Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputations, and Earn Trust

Chris Brogan, one of the world’s top-ranked bloggers, is a leading social media strategist who counsels top companies like Microsoft, Cisco and Pepsico. His first book TRUST AGENTS: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputations, and Earn Trust (Wiley, September 1) explores how the Web presents new opportunity for buyers and sellers to build a new culture of trust - even between complete strangers.

In TRUST AGENTS, he joins social media pioneer and coauthor Julien Smith to argue that effectively earning trust online will be one of the most important skill sets for any business that wants to succeed in today's "trust economy."

Our culture is experiencing a trust deficit, from being burned by the financial crisis and from being sold to by too many slick advertisers as far back as the days of "Mad Men," say the authors. Trust now has to be earned by new rules for influencing others’ buy-in without betrayal. "The Web has changed to be more humanized," Brogan notes, "and the people who will succeed in understanding this and using the Web to build business are called Trust Agents." In TRUST AGENTS, Brogan explains how success at marketing is changing toward becoming a Web presence and force—someone who influences others’ buy-in without self betrayal.

Chris Brogan is ranked by Technorati as one of the world’s top 100 bloggers. Based in Boston, Chris advises on social media strategy for such companies as Pepsico, Comcast Interactive, Sony Electronics, AMD, Microsoft, Cisco, General Motors, Citrix Online and Humana. Cofounder of PodCamp, a popular new media conference series focused on the use of social media to build business and personal relationships, Chris has been blogging since 1998, and currently has some 90,000 followers on Twitter. He has appeared on Dr. Phil and other programs. Find him and his writings on social media at www.chrisbrogan.com and on Twitter at twitter.com/chrisbrogan.