Passionate Living

Facebook Logo sticker by Jay Cameron

The advent of the internet has started a shift in modern economy. The basis for major industrial profit motive based economy is gradually being replaced with a much more organic and dynamic economy: the trust economy. With the trust economy, the paradigms and recipes we used to use to achieve success are starting to be obsolete and we need a different and more appropriate one that suits the principles of a trust economy.

The trust economy is also called by many other nomenclatures: the digital economy, the relationship economy, and (one of my favorites) the two way conversation economy [1]. Trust has always been the fundamental currency of our society [2], but the rate at which we are returning to the state of trust is fast enough to make the shareholders and capital business owners of the industrial era try everything in their power to slow down and even stop the process (or at least be in denial that it’s happening). But since the shift is a cultural one, the effect of the change that’s happening also applies to individuals and the quality of our success in life.

The trust economy online is accelerated by the advent of social media [3]: more and more people are using these online channels to publish their own opinions – whether it be professional or just for personal use – and also using these channels for personal branding and building their businesses. As Mitch Joel says [4], each of us is our personal brand now and we are responsible for our integrity and credibility of our online profile as much as we are responsible for our real life profile. That’s why it’s important we learn how to properly display ourselves within these online channels: because our profiles are being used to measure how much we can be trusted.

Managing a professional profile

Facebook is a great example of how we can measure the amount of trust we are worth based on what kind of profile we manage. I think there’s been plenty of good and great articles on the internet about how to maintain a professional purpose Facebook account, but I thought I’d throw in my two cents since I also feel that it’s a very good platform to establish yourself as an authority on your field of expertise. Facebook is a tool that has great potential to lead us to open new relationships and new opportunities (and maybe even meet your future husband or wife), so we should learn how to use it according to what we want to achieve in life.

Unfortunately, I see many of my friends use Facebook for non-professional purposes. There’s nothing wrong with that per se, but I believe even in the personal area of life we should keep a certain degree of professionalism and try to provide constant value to the immediate people around us and to our extended community. That’s what I do with my profile: I try to share the information and insights I have about my industry and personal life and hope the value that I contribute will return to me in the form of more trust from my peers and extended stakeholders.

Here is a list of options you can change to have a more trustable Facebook profile. I’m listing them here based on my own empirical experience:

1. Select what you write as your status update. Sharing to people that you’re hungry or need to go to the bathroom is only appropriate for celebrities who already have tens to hundreds of thousands adoring fans who want to know their every move. Unless you’re this kind of celebrity, then I encourage you to limit your status updates to information or personal opinions that are useful and can be acted upon by your community. Examples of these quality status updates include links to helpful internet articles; quotes from a book or a speaker in a seminar you’re attending; or your own take on a solution for the industry. Throwing in the occasional personal status update – like where you’re spending the weekend with your family or how the weather is affecting your mood today – is fine as long as the ratio is still lower than quality status updates.

2. Comment on other people’s status updates. I don’t know if you feel the same way, but I feel that many of my friends want people to comment or “like this” their updates but they don’t want to do it for other people either (or at least do it minimally). Commenting and “like this”-ing on other people’s updates is one of the best and natural ways of building real relationships with people that are on your friend list. Make sure that your comments also give value though, and try to keep the jokes to the necessary amounts only.

3. Connect your other profiles to your Facebook profile, and don’t use ANY applications. This is to manage the content that appears on your profile timeline (or the “Wall”). There are plenty of other publishing sites (such as Twitter, Tumblr, and Posterous) that can be connected to Facebook, so every time you write in these channels the information that you share will also be posted on your Facebook profile. Combining this, and by not using ANY non-essential applications (you know which ones I’m talking about), you can establish a “lifestream” of your internet consumption activity that will allow people to see how you are using the internet to learn and expand your expertise in your industry.

What are your tips to make a more trustable online profile?

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*In the spirit of “those” Facebook apps, if I were asked “which superpower are you?”, I would definitely answer: predicting the future!

*Gretchen Rubin writes about the importance of doing something every day. I think it connects to my 365 Days of Happiness project

*I discovered today that Melody Gardot is a jazz singer. Sure doesn’t look like one though!

[1] The term “two way conversation economy” is borrowed from Ariel Hyatt, a PR expert for independent musicians
[2] Be Authentic, 2009
[3] Social Media on Wikipedia
[4] Mitch Joel is a digital marketing expert. I’m reading his book this month
[5] Photograph by Jay Cameron. Because the logo is a trademark

This thought isn’t inspired by a single story. It’s inspired by many stories. It’s something that I notice over and over and I wonder if anybody else notices.

Don’t we always say to do good things and help others? Don’t we aspire to be good human beings that are kind towards others? Don’t we use these values in our campaigns and interviews and writings?

Giving yourself to help others is a noble cause. Certainly we all have our moments where we rise above ourselves. But the question remains.

Because you see, what I see is that we often need plenty food on our plate before we are contempt to share with others. We often need much more than enough for ourselves before we start to give to others. We often need much wealth in our pockets before we reach for them for charity.

We need to be in multiple superficial relationships that fail to no longer pursue after beauty. We need to have a big salary in an unfulfilling job before we pursue our true passion. We need to travel indulgently around the world before we learn to stay in one place and build communities.

It seems as if we need to satisfy our egos before we can let them go.

Is that all right? Is it okay for us to wait before we create value? Is it fine for the world to be our selfish playground before we start truly living?

Why do we need to get it out of our system? Why must we fulfill these shallow wants before we desire greater things? Why must our eyes be dazzled by metropolitan lights before we can see the beauty behind simplicity?

Why don’t we just give? Why is it that we need so much to fill our share but think so long before giving as much? Why are we so happy when we get things for ourselves, but rarely as excited when we are asked to share?

Because to love, you need to let go. To be free, you must practice restrain. To be wise, you must learn to listen.

It’s when we stand to lose much, that we have integrity. It’s when we stand to be hurt deeply, that we are lovers. It’s when we have little but give a lot, that we are givers.

These are the principles. Live by them and die by them.

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[1] Photograph by Photos8.com