The Secret Fight Club

July 9, 2009 · Comments

Steve Wright from Jay Peak One of my top three movies of all times is Fight Club. I’ve seen it seventeen times as of July 2009. I’m fascinated with lots of different things in the movie (and I loved the book very much – read it before I saw the movie). My current favorite part reminds me a lot of what’s going on these days.

My favorite part is when Brad Pitt and Edward Norton start shifting from just fighting into putting together a nationwide (international?) presence. Wherever you see a black eye or a missing tooth, it’s someone involved with Fight Club, and they all treat each other a little more special than they do the general public, because they’re in something together. It’s a movement of sorts, and that’s what author Chuck Palahniuk was exploring at some parts: how group activities for men have changed (evaporated!) in more recent years.

Here’s the thing: in some ways, what we’ve got going with social media feels like that secret club. It feels like we’re part of something.

The guy in the picture is Steve Wright, VP of marketing (or something like that) up at Jay Peak Resort in Vermont. When he caught some of my tweets that I was in the area, he dropped me a line and said I should swing by for a ride on their tram, and a little lunch.

Steve was so friendly, and so kind, and the ride in the tram (up 4000-ish feet into the heavy clouds hugging the mountain) was a blast. Lunch was very kid-friendly (important to parents on the road), and it was just a fun, unplanned adventure.

The Secret Fight Club

Basketball professional and businessman Shaquille O’Neal ( @the_real_shaq on Twitter) tweeted this message out famously many months back: “To all twitterers , if u c me n public come say hi, we r not the same we r from twitteronia, we connect.” Other celebrities like MC Hammer are so real that when you finally meet and spend time with them (I’ve hung out briefly at TechCrunch40 and also at CES in Vegas), they’re just as human as anyone else.

Podcasters and bloggers regularly reach out and do great things for each other. They share expenses to attend conferences. My friend, Zane Aveton famously tweeted her way into a ride and lodging to attend SXSW this past March.

This is really astounding, if you think about it, the amount of good will that we pass around in this space. And it’s not relegated to “big names,” whatever that means any more. It’s everyone. People DO things for each other in this space. They give first and give often.

(That last part is the secret sauce: fail to give and you’ll find yourself in a karmic imbalance that usually corrects itself quite obviously.)

I, for one, am always excited about it. I love contributing in my own special ways to the secret fight club. I love giving to causes, helping raise for other causes, and finding ways to get more and more people into jobs that build this space up.

Are You Part of the Secret Fight Club?

Think about it. Are you giving to the secret fight club? Are you building small powerful networks? Are you helping others find work, or sharing whatever your professional cool offering is? Are you the Adam Wallace or Brian Simpson of your organization, offering a plate of free bacon at the bar?

It’s SO easy, so rewarding, and a hell of a lot of fun. Join in.

What’s your contribution?

The Secret Bonus Round

(I added this in after the first push of the post, so folks who only get one RSS copy might not even SEE this.)

What if YOU started something that identifies you as part of the SFC? What if YOU figured out a way to pass around the symbol, such that others knew you were contributing? Maybe it doesn’t have to be as explicit, but then again, wouldn’t a secret signal, sign, symbol, whatever, be cool?

Blog some ideas, and let’s pass this “secretfightclub” tag and idea around a bit. Cool?

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  • Chris,

    Beautiful post.

    Though I famously don't use Twitter (no I do NOT know where you get the time, lol), I do make amazing connections through blogging, and I relate to this because I definitely have a secretfightclub sort of thing I do. I try to take social media good karma out to the "real" world, and give good karma back to social media connections.

    How? Things like a while back, I got the urge to pay for the guy behind me at a McDonald's for breakfast... then I wrote about it and encouraged all my readers to do the same. Things like (shh) giving away a bit of what I do when readers forget themselves and get so excited about my ideas they email for just a bit of help without asking how to hire me. Things like a group art project (sending real life art out) that a bunch of artist and non-artist bloggers did together last month.

