July 23, 2009 73 Comments

The Story of Me

chrisbrogan

Who Is Chris Brogan

If you asked others, they’d say I’m some kind of social media guy. I am a business designer. That means I help professionals do the work they want. I provide courses and live events and the like as CEO and president of Human Business Works. It’s work, only better.

I was born in Maine and have spent more than half my life in Massachusetts. My home is in northern Massachusetts, about an hour north of Boston. I have two wonderful kids (girl and a boy), and a wonderful girlfriend that keeps me going.

What Do I Do?

As I said, I run a publishing and media company that focuses on business design. We work with professionals in any size company (from solo to 80K employees). That takes the shape of providing online courses, live keynote events, in-person education and events. And I write books. That’s it in a nutshell.

I speak professionally, and have keynoted several events over the last few years. What I love the most about speaking is connecting with people and sharing ideas in a more two-way setting. It’s very different from blogging in that regard. (My speaker bio is here).

I also write. I’m a New York Times Bestselling co-author of The Impact Equation, which I cowrote the same way I did Trust Agents, along with Julien Smith. I also wrote Social Media 101 and Google+ for Business.

I blog at [chrisbrogan.com], where I find ways to help you improve your business and yourself.

Back in the day, I cofounded PodCamp with Christopher S. Penn. It’s an event series about media making.

People always ask me how I make money. I make money through my companies, through speaking, through affiliate sales, through my book deals, through writing deals, and through partnerships.

Let me know if you need any more.

Contact Me Here

Where Am I Online?

What’s Interesting to Me?

To me, the most interesting part of what I do is helping people understand how these tools let us be human at a distance, and/or humans extended. Computers were never about solving some kind of software challenge. I didn’t want to hack them. I didn’t even want them to make beautiful art. I wanted to reach out and communicate. We had a modem, a very slow modem, but it opened the world of bulletin board services (bbs) up to me. Then, AOL/Prodigy/CompuServ. It was exciting.

And now? That’s exactly what I do all the time. I help companies learn to be human at a distance for their business communications needs. It’s the most fulfilling work I’ve ever had, as there are so many ways to apply it. It’s the best time to be into what I’m into, because I love humans, and I’m now in the position to help humans connect meaningfully.

What Else?

You know me. I’m interactive. I have no idea what else you think people would want to know about me as a jumping-on point. If this were the post you sent to a friend while trying to explain who I was or what I do, what would you add to this?

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  • http://twitter.com/TechnologyJuice Juscelino M. Acevedo

    I have never read a post by someone telling their story like this one. I think it was a great idea. It's funny how you follow certain people via blogs or other social networks and know nothing about them. I really enjoy the personal touch that you give to your articles. Keep up the great work!!!

    If you don't mind, can I ask you for the best short piece of advice you can tell a newbie? I don't mean the usual write great content or promote yourself or here's how to make $1 million. I mean some real “Chris Brogan teaches you how to be successful” advice.

  • http://www.livinghalffull.com/ Peter Mis

    Start with Important. Relevant.

  • lorihoeck

    So that's who you are! Actually, your niceness and rep proceeds you online.

    To my friends, I'd say, “Chris Brogan is enmeshed with social media like a fish in water. He understands its nature and nuances — as much as anyone can — and helps shape it for the better.”

  • adamcroney

    Chris,

    I'd love to know more about what has shaped your career path and what you feel were important points in your life that have shaped you into the professional you are today.

    What does Chris Brogan do away from the keyboard?

  • JerrannaCan

    I would add that you are authentic and unpretentious. Thank you for being a vivid demonstration of what it means to be human at a distance.

    You rock!

  • http://blog.eyeviewdigital.com EyeView

    Pleased to meet you, sir.

    You forgot to mention dadomatic. That's one of my favorite spots to visit when I'm spending time in Broganburg.

  • sgoldfaden

    Hi Chris,
    I think this is a really great post for a lot of reasons. I am still in College (a Senior at the University of Miami), with the hopes of someday starting my own social media agency as well. Unfortunately, there aren't any classes in Miami that teach Social Media. Sure there are networks to join and conferences to attend like http://sfima.org(which I'm trying to get into! Nautical Networking 09' here we come!!), but since December of last year, people like you, Seth Godin, Lee Odden, and the authors of tons of other blogs and such have been both my teachers and mentors. Although helping companies implement social media is one of your specialties (and of course the beer money doesn't hurt!) I think you are selling yourself short as someone that young kids like me can look up to as well. There's no textbooks to buy, or tutoring I can get…all we have are people like you, and the many others who have helped guide us in this industry. I've already started saving up to go to Boston in October, I look forward to meeting the man who helped point me in the right direction. Thanks Chris.

