Trust Agents

I've completed my first book of 2010 even thought I started in 2009. 

Trust Agents - Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust was written by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith.  Click on the names to follow these trend setters on Twitter as well as on their own personal blogs.

So what is this book about?  

Trust Agents, in my opinion, is the authours attempt to outline how to properly use the Web.  You see, many people think that just by blogging, being on Facebook and tweeting is enough.  The first thing I thought was that I will get on these tools and people will want to know what I know.  They will want to buy what I'm selling.  I'll be rich in no time flat.  How wrong was I.

Over time I have figured out that it is very important to create something of value and to engage in the various communities.  Trust Agents makes the case for this using examples and the authour's own personal experiences.

What's next.

Here's what I've done.  First, I've renamed the title and focus of this blog.  "Being helpful" is a simple yet very powerful statement.  It means that I will attempt to be helpful in the blog posts here.

Second, on Twitter I aim to re-tweet (RT) interesting and informative tweets from other people.  I do this because there are other people who have lots to offer.  And I'm smart enough to know that I don't know everything.

Third, get involved.  Join and attend a MeetUp.  It can be formal or informal.  But engage in and with the community you want to influence.  Whether you are looking for a job, career change or want to sell your wares to.  The technology may have changed but the rules of personal engagement have not.  It is still important to place value on people and to treat them as human beings rather than just faceless consumers.



There will still be posts that I blog about that are personal to me.  I might have another suggestion for the Blue Jays or maybe even a guest post or two.  You'll also get an update on the books I have completed reading.  And on Twitter, you'll also come across tweets on articles that I write for other sites.  You may even notice that I also tweet about stuff I like.  In 140 characters one can only be so helpful.  Being human also means having a personality.

As Mike Wilner and the fine folks at Drunk Jays Fans says, 

Reasonable and Rational comments are welcome!

A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

And so are a lot of other things. However, this is not the time nor place...

Recently, Farhan Lalji (Who is he? Check him out HERE where he will undoubtedly attempt to answer this question.) tagged me in a post he wrote. He is "participating" in a meme started by Andy Gibson at Mindapples.org.

So, the question asked is, "what are 5 things I do to keep me mentally well."


Great question!

And so, in no particular order I present to the already crowded world of blogs....

MY 5!

Blog. Yes, Writing these little pieces of journalism keeps me informed about what I really think. Why? Because I understand that my comments here are etched in stone. I wouldn't want to type something down that I may regret later on. Same goes for micro-blogging!

Read. Mostly I read non-fiction books. However, I love to peruse many blog to see what people around the world are thinking and talking about. I feel it keeps me mentally aware and sharp.

Community. It has been repeatedly stated that you can tell a lot about a person based on their friends. Well, I have many friends. However, I have chosen to spend my time with the following types of people (not including family!) : those who mentally stretch me; people I have things in common with such as ideas, dreams, and goals; and, people whom I want to learn from.

Conferences and Seminars. Whether it is a university speaker series, a real estate conference, or a business meeting, I find I always learn at such events.

Volunteer. The chance to learn about new people, make friends, and make a difference.

So there's my-5-to-stay-alive.

I wonder what the following 5 people do to stay sharp:
Aneez "The Genius", Jason Menard, Malcolm Gladwell (hey, why not?), Tim Sanders, and Chris Brogan.

(picture courtesy of http://www.joeydevilla.com/)

What to do when business is slow.

Lots.

There are lots of things you can do when business is slow.

However, there are probably things you should do when business is slow. Today, I'm going to share with you just a few things you should be doing. So, let's get started, shall we?

1. READ. And I don't mean the daily newspaper. It's news that is over a day old and probably with nothing good to say anyways. Start reading books, articles, magazines, and even blogs about success, marketing, business and, of course, real estate. (If you're reading this and you're not in the r.e. business, then read up on stuff pertinant to your industry/profession) Why? Ideas. There may be little things these folks will suggest or present that you may not be doing right now, that maybe you should. For example, if you're thinking about having your own blog but don't know what to do then reading Chris Brogan would be a brilliant start.
2. GIVE. Your time, resources, and especially expertise. My friends, Tim Sanders and Sameer Vasta have recently talked about giving. Remember, what goes around comes around. Give and it shall be given unto you.
3. COMMUNITY. Or you can say, associate. Whatever term you use, it is more important now to seek the counsel of your manager, associate, mastermind group and/or mentor. Thousands of successful entrepreneurs have already survived and thrived through a recession. Find out what they did. Inquire about there thought process on what it takes to succeed in today's marketplace. There is strength in numbers!
4. WORK. But you knew that already, didn't you? Then why aren't you? Continue to market yourself. Continue to make phone calls. Continue to plant seeds so that you will have something to grow and harvest. Hundreds of people are leaving your industry today. There will be less competition tomorrow. It's up to you if you want to win.

Please don't consider this the extent of what you should be doing. It is far from that. However, I believe that if you follow my suggestions you will have a brighter tomorrow.

To your success!

(picture courtesy of www.musicforchange.com)