No, I have not finished this book, yet! Get off my back, already! Can I help it that I so [heart] Brogan and Smith that I want to write on this amazing work right now? No, I cannot. So bear with me!
I want to be angry. I really do.
I want to be mad because these guys beat me to the punch. More than that; they did it so well, I am officially putting off any attempts to articulate the multitude of messages they have already done.
But I cannot be angry! I now love Chris Brogan. I love Julien Smith. I immediately found their RSS feeds and subscribed (at least Chris’s. Julien’s seems to be down.) I immediately looked for any podcasts and downloaded them.
Just yesterday I met with a client. We were discussing values and character-based business. We discussed how the internet has sped up the need to be merchants of value, online AND offline. I didn’t know what else to do than to give her ‘Trust Agents’ to read!
These guys have done so much with this book.
For the last few years, there have been many books to release on blogging, the web, or on the influence that the digisphere will have (is having) on the offline world.
I have found so much of these books to feel robotic.
Blogging books were “how to” manuals.
How to set up your domain name.
How to set up your hosting.
How to choose a niche.
Economic books on the impact of society.
There is still a huge market for these books as more and more people are logging on daily. However, these books were rarely targeted toward us; people who have been on for a while. They felt like they were targeting new web users…or written by stodgy university professors teaching a course on sociology. Thanks for playing, but when will the new generation of books arrive BY bloggers FOR bloggers; BY digital natives FOR digital natives?
That milestone book has arrived. They have lit a fire.
No, I am not part of the first adopters; those pioneering bunch who have been blogging for 10 years. However, I do feel that I am part of the digisphere community sitting here in little-ol’ Lakeland, Florida. I may not have grasped it that long ago, but, I would say that I arrived in the 2nd Wave of Digital Citizens who have given credence to the power of not just the internet but blogging socially and globally.
Chris and Julien have more than a home run. They have a must-download, level-up, tanooki-suit-of-a-book here. I believe that this will pave the way for an entire new genre of books; “By digital natives for digital natives.” (I believe that Chris Guillebeau is launching his book next year as well! We should be seeing a lot more of these soon.)
‘Trust Agents’ is:
- Intelligent - forgive me, guys, but I was shocked at the level of schema you shared. These guys covered game theory, 80′s cultural icons, and business valuation (hard and soft values)
- Entertaining - in an our-generation-way. We grew up with pac man competitions. We grew up with “up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start.” (I saw a girl with that shirt on just yesterday day. I commented. We bumped fists. It rocked!)
- Forward thinking – these just hint at what is to come…or, better, they codify the language and culture of the online world in a Rosetta Stone-level translation to the offliners. (I think I just invented that word! I CALLED IT!)
Simply put: A) you MUST read this book if you are a digital native, this is the piece you will give your friends and family to understand you. B) You MUST read this book if you are NOT a digital native because your business, your family, your community and world is now being shaped by us, and these is the hand book on how to deal with us, how to value us.
Thank you guys, Chris and Julien, for opening the flood gates of what is to come.
Chris Brogan – Site: www.chrisbrogan.com. His RSS feed.
Julien Smith – Site: seemingly down.
###
{ 0 comments… add one now }