    The best one is top secret: "If there's ever anything I can do for you, just ask."

    Those magic words were said to me by an author friend (a "real" author, who happens to blog—I love what a small world it is) a while back. Who ever says such a wide-open, generous statement? And he meant it. And it tickled me so much that when I really want to give good karma, I end an email with that. And I mean it.

    Try it. Maybe no one ever takes you up on it, maybe they do with something so left-field you can't believe it, but if you really mean it when you say it, I guarantee you'll both have a twinkle in your eye. Very secretfightclub... but y'know, without the fighting. :)

    Regards,

    Kelly
  • Kelly,

    that's "paying it forward" at it's finest!! Saying what you mean and meaning what you say...not to intimidate, but to EMPOWER.
  • Thanks. Yes, definitely empowering... and as delightful for the giver as the receiver. How's that for win-win!
  • greeblemonkey
    That was one thing I instantly appreciated when I met you in person, was how personable you were. Granted it was 5 seconds in a crowded hallway at SXSW but whatever. I think you are right, there are a great many people in social media who are very approachable and real. Having said that, I have met my fair share of the other side of the coin too. But again, whatever.

    And Fight Club is an amazing movie.
  • We'll have to up that number some time soon. : )
  • As our local Fly Club struggles for membership, I'm connecting with more and more folks online in a "virtual" club on Twitter... I still have on my Twitter "training wheels" but see the value of my online club as my future - Cas Summers
  • My dad hangs out online with the Twitter Poker Tour types. Keeps him from having to go out to a physical location all the time. He has friends all over the world now. : )
  • We have found "our people" (or as Seth would say, "our tribe") on twitter. The amazing thing is that those of use who are on twitter every day have more intimate relationships with our fellow twitter addicts than most co-workers or roommate (or even some spouses or best friends). And the truth will out. Anyone can be nice or friendly for 5 minutes at a networking event, but over days, weeks, months of interacting with someone on twitter, you can easily tell if they are "one of us" or if they are just a faker-taker.
  • Weird metaphor, because the club ends up ruining everything.

    In death we are all Robert Paulson.
  • Oh Dave, we can all ruin things here too. Don't doubt that for a moment. : )
  • The key is take a balanced approach. How can you use these new ideas to open your own mind up to new ideas and move away from what is holding you back.

    I feel like a lot of the people who read your post are going to get excited and miss the point. It's not enough try to grow their own super double secret club, you need to see everyone around you as a possible collaborator.
  • Chris, this may be the best post I've ever read from you. Here's my contribution - thanks for asking.

    http://www.itstartswith.us/change-the-world/

    p.s. Ask Kathryn about it. :)
  • @Jordiew
    Very interesting analogy. It is hard to stop hearing "The first rule about Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club!" Clearly we are all a twit about Twitter. Chris, I have become increasingly impressed with Twitter. Not just because of the shared information but of the personal connections. Just recently I hired a very talented naming copywriter @fritinancy for a project. She did a superb job. We met on Twitter. I was delighted when she suggested we both attend a salon by @focuscatalyst, and meet in person. Beyond the professional, I am enjoying the personal connections as well. Just to send a tweet of support to someone in need, or to share a laugh. I have met people through Twitter I would never have come in contact with any other way. It has been a delight.
  • And that's just the start. It can spread really really far. Crazy, eh?
  • You could start with a (and its almost cliche by now) #secretfightclub on Twitter. I remember when I was in Tadcaster England visiting the Samuel Smiths Brewery, and a bunch of blokes were visiting as well. They were part of a monthly 'Gentleman's Club' where they'd go out, explore, try something new. I drank a LOT of beer that night.
    But they connected. They had fun. And they weren't afraid to try the haggis.
  • It turns out that I am building a small, powerful (hopefully) network. I've been adding value via things I know, asking questions, responding to other people's questions and information, and boom. I have a small, yet very cool network. I didn't even really realize what was happening until recently.

