesign of democracy?

With the aid of the Internet, participatory democracy is highly achievable against the centuries old tradition of elected representatives going off to our Capital Cities to vote on our behalf.

In Australia, as the most governed country in the world, perhaps it is time to dismantle the Federalism of states and become the ‘Starfish Republic’.
Decentralizing the monolith of government would surely be a transformation of our society.

Closer to the lounge room is the demise of television, that bastion of centralized conformity and family life that is being transformed by the freewheeling anarchy of the Internet.
Being told what to watch and when to watch it is not a popular sport for Gen Xers and Ys.
TV is also changing at other levels: the canned laughter of the sitcom is giving way to Reality TV where the ‘actors’ are free to be themselves rather than following some preordained script.

The Big Brother parallel to business is evident in the increasing demand for innovation.
If you want to be creative you need to abandon corporate speak and start to think and act for yourself.

In a command and controlled environment innovation is a contradiction.

To remain competitive in the cut-throat global arena of big business, decentralized units are ‘the Idea Advantage’ because they are naturally suited to the free-flowing nature of an open system.

Ironically, the presentation of decentralization as the way to leader-less organizations is a misnomer - we’re heading to Leaderful Organizations.

Instead of a starfish organization being mired by the imagery of a chook with its head cut off running around aimlessly, our organizations will become more leaderful!

If Peter Drucker were alive today he would proclaim the ‘Leaderful Organization’ as the replacement of business bossiness.

Rather than having one dominant leader or chain of leaders, our organizations will require that we all step up to the plate and demonstrate personal leadership in being accountable and responsible for our contribution each and every day.

A catalyst and an even stronger ideology that is truly worth believing in will replace the reliance on the CEO to lead the way.
Building corporate cultures is like innovation; in a closed system of centralized control it is a contrivance and a contradiction.
Instead, decentralize, loosen the reins and let your employees step up to the plate in smaller circles where there is no place to hide.

In our previous RAP The Four Hour JOLT! we pointed to the demise of the 40-hour work week.
Decentralized organizations make the Four Hour Work Week feasible for all of us.
This is a major change in our society.
It not only changes business, government and community organizations, it also dramatically alters our roles within them and within our local neighbourhoods.
Ignore this at your peril!

PS : Co-author of The Starfish and the Spider, Rod A Beckstrom has just been appointed head of Cyber-Security - a new organization established by the US Governments Department of Homeland Security. The Bush administration has realized that a centralized approach is not working to stem the impact of starfish based hackers and terrorist cells following the failure of the centralized FBI, CIA and NSA in failing to predict S-11.

Leaderful : The Power of Decentralized Organizations

Leaderful : The Power of Decentralized Organizations

The Book
The Starfish and the Spider; The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations, Portfolio, by Penguin, London, 2006.

Book Website
http://www.starfishandspider.com

The Authors
Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom

Speed RAP
Superficially, a spider and a starfish look similar - lots of arms and legs.
Internally, their physiology is completely dissimilar.
When we study how they’re dissimilar we see two discrete patterns.
Biologically, the spider is centralized whereas the starfish is decentralized; they represent extremes on a continuum.

Brafman and Beckstrom have used this metaphor to create a new business structure and management model - a Hybrid of centralized and decentralized.

The Internet, and digital technology, are the catalyst of this Fusion model and it’s the future of organizational management.
What will enable the Fusion model to grow your organization is respect and regard for the leader within each individual who collectively make up the organization.

Your Challenge
Fire Up!
Fire needs a Catalyst; Fusion needs a Catalyst.
Bring online the Catalyst qualities you were born with.
Get in touch with that part of you and bring it to the fore as you create Peer Leadership for yourself, your team and your organization.
Pay attention to how centralized and controlling you are (and also the people around you).
Loosen the reins - become a catalyst.

Web Line / Trust Agents SUPERLINKS

Web Line / Trust Agents SUPERLINKS

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

The Book
http://www.trustagent.com

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

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

Chris Brogan's New Book
Social Media 101

Blog Posts
Part 1: Speed RAP

Part 2: The Web Line

Part 3: Book Rapper Review of Trust Agents

Part 4: RAP1: Trust Has Changed

Part 5: RAP2: Stand Out Part 1

Part 6: RAP2: Stand Out Part 2

Web Line 7: RAP3: Belong (1)

Web Line 8: RAP3: Belong (2)

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

Web Line 10: The Almost Obvious Secret to Web Success

Web Line 11: Five Steps to Building Your Network

Web Line 12: Five Keys to Maintaining Your Network

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

Web Line 14: How to Spot the Digital Natives

Web Line 15: Online Etiquette Tips

Web Line 16: How to Assemble an Online Army

Web Line 17: Online Success Perspectives and Opportunities

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

Web Line 19: Companion Pieces Worth Reading - Trust Agents

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

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

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

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

Get the full Web Line Issue

Book Rapper on Twitter

Twit Rapper Twit Rapper on Twitter

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

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

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

Twit Rapper - a book summary in 26 tweets.



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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more, check out TwitRapper.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more, check out TwitRapper.com

Web Line 19: Companion Pieces Worth Reading - Trust Agents

Web Line 19: Companion Pieces Worth Reading - Trust Agents

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

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

A Book We Like...

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

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

Book Rapper Issues

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

Derived from: Michael A Banks; Blogging Heroes

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

Derived from: Amy Shuen, Web 2.0 A Strategy Guide

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

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

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

Derived from: Timothy Ferris, The Four Hour Work Week

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 17: Online Success Perspectives and Opportunities

Web Line 17: Online Success Perspectives and Opportunities

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

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

Perspectives

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

Opportunities

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

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 16: How to Assemble an Online Army

Web Line 16: How to Assemble an Online Army

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 15: Online Etiquette Tips

Web Line 15: Online Etiquette Tips

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

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

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

Are there any others you'd like to add?

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

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

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

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

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

What's your best tip for Linked In?

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 14: How to Spot the Digital Natives

Web Line 14: How to Spot the Digital Natives

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

RAP 6: Be Helpful

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

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

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

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

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

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

Download the full Book Rapper issue: WebLine

Web Line 12: 5 Keys to Maintaining Your Network

Web Line 12: 5 Keys to Maintaining Your Network

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

Actions: Maintaining Your Network

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

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

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

Web Line 11: Five Steps to Building Your Network

Web Line 11: Five Steps to Building Your Network

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

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

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

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

The New Rule

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

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

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

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

Web Line 10: The Almost Obvious Secret to Web Success

Web Line 10: The Almost Obvious Secret to Web Success

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

RAP4: Use Leverage, continued

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

Don’t sell to your community.

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

The Almost Obvious Secret to Web Success

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

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

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

• Some Crowdsourcing Sources
• Some Collaboration Tools

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Web Line 8: RAP3: Belong (2)

Web Line 8: RAP3: Belong (2)

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

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

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

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

Making Friends

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

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

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

Web Line 7: RAP3: Belong (1)

Web Line 7: RAP3: Belong (1)

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

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

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

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

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

How to Be Human

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

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

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

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

Web Line 6: RAP2: Stand Out Part 2

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

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

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

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

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

How to Play Games

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

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

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

Actions: Below the Web Line

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

Three Online Rules

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

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