September 19, 2009 40 Comments

Extending Yourself Into a Platform

Collage of Friends Today, I’m presenting at the Writer’s Digest conference. This is a bit of a dream, because from the moment I thought I was a “serious writer,” Writer’s Digest products were my guides to what I thought I’d have to do to succeed. Now, they’ve asked me in to show people the crazy hazy edge. Today, they want to know about the book as platform, and seeding your future.

I’m going to start with a great quote from Bob Stein, from the O’Reilly Tools of Change event. He defined a book as such: “A book is a user-driven media where readers and sometimes authors congregate.” Do you love that? Is that crazy? I love it.

I extended myself into a platform. People try to ask about this at events, but because they don’t exactly know or see the edges, they can’t ask the question the way I’m framing it for you now. What do I mean? What’s it mean to be a platform.

I am me. I make media. I push the media onto this blog (at the time of this writing), 30,000 or so folks get this via a subscription, and over a month, I’ll have 250,000 unique visitors). I have this linked to my Facebook, so another 4750 people get this. If I tweet the link, just short of 100,000 more people get this. I speak at dozens of events a year (Will I hit a few hundred? I haven’t counted).

That means my ideas spread pretty darned far. Not TV show far, but not bad, eh?

You can do the same thing. That’s really what I’m going to say to people. I’m going to talk about HOW I set it up, how I built the network, what I did to nurture it, and how I use it to help other people, and finally, what that does to help me.

Do you know how? You’ve been here a while now, right?

I started by connecting with people in one place, and making relationships. I invited those people to my other platforms. I explored their interests. I learned what mattered to them and tried to fuel it. I moved into new platforms. I went everywhere that information could spread easily. I went nowhere that information was penned in. I connected with as many connectors as I could. I put my ideas in forms that other people could take them and run. I reinforced and encouraged others. I thanked others. I asked for very little in return for everything that I gave.

I co-wrote an entire book on how to make information and value move through systems, that most people buy because they think it’ll teach them the secrets of social media. The secret is that these tools let us build better relationships. That’s it.

The platform, friends. You’re great alone, but you’re everything once you figure out platform thinking and how to equip and empower value transactions.

Make sense? What am I missing in my descriptions? What do you want to ask, given what you see above? What would you add, my brilliant friends?

Related posts:

  1. Platform Thinking in Personal Branding
  2. USA Today Launches Hotel Content Platform- I Want More
  3. Platform Platform Platform
  4. Commuter Feed-Twitter as a Platform
  5. TalkShoe as Live Audio Platform

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  • timdempsey

    Elegantly stated, and belated congratulations on the success of the book. You have truly led the way.

  • http://website-in-a-weekend.net/ Dave Doolin

    Very timely.

    I told a close friend yesterday I seemed to be much better at helping other people be successful, than being successful myself! That's a head scratcher for me. I don't see a business model there. Yet.

  • http://www.stevewoodruff.com stevewoodruff

    You've well described all the doing. Yet, at the core if it all, here is the key sentence you used: “I am me.” Before all the doing and building, there is the being. You have to be someone who cares, who is trustworthy, who has something to offer, and who wants to grow and evolve. If THAT's there, then it's simply a matter of execution!

  • http://www.Guydz.com/moneypowerwisdom/ drmani

    imho, Chris, you missed the most important thing that makes you 'YOU'.

    No, not the platform.

    No, not the technique or technology.

    Yes, that your ideas are WORTH spreading.

    Without that, all else won't matter.

    Right?

    That's why I believe it's hard to 'teach' anyone about platforms and building them.

    A lot of it begins INSIDE. And when it's there, other bits (like you outlined here) matter. But not UNTIL then.

    Just my 2 cents worth :-)

    Dr.Mani

  • jamieflinchbaugh

    Fundamental point – the platform begins with you, and with your relationships. Too many people think that relationships is an output, but it's the foundation on which everything else is built.

  • Name

    great!!!!!.I love your idea.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Really good point, Dr. Mani. Garbage in, garbage out, as they say. : )

  • http://www.meryl.net/ meryl

    Thank you, Mike. It's an honor to be among this list.

  • http://playitforward.posterous.com/ KatJaib

    Give. Give freely. Give cheerfully. Give with a focus on helping others. Ask for little in return. The real “law of attraction” lies in giving. And then you don't have to promote so much. Because we're already drawn to you. Over and over.