    This could very well be my favorite post from you so far! Cheers.
  • Awesome, Nate! That's what it's about!
  • The second rule of Project Mayhem, Sir, is that 'You do NOT ask questions'.
  • Great observation and something I have been mulling over at length this afternoon prior to reading this. Where I am, State College, PA, there is definitely a heavy twitter presence due to the university, yet I am not fully aware of any organized or cohesive assembly among the other twits. I have been speaking with others who have attended twitups elsewhere and they have all been commenting on the social cohesion following the events. I am thinking it is about time something along the same lines is planned in this area, sans black eyes of course.
  • Organized and cohesive might be the wrong approach. Instead, loosely joined and fast-acting. Something that forms and dissolves. Like a fight club.
  • There's a fine line between a club and a clique. If we really want to keep the social aspect of social media, we need to make sure we don't clique everyone away.
  • I agree with you along the lines that building networks and communities breeds good will. There is a reason they call it being neighborly after all. =)

    I would point out that this good-will has always been present on the Internet and is not new nor unique to Twitter though.

    Twitter and other social networking tools have helped vastly increase the "loosely joined and fast-acting. Something that forms and dissolves." ability and tendency of online networks though.
  • I like slogans myself. Always been a slogan guy, and in a small club, the slogan takes on an additional meaning (and relevance), while still allowing new people to participate.

    I won't give an example, as the only one I can think of right now is one I use.
  • I love the idea of this post. Love it.

    I started to talk about how it was anything *but* secret though - we let anyone in who gets the reciprocity and value in our wider community... Then I started to think about Fight Club and the ending... and then I read the comments...

    Then I realized something - it's not the title or the metaphor that's important here - it's your underlying intent. We know our own when we see them. We are at home in a room full of people we've never shared oxygen with before - because we "know" each other on Twitter, in our blog communities, in this 'space' as you put it. We can make plans with people we've never shared more than 140 characters at a time with and not feel nervous about it. We can be as comfortable around a "celebrity" as we are around anyone if they are part of our community.

    Metaphors can always be dissected until they fall apart. Blog posts can always be misconstrued. In the end? I expect you'll have a handful of people who will post the comments I realized I didn't want or need to post. So I'll post this one instead: no secret - I love what you mean here and I'm happy that I read it here. You are so awesome.

    :)
  • And that, Lucretia, is the secret I always expose.
  • MongeziMtati
    I started an entrepreneurial network a while a year ago. Didn't even realize how long it's been till recently. The great thing about it is the exclusity such clubs have. . Tribes
  • bsimi
    Great post Chris and unlike Fight Club the First Rule of Bacon Club @RSHotel is we talk about it to everyone ;-)
    Rock on Buddy !
  • We just had a near-life experience, Mr. Brogan!

    Setting aside the thought of possible ruination (good point, Dave), the idea that we are all a part of something special, organic, of limitless possibility is inspiration enough, I think. I have been astounded by the number of people who've been quick to extend a virtual olive branch -- and this isn't just true of the so-called big boys; it's everyone -- in an effort to help. And it doesn't have to be a big thing. Sometimes it's the little things that go the farthest. One of my favorite examples was from the other day: Your pal Justin was under the impression that I was having a rough day and sent me a few words of inspiration to help get me out of a rut. I don't *know* him, I've never met him. But he offered his help. Cool, right? I think that, in a nutshell, that's what it's all about here.