    -Sean Goldfaden

  • http://www.dorm-room-biz.com/ Dorm Room Biz

    Chris – great post. I actually had no idea you were a co-founder of PodCamp. See you learn something new all the time, especially when people post things like these!

    Great work,
    Chris

  • http://www.prostylus.com/blog prostylus

    “I help companies learn to be human at a distance for their business communications needs.”

    That line jumped out and hit me in the head (ow). I live on the other end of the state in the rural Berkshires where there are very, very few opportunities for freelance copywriters. So, building authentic human relationships at a distance has been key to my survival. Apparently, people now call this “social media.”

    I recognize you didn't necessarily intend that line to be a description of SocMed. But it's probably the best one-line summation I've ever seen.

  • Bernie Schneider

    Excellent post, Chris. I'm impressed by how unpretentious it is – simple language, no hype, just an honest account of what you do and who your are. It's the self-promotion angle that often turns me off of blogs or twitter accounts, etc. Add value, that's what it's about. And I love that you don't describe yourself as some sort of social media expert, but rather a business communications and emerging technologies guy. Thank you.
    - Bernie

  • michaelmartino

    Chris,

    I tell people you are “THE” Social Media guy. The one everyone looks to, to learn how to do this social media thing. Sometimes I say you are Social Media God. Maybe should stop saying that…

    A small thing but you are also on FriendFeed.

    Thanks for the great posts.

  • http://www.mylifechanges.com/ Terry

    Chris

    Nice to meet you…

    Well more of you LOL

    Terry

  • http://www.thejimgaudet.com/blog/ thejimgaudet

    Northern Mass? I have family on the Cape and the majority of my business is done in Salem for the government. I wonder if we passed in the tunnel one time….

    I truly believe that the new Internet will be personal. Lay it out there and reap the benefits later. The ? is who do you trust? Big Brands? Yes, that's obvious. But a new guy? Why? But, let that guy answer his emails, tweets, blog and voicemails, then see how he compares.

    Human Extended | Human at a Distance : I love this! Phrase coined today by you, everyone remember it. We are moving into the iHuman world…

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  • kat

    as your wife i'd add that you work for it
    you work your ass off
    you've worked your ass off since i met you
    you worked your ass off before that

    for anyone who wonders
    “Man, why does Brogan get all the good breaks?”
    because he works at it like a SOB

    you make mistakes
    you fall down
    people kick you when you are there
    you get up and keep on truckin
    holy shit
    you're like the terminator!

    • Redhead

      This moved me. This coming from the woman by/behind the man as he built up his career. A beautiful testimony to a loving, supportive wife and a hard-working, dedicated man.

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  • http://deanholmes.me deanholmes

    Chris,

    Ok now who is the real Chris Brogan? The one so many of us want to know, like the post I did, give us that as I know we all have a story to tell. Not that its important that we all know your past, but history, experiences and general people who have shaped our thinking and our creativity.

    Thanks for reading “How FaceBook changed my life” on my blog – just wondering when…

  • http://dkaiwilson.com Kaiberie

    Thank you so much for this – I'm now creating context specific ones for my own sites, because this is a *great* idea and has spawned off a whole pile of other concepts that I think might bear discussing at my own sites :)

    You are a continued inspiration, thanks Chris.

  • http://www.deirdrebreakenridge.com/ Deirdre

    Thanks for sharing who you are. I sort of had a feeling but you definitely added more details and got more personal, which I think is critical when you're connecting with people. I like hearing and learning from you, not because you are a social media guy, a great speaker or you help companies to connect with their customers, but because you are human and that's what is the most appealing. To me, you are an approachable person and I like and appreciate your openness :)

  • http://coworkutah.com JackHadley

    There is one thing I would like to add to “Who is Chris Brogan”. Chris is not JUST about being human from a distance. He is about being human UP CLOSE too. Last year at BlogWorld in Vegas I was honored to meet him and chat for about 1 minute. The next day, in a crowded, noisy hallway we walked past each other and he yelled out, “Good morning, Jack!” Remarkable. I KNOW he met hundreds of people the day before and had hundreds of conversations… Yet, he not only remembered my name, but went out of his way to be an amazing human. Thanks, Chris, for being who you are and for your contributions to this space.

  • http://www.ManishaThakor.com ManishaThakor

    “People always ask me how I make money. The answers are: through work with NML, through speaking, through sales of the book, and I get beer money from the occasional affiliate ad (stuffed in posts 10 days or older, and through amazon.com). If I were smarter, I’d do more affiliate marketing, but I have a different vibe here, so I keep it the way it is.”

    ————-

    CHRIS: Wow, very kind of you to answer this question straight-up. This is something no doubt many people wonder about (myself included!) with regards to those brave enough to flee the corporate cube. You share so much with the rest of us, here's hoping the universe continues to rain good fortune down upon you and keeps that beer money flowing strong!