    Congrats on realizing yet another part of your dream!

  • http://www.barbaragiamanco.com/ Barb Giamanco

    Awesome – knock 'em dead Chris! Can't wait to see you on 9/25 in Atlanta!

  • http://www.facebook.com/craftyGAgal Crafty GAgal

    I am no where near where you are in numbers but I can tell just in my endeavors that social media is such a useful tool… sites like Facebook and Twitter are the keys to most things I want to get out there. I get just as good results as someone who is paying for advertising by doing what I would had probably been doing JUST for fun anyhow.
    GREAT post!

  • http://ItStartsWith.Us ItStartsWithUs

    Being you, having good ideas that matter, establishing relationships, building connections, etc. – let's assume that all these are a given.

    If that's the case, you should already be putting yourself in a pretty good position to eventually have a large platform from which to spread your ideas. But I think the real power lies in building a platform for OTHER people to take your initial ideas and grow them, then run with them. You're doing that here, on Twitter, with your newsletter, the facebook group for CA, and especially the book itself. You've given us many good examples to follow.

    In my case, I am me, I believe I have good ideas that matter, and I have been (and continute to be) in the process of establishing relationships and building connections. I'm working hard to build my platform (including communities AND technology) so that others can take the same basic ideas, but put their own twists on them.

    For instance, when my group does our once-a-week mission to make a difference in someone's life, we all perform an action based on some pretty loose direction. That way when we report back, we can all share the same basic idea and results, but we've all gone about it in different ways. This helps everyone expand their mind and learn what's possible in life.

    I love that we get the best of both worlds – we get to acheive a common goal while at the same time bringing our unique skills to the game.

    So I guess that's what I'm talking about. Using your platform to build a team. :)

    I'll stop rambling now.

    Thanks, Chris.

  • vonreventlow

    Chris, Have you read “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen M. R. Covey? In your mind what do you think of that book and what are the alignments between Trust agents and that book?

    Christian

  • fransokolsimon

    Great post, Chris.

    The one thing I don't see in the post is how important it is to become a part of the platform that pre-exists your entrance. In other words, you can't just fly into an existing community and expect that community to embrace your “youness.” I see that you talk about making relationships and connecting people and connecting with them, but there is a sense of community and existing culture that has to be embraced in order for the members to embrace you back. I've only just begun reading Trust Agents, so I'm sure you've covered it in the book, but I wanted to hear your thinking about pre-existing communities.

  • http://thefuturebuzz.com AdamSinger

    “That means my ideas spread pretty darned far. Not TV show far, but not bad, eh?”

    Not bad at all Mr. Brogan – and I know from reading your thoughts for several years you worked damned hard to get here. Well earned.

  • http://snowcrashing.com Antonella

    Curious as to why you call it platform and not brand. Care to share some insight?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=881550150 facebook-881550150

    Chris,

    You have millions of readers and supporters so I am not sure if you will read this. I only just heard about you moments ago from a post on LinkedIn. I am consistently overwhelmed by the vastness of the internet and confused at the actual living potential of existing online. Developing multiple platforms seems to involve more time than I certaintly have to invest as this development does not put food on my table, and I definitely can't eat the internet.

    I think its wonderful you have found your niche, and I look forward to reading more of your writing.

    Travis

  • aaronwulf

    Congrats on the Writer's Digest gig. That is exciting. And thanks for continuing to put out useful information for all of us. Your ideas do spread, and people are listening.

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  • beckyblanton

    Good plan Chris. I'm not a geek, not a focused marketer or business person, SEO expert or any of the things that folks seem to be or want to be to “succeed” online or in a community online. But I care about people. I give. I help others and I care. Somewhere along the way I just fell into the routine of trying to be a decent friend and person and the platform, as it were, blossomed from there. People who like our ideas, like I like your ideas, and others like mine….spread them.

    As far as I can tell, those who are successful at all this online stuff would have had a great circle of friends and supporters with or without the internet. The technology grows it faster, but the base of a real, solid platform is simply that we care about people. We make good friends. We're authentic, helpful, concerned, upbeat and there when it counts. I think you would have done well if computers had never been invented – simply because of who YOU are.

    I think the Writers' Digest gig ROCKS! I'd love to be presenting for them too because they got ME started writing almost a quarter of a century ago! Way to go!