    I think what you've described, Chris, isn't so much an exclusive club as the real definition of a community. We help each other, learn from each other, make each other laugh when and wherever possible. The possibilities that lie in wait are limitless. We get out of social media what we put into it.
  • Of course you're right. But know what draws us in? Secrets. : )
  • OK, OK! I'll be sure not to tell ANYONE. ;) Question, though. When does "Secret Fight Club" become "Secret Project Mayhem"?
  • I really enjoyed this post because it's such a reminder of how we should all be helping and sharing for the greater good! I'm part of the secret fight club and I'm doing everything from in-kind partnerships with non-profits to helping start ups find new business opportunities. I also try to help my friends in my social networks when they need assistance with their dissertations, class research projects and some of them even ask my advice on how to write and publish a book. I actually have a call that I'm taking today with a fellow PR colleague who wants to discuss how to further her writing career. It's awesome what you are doing and you certainly are a great mentor for many people. Thanks for sharing!
  • Hope the call goes well. : )
  • Thanks! I gave my colleague three different publishing options and she walked away with one at the top of her list. She couldn't wait to get off the phone to pursue this new direction and her writing goals :)
  • Hi Chris,
    As one of my mentors Rick Jarow (Book:Creating the Work you Love) says "community is a social center of gravity, a community of precious strangers."
    From that inner sanctum of community, we can support one another, elevate each other's work/purpose without losing our center of worth and share our brilliance without judgment. Your community opened a whole new world up to me and for that I'm grateful. Synchronistic post, I'm writing about Rick today.
  • But I thought the point of social media is exposure and broad connectivity, not secret societies? In fact, I think the best part of social media is the opportunity it affords for making more real-life connections with a wider range of people. I suspect you'd agree.
  • It's only secret to folks who still scratch their head at why we do all this.
  • Every day, there seem to be fewer people scratching their heads...
  • Powerful post. Got me thinking a lot about what I know and who I know and how to connect them.
  • hintonrae
    Love this post, Chris, and just this idea of community and connecting in general. I'm relatively new to Twitter and it was a bit disconcerting at first how narcissistic it seemed--seemed at though everyone was more interested in touting their own objectives and less concerned with responding to others and so forth. The longer I'm with it, though, the more individuals I connect with who appear to be utilizing Twitter for everything it's actually capable of being, and then some, and that's a relief.

    I'll definitely take this to heart and consider more what my offering can be, and not just what I can learn/gain from others.
  • ron_miller
    Chris,
    You are channeling Seth Godin today. And I say that as the highest form of compliment. Not sure how I feel about comparing a group of men who beat the crap out of each other for fun with the good will you associate with social media, but I get where you're going with this.

    By the way, we had our own "fight club" connection moment when we stumbled into one another at Enterprise 2.0 in Boston in the rain and spontaneously shared a cab. It was great meeting you in person.
  • And that's only the beginning. : )
  • Chris, I am very new to the social networking platform that the internet has become. I am very much just (at least for now) peddling along with my "training wheels" firmly in place. I've only just discovered/subscribed to your blog yesterday and am already a fan! More to the point of today's blogpost...I couldn't agree more and am blown away by the limitless potential of the "SFC". I believe that to everything which has a benefit, there must be a plan. As individuals we can do some, but as a collective body we can do so much more. Thank you for sharing the tenets of the "SFC" and relaying it in a way that even a social networking novice like me could understand.
  • Another great post, Chris!

    I can assure you a secret signal, sign, and symbol are all very cool and tons of fun. We use all 3 methods in our growing community so members of the SMARTSTART Executive Club can recognize and connect with each other. Of course, you have to actually be a member of the program to find out what they are. :D

    This has been an extremely effective way of helping them build a strong bond with one another and the program too (after all, the entrepreneurial life can be somewhat isolating with/without social media outlets.

    I was so disappointed when other commitments prevent me from meeting up with you at PodCamp a few months back but I will look for other opportunities to do so in the months ahead. It is so refreshing to meet people who are unpretentious and approachable and I've admired your work for a long time now.

    I find it interesting when people come up to me at conferences after I've left the stage or chase me down in airports to stop for a chat and then say things like "wow, you're so real and easy to talk to". Always makes me wonder what on earth they were expecting! And of course I'm honoured that they trust my work and our programs because much effort has been expended to earn and be worthy of their trust.