  • http://www.networlding.com networlding

    Chris,

    Like you I work with large organizations helping them learn networking 101 since 1999. I just came away from a presentation with about 80 heads of leadership in large companies asking, “How do we build internal networks?” I would like to know how you weigh in on that question.

  • http://www.truemanity.com zionaetzion

    I enjoy your posts…

    I get the feeling that you are real…

    You connect well with people.

    An online reputation is not built in minutes.

    Yours has a sign of character…

  • http://www.maximojr1.wordpress.com/ Luis Jasso

    It is always great to read about a what a person does overall, specially someone that is trying to create a change in the mentality of huge corporations. I would like to know what type of education do u have. Computer Science, marketing, or how everything started.
    Well, it is always great to read you. Thanks for visiting Mexico.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    My educational background has been very mixed. It didn't really help. My technical background is probably the strongest, where I did everything from applications engineering to product support engineering. I did project management and other related work, and that might have given me SOME of my business acumen.

    As for college, it didn't really take, if you understand my meaning. Didn't do much for me.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Thanks. I've been at it for over a decade, so maybe that relates? : )

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  • http://www.ireflectm.com CarlosHernandez

    I would add that you try to help people when you can, like tweeting during BlogWorld 2008 when a buddy needed a place to crash for a couple nights.

  • http://twitter.com/biggayicecream BigGayIceCreamTruck

    The first Macintosh computer that I ever touched was at Chris Brogan's house. I'm sure we listened to Diver Down as I created beautiful line drawings.

    That is all I wish to add at this time, but I reserve the right to revisit.

    DOUG QUINT

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    People matter, Jack. Why would I do this otherwise? : )

  • http://www.deceptionsecrets.com/ Jef Nance

    The 'internet frontier' may never be conquered, or not any time that's foreseeble.

    Unlike land, this frontier keeps morphing, and the exploration just takes on new forms. Think Twitter, Facebook, et al, and the various ways to expand social bases and monetize along the way.

    Would you mind the title of pioneer? The internet has not one, but several Daniel Boones, think you're definitely one of 'em.

    I'll send you a 'coon skin cap if you'll promise to wear it for your Twitter shot.

    Great work, Chris, keep up.

    -jef

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Here's some advice: be helpful to others. If you equip others, you will forever be successful.

  • Liz

    I have a question, maybe it might be considered crass but here goes!

    How many people work (ft, pt) at New Marketing Labs? This is a question I have not just about your company but about people who work as social media consultants. As I am doing my job search, I keep wondering whether they are one person shops or have several partners or any support staff at all.

    Just trying to understand the landscape…if you don't want to answer specifically about your own company, maybe you could tell me what is “typical” for independent SM consultants (yes, I know it varies, just looking for what might be average!).

    P.S. You wouldn't believe how many times I have to correct my typing, changing S&M to SM. Unfortunate initials.

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  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Great question. I work with 5 people full time and a larger network part time. My parent organization has another 30.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      Um… 10 people now. : )

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      Um… 10 people now. : )

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      Um… 10 people now. : )

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  • http://bit.ly/mak1e Mark Guadalupe

    hah! ☺ iLike the wife description than you dscribe yourself Chris ;-)

  • amykoehler

    I'm a new fan! Thanks for sharing your wisdom, keeping it real & down to earth, Chris!

  • reisbaron

    A pleasure to stumble upon you (literally 8-). Seems like I'll be learning a lot from you starting now. Thanks for all you do…

  • hackmanj

    Hi Kat – thanks for your insight. It is important for people to realize that success does not occur by accident and that people work really hard to “get breaks”.

  • hackmanj

    Hi Kat – thanks for your insight. It is important for people to realize that success does not occur by accident and that people work really hard to “get breaks”.

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  • http://www.roughridecreations.com Briana

    Who are you? You’re an awesome somebody who gave little me and my freaky biz a tweet and boosted my visitors by PILES and LEAPS. Thank you.

    I have a few different personalites online and am sometimes stuck on how to tell someone ‘about me’. I’m considering, having read this post, having a more centralized localtion for my whos, whats, and abouts that could at least serve as my ‘primary personality’ or something along those lines. The ‘me’ that never changes, no matter what crazy thing I’m doing online. Thanks for the inspiration!

  • http://www.HansonSellsTheWoodlands.com Chris Hanson

    Was directed to Trust Agents by Gregg Herder at a real estate marketing seminar. I’ve read and re-read Trust agents and find it to be a great resouce in this rapidly changing society. I also follow your daily blogs and find your simple, straight-forward approach to marketing very refreshing. Thanks for sharing!

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