  • carolyntaylor

    I would add that you got very clear about the message you were conveying from that platform. You stayed within that message. As Seth says, you knew which tribe you wanted to lead. Also that you communicate in a way that is very appealing – but I suspect (without having actually met you) that this is because you just be yourself, and that self is a pretty nice guy.

  • http://en-gb.facebook.com/hojomo Howard J Moorey

    Thanks Chris, totally relate to Dave Doolin's comment.
    I've put your post together with Seth's “Strangers & Friends” and two others I've seen this week – from @copyblogger & @jimconnolly – to find my own “Eureka moment”!

    Thanks again for the insight.
    Just a great fan, that's all!

  • http://twitter.com/christammiller christammiller

    I find it fascinating that the book has BECOME the platform. Before, in publishing, you had to have a “platform” FOR your book.

    I am working with an author on laying out a “brand” for the things he is doing, including book-writing, within his community. He's a very humble person and struggles with the idea of “personal branding.” (I myself hate the term.) I finally told him that it isn't YOU you are branding — but what you have to offer other people. As Dr. Mani says, believing that your knowledge is worth sharing, that people will get something out of it.

    Book publishers are struggling, but I wonder if more of them start to realize and move toward the fact that their product, the book, is not an end product in itself — the more they start to help authors integrate other media and build audiences around the help you give them — can they turn their current problems around?

  • http://biggsuccess.com georgekrueger

    “… those who are successful at all this online stuff would have had a great circle of friends and supporters with or without the internet.”

    Fantastic point, Becky! Attitude with execution builds relationships. Tech just spreads it further.

    And Chris – I loved the paragraph with the step-by-step.

  • Juliesquires

    Chris, valuable ideas – I agree, “worth spreading.” You did something everyone can do: you stayed true to your top strength “Woo” (“Woo stands for winning others over.” – from StrengthsFinders 2.0). Separately, you write “I asked for very little in return for everything that I gave.” When did it start monetizing for you? Seems to me the blog-speaker-professorship-consultant-book model is the main monetization strategy for “me as a microbrand” that currently works. Would you agree? Thanks for all you do.

  • Juliesquires

    Chris, your valuable ideas are – I agree – “worth spreading. You did something everyone can do: stayed true to your top strengths, Woo. (“Woo stands for winning others over.” – StrengthsFinder 2.0).

  • http://twitter.com/lisahickey lisahickey

    I almost missed this because my first thought was “but I don't want to be a platform. It sounds boring and ugly and pretty darn abstract.” But of course I did read it, because I trust your insights, and, quite frankly, wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as I did, as fast, were it not for you and the seemingly limitless amount of strategic, insightful, actionable information you always share. And the paragraph in your post that begins “I started by connecting with people” and ends, “I asked for very little in return for everything that I gave” sums up so much of your process, of what I see you doing day in and day out. It's awesome. It's going on my wall, aw heck, it's going straight into my memory bank so I can just recite it when needed.
    Now if I could just learn to *think* like you. :)
    Another cheery fan.

  • zigzagpower

    “The secret is that these tools let us build better relationships.” The part I understood, clearly. The rest, it's like Federer saying tennis just do it, or Tiger, golf just do it, it's easy. So I learned one valuable lesson – way above average of the majority of blog posts out there, so, Thank you! PS. Gr8 video on “Love Dog” book.

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  • http://twitter.com/CoCreatr Bernd Nurnberger

    Thanks, Chris, for the manual and the invitation to “do unto others as you feel Chris do unto you”.

  • ToddJemar

    Wow! So simple yet profound! The number of information distributors and platforms grow daily. How they are structured? You said it quite nice! The question is and may not be relevant to this post, but how are the platforms that are correctly nurtured, built, and shared filtered from all of the Hog Posh duplicated platforms that are wasting peoples time in their quest for VALUED information and ideas as this number grows? From my experiences and failures, I truly care about the large amount of those who are being incorrectly informed. Just my thoughts! Thanks Chris and I approve your platform! :-)

  • Bobster

    Hmmm, I just dont get it. I mean this seems like a recursive loop. As for getting out ideas – Ive read a few blog entries – just havent seen anything that isnt a bit obvious to me.

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    I'm not near the number where you where but I just tell my efforts that social media can have such a useful tool … Most sites like Facebook and Twitter are the keys things I want to get out there. I get just as I would be doing for an ad which was probably just doing it for fun by any means is paying as good results.
    Great post!