    Oh, and the top secret meeting of the Executive Club? It takes place on the second Saturday of every month which means I've been riding an *excitement* high all week getting ready for tomorrow! Gosh I have such a great job working with these brilliant minds on their books and projects!
  • We'll connect at some point. You have a few dozen years left to meet me. : )
  • Hey Chris, great angle, not a new idea exactly. Heard of "Social Media Club" anyone?
  • Not even CLOSE to my intent. Social Media Club is about educating people on using Social Media. That's swell and all, and it's a great organization. But what I'm getting at here is something far more human-empowering. Steve Wright didn't ask me jack about social media. He gave me a ride on his cool tram. Ron Harris and I shared a cab. Brian Simpson gives away bacon to bloggers and twitterers.

    It's the human part I'm interested in, in this case.

    With love for my clone. : )
  • love the post and soo funny that you mentioned Zane - I was just telling Ryan Plesko today how Zane & I met. I was the one who answered the tweet and drove her home from SXSW!! And we've been friends since.
  • Small planet, Elysa. Truly. : )
  • Great post, Chris. A few of us were just discussing this on Twitter a couple of days ago. Someone tweeted they were looking for a ride, to which someone replied, "you're not supposed to take rides with strangers" and I replied, "on Twitter, there are no strangers".

    I guess in a sense there are strangers on Twitter (spam & bots I don't get that warm and fuzzy feeling about), but in most cases, I feel as if I know everyone in my "Twitter club" because I share in their lives each and every day.

    As a matter of fact, it was I that opened my doors to @zaneology for SXSW having never met her before. And it was the kindess of @elysa and @couchsurfingori who reached out and gave her a ride.

    None of us had ever met, but yet we knew each other quite well. As a matter of fact, when the 3 of us first met up, we found we had little "catching up" to do. It was as if we were long lost college roomies!
  • digiphile
    First rule of #SecretFightClub: No one talks about Secret Fight Club.


    Chris! eTyler Durden is gonna be so annoyed. I suggest you change your soaps and don't eat soup for months.


    Seriously -- great post. And of course, now many people WILL be talking about SFC, though perhaps even more will simply keep on spreading that good will.


    "Buying free plates of bacon at the bar" isn't a bad metaphor at all -- can't forget that from the #140Conf -- but passing out oranges to the homeless catches something closer to my heart. A member of my family always carried oranges in Philly and Baltimore growing up, where there are major homeless populations, most of whom have major Vitamin C deficiencies.


    Instead of giving them money, he passed out oranges. A few homeless people became upset, since they wanted $ for whatever other cause, but most were incredibly grateful.


    You pass out oranges all the time, like when you take pictures of others, feature them on your blog, retweet great insights or services, talk about favorite writers or services during conferences. Some cynics might say that's name dropping or crass brand mentions, like the unfortunate choice of Magic Johnson to mention KFC five times during MJ's memorial.


    I don't buy into that.


    In the social media world, regardless of what digital outpost you're on, sharing information and being helpful is the best and most important form of digital currency we have to share.


    Instead of beating each other up to escape the banality of corporatized modern life, in order to FEEL something, we are all collaborating on building a global network of digitized human experience, caught on video, pictures or memorialized in 140 characters or more.


    That's the kind of Secret Fight Club I'm proud to belong to and recruit others to join. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. Let's go give away some oranges.

  • Passing out oranges. I love this.
  • Posts like this (along with the fact that I find your tweets entertaining and that we both originally hail from Maine) are the reason I enjoy following you so much Mr. Brogan.
  • Quotations from "Fight Club", 1999
    Novel by Chuck Palahniuk
    Screenplay by Jim Uhls
    Directed by David Fincher

    When you have insomnia, you're never really asleep, and you're never really awake.

    The things you own end up owning you. It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything.

    Fuck Martha Stewart. Martha's polishing the brass on the Titanic; it's all going down, man.

