Brad Marley

The social web is a game.

And just like the games you play and watch, the highest score wins.

Soon, everything you post — tweets, Facebook updates, blog posts — will contribute to your “social score,” if this article in Social Media Today is to be believed. (And, I think it is.)

If that’s the case, then you need to read  “Trust Agents” (affiliate link) by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith.

Found within the pages of this book are tips on how to excel on the social web by wielding your influence to build trust, with the guiding factor in all of this being The Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. In other words, think of content that would be valuable to your audience, and share it with them.

Provide value.

Put people in touch with others who they might benefit from knowing.

Step back.

What you will not find in this book are cutthroat business practices to get ahead, or ways to fake your way to the top. By genuinely helping others and building a community around yourself or your product, you will flourish on the Web and bring others inside your sphere of influence.

The idea of gaining trust is not some pie-in-the-sky fantasy that is achieved through hyperbole and New Age thinking. There are tangible ways to become a Trust Agent, and Chris and Julien do a great job sharing how to get started, what to do once you’re off and running, and why it’s important. After all, they know a thing or two about being social.

I highly suggest taking a look at this book if the social web factors into your professional livelihood.

The bottom line?

Act human.

You’ll emerge victorious.

This is the first entry in what I hope will becomes a regular feature. Why impose a 100-word limit? Easy. Scientific studies say that American readers stop paying attention at 101. I think.

Columbine.

An event so horrific that the name itself morphed into a substitute for “terror” that remains firmly entrenched in our culture’s vernacular.

In the weeks following the shooting, the widespread belief was that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold strolled into their high school and picked off a predetermined list of targets, one by one.

It lent some wicked idea of purpose to an event that was incomprehensible to most.

But this story has no sense, yet, it needed to be told.

Students were killed for no reason, save for the killers’ warped reality.

And that is truly terrifying.

The best books are always the ones that come out of left field and grab you by the collar and force you to sit down and devote all your free time to until you've turned the last page.

Then, and only then, can you catch your breath and truly appreciate the ride. 

As you can judge by the title of this blog post, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is one of those books.

My brother recommended it to me last year, so, at his suggestion, I took it with me to jury duty.

Due to a glitch in the system, my name was never entered into the pool of potential jurors, so I sat and read until they released us.

And that's probably a good thing, because I was prepared to be held in contempt of court if that meant I could keep reading.

The book, which takes place in Sweden and is presented in the classic "closed-room"style made famous by so many other authors, follows the story of former reporter, Mikael Blomkvist, and superhacker, Lisbeth Salander, as they are hired by a Swedish industrialist to determine what happened to his great-niece, who disappeared decades ago.

What appears on the surface to be just another cold case, the books seeks to exploit some of the less-than-favorable attitudes about the treatment of women in this Nordic country. But if you think the story is just a thinly-veiled attempt to rail against current practices, you're dead wrong.

There is a depth to the main characters and story that you don't often get in your run-of-the-mill thrillers. And, rightfully so, since the late author, Stieg Larrson, had originally planned to write at least eight books in this series. Sadly, he died of a heart attack after he turned in the first manuscript.

The only drawback is that the first 60 pages, or so, can be kind of a bear to get through, what with the somewhat dry talk of the financial scandal that ultimately lands Blomkvist in jail. 

If you can get through that (and I strongly suggest that you do) the rest of the book more than makes up for it.

This book as become my go-to book recommendation for anybody in search of a good read. If you're looking for one, you'd be hard-pressed to find something better.

Hold on to your mice, everyone.

The weekly grab bag streak is now at two.

Of course, it helps when other bloggers and publications push out great content. So, without further ado, check out what captured my attention this week.

1. The Secret to a Lifetime of Productivity — And Five Ways To Find It (TerryStarbucker.com) – I've been on a productivity kick lately, so I'm devouring anything and everything on ways to get more work done strategically. And this hits the sweet spot.

2. 75 Books Every Man Should Read (Esquire) – I'm ashamed to admit that I have read only one of the books on this list (Heart of Darkness). Looks like I have some reading to do.

3. The New News Junkie Is Online and On the Phone (NYTimes.com Bit Blog) – Ninety-nine percent (yes, ninety-nine) of American adults get news each day, according to a new report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. But how they're getting their news is the hook.

4. To Improve Performance, Audit Your Employees' Email (Harvard Business Review) – I'm going to ignore the grammatical faux paus (emails?) and, instead, tell you that I'm in love with this idea of making effective e-mail practice a part of annual reviews. If you've been reading my blog lately, you know that e-mail and I are on the rocks. This idea has the potential to save our relationship.

That's all I have for this week. As always, you can find all of my links on my Delicious page.

What captured your attention this week?