    I say never be complete. I say stop being perfect. I say let's evolve. Let the chips fall where they may.

    How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?

    Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need.

    We're the middle children of history... no purpose or place. We have no Great War, no Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives.

    You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.

    No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide.
  • I don't really use Twitter. I like the idea of a "secret fight club." But I don't want my cause to be limited just on the internet. I prefer personal interaction, just like what Shaq suggests.
  • So, i just RT'd that thing from shaq even though it was really old--it got me thinking--is anyone making false RTs? Someone saying: RT @chrisBrogan i'm a big dummy and false quoting other people.

    Kinda scary (and childish)

    Of course--you are only as successful as your critics think you aren't. So if people are misquoting you--awesome--you're important.
  • danielendy
    Chris:

    I love that movie too. It was the movie that made me into a huge Ed Norton fan. He's so good.

    Social Media has changed the paradigm of the web. The first wave was just linked info. The second wave was utility like finding a store or buying a product. The third was rating and commenting. The fourth wave is allowing everyone to connect and create community. Each has exponentially greater value.

    I saw it coming and that's why I started my first company doing web work in 1995. When LinkedIn came out I hoped it would become what it is. I am a born connector and I love to help and share.

    Twitter is the start of the fifth wave - Realtime public conversations and news.

    The revenue model is still not clear for social media consultants (our black eyes and missing teeth) but the value IS clear.

    I see you as the Brad Pitt of the SMFC. Who is your alter-ego then?

    @DanielEndy
    http://Twitter.com/DanielEndy
    www.Acognita.com
  • Duff_McDuffee
    I think social media as you describe it is more of a #secretloveclub as it lacks the nihilistic, violent cult leader with multiple personality disorder, and has a lot more community and free sharing of ideas. In fact, this kind of connecting through social media might even address some of the meaninglessness and alienation that "Jack" experiences (which drive his obsession with joining self-help groups under false pretense) by providing real, meaningful connection beyond vapid consumerism, and a true sense of community based on values and free sharing of information.

    Love is great. Keep on spreading it. #secretloveclubwhichisnotsosecretanymore
  • All hail to SFC..and KFC while we praising acronyms for that matter….Now I'm hungry.

    Ahhh yes… the SXSW Adventure I affectionately call “Twitter Trust. ” From the moment @MackCollier suggested I attend SXSW (I was a Twitter Newbie at 3 Months Gestation), I saw firsthand what a difference a TWEET can make…AND how awesome this community is. After sending out a “SXSW 4 Pt. Wish List” on Twitter, @katebuckjr immediately offered to not only host me, but to also “hang out with me” (wish item 3 & 4) and @StevenRay offered to drive me (wish item 2) – I had not met either of them “IRL” - we just followed each other on Twitter…and when @StevenRay got stuck on a project delaying his departure 24 hours, I “tweet inquired” if there might be anyone else looking to rideshare to Austin earlier. A Direct Message arrived in minutes from @TexasZman recommending I connect with @CouchSurfingOri who immediately punched my home address into his GPS and picked me up on his way through Dallas….no questions asked (like…ummm How many bags DO you have?)

    And…to make this story even more Twitter Sweet, when my ride home fell through, also because of work commitments, a simple tweet of “HELP! I need a ride home to Dallas” was sent and RT’d around the Twitterverse. In less than 3 hours, @Elysa casually replies, “I can give you a ride to Dallas.” Cool thing here was - Not only had we never met in real life, we had also never tweeted before – she had just started to follow me the week prior to SXSW because one of her Twitter Friends had mentioned my Wish List to her.

    Honorable mention goes to @orchid8. I crashed at her house one night when I got separated from my crew and our only previous interaction was a Twitter introduction by @aronado suggesting we meet up at SXSW…I not only met her as hoped, but her awesome red sofa too. Then we have the @100interviews at SXSW crew - @doverbey, @morganb, @andykaufman & @sukjhit - when they asked me to be one of their 100-interviews, I asked them if they needed any help with their very aggressive project and... they let me help. How awesome is that? And...OH, how I loved the Bloggers Lounge...

    So, how is it that we have all never met before “in real life” but we treat each other “as if” - then when we do meet IRL, it’s like we already know each other and nothing feels odd or uncomfortable? Because the Twitter world is different. I am enamored by this “I’m here…and you’re there..and we’re in the Social NOW community...it's comforting. Twitter is comforting...I can read your tweets, click on your links, look at pictures of your cat and “know you” and we may never even meet or talk in person…but when we do, it’s like running into an old friend. If there is anyone that does not feel that that Twitter is a community, I encourage them to just scroll through all the smiling/non smiling/now green avatars in their stream and take note of all the faces & names they “recognize.” I bet if quizzed, they would be “more familiar” and know MORE about those folks in their Twitter Stream then their neighbor who lives down the street. Goosebumps!

    We grow up, someone tells us to be independent, we don't really need others....but we do, we really do. Power to the SFC!

    Thanks for the great post my friend, Chris Brogan and for reminding me of that fun story.

    Note to any OCD readers of this comment: Wish Item 1 was: Husband to smile and say "YES, Zane, take off and Go!" The acquisition of 2 – 4 made 1 a sure thing.
  • Great post!

    I am new to twitter... well I guess we all are so I found this really insightful.
  • I think I am part of a Secret Fight Club. Its called South East Michigan, or the Detroit Metro Area. There are many of us here working incredibly hard under the false pretense that we are only a blue color/automotive region. Connecting and discovering the innovators, entrepreneurs and the visionaries, we are rebuilding the area. !st rule, we do talk about. 2nd rule, we talk about it even more, because we are tired of just hanging out in basements.
  • lindabateman
    Read the post. Read all the comments up to this one...

    One things reads very true: Social Media so called "experts" have forgotten the point behind creating a social network, which is the people factor. Whoever it was that said the secret is knowing WHY we create our networks (to help people) had it all right.

    I have read a thousand blogs about how we can monetize social media, but sadly, very few like this one that points out, in its not so subtle way, that social networking is our tool to bring some sort of change to the world. We can, through the power of technology, touch someone on the other side of the world and change their perspective as they change ours. We can use our knowledge to bring resolution to problems that can change the lives of others.

    Or we can use it to try and sell 2 for 1 nights at the nearest Holiday Inn and a free sample of Viagra.

    Your choice. I am opting for life changing.
  • Fantastic post Chris!
    And amazing comments too.

    I have always had a passion for community and connecting people in this increasingly disconnected world. 20 years ago (long before social networking) I opened a coffeehouse in Orlando, Fl. I remember instinctually telling my staff on our first day of business that "it is not about the coffee" I wanted them to understand the importance of the "place" that I had created and they were about to become stewards of. I wanted to make sure that they understood how we were about to open the doors to this huge community of people who had never meet each other... until we created a place for them to gather. I love comment above that references the image of a "Tribe" Shortly after opening we all felt like we were part of a secret place that eventually even developed it's own subtle culture, language, and rituals.

    Social media appears to have done the same thing in the virtual world with its effects spilling over into the physical realm. It is truly amazing to see how people connect with new friends, colleagues, mentors, and business through social media.

    I will be opening a new business in a few months where we will push the limits of nurturing the ability for strangers to connect in a new physical and social media environment. To build a new "Tribe". My dream would be to once again profoundly affect people by providing places throughout the country where anyone including isolated or disconnected people, can easily meet others and develop new relationships.

    I sold the coffeehouse business 10 years ago.... and shortly after that, it closed. To this day, eventhough I live thousands of miles away, I stumble on conversations online and off where people talk about what a profound affect my businesses had on their life and who they connected with and how there is an emptiness now that it is gone.

    This has fueled my passion to start UNION!
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