On being a proper human online: Interview with Julien Smith
- Wed, June 22 2011
- Filed under: Social networking and web 2.0
Today, the Case Foundation is holding a virtual summit on millennial donors. One top-notch speaker will be Julien Smith, who along with Chris Brogan wrote Trust Agents. Julien, a leading voice on social media, graciously agreed to a pre-summit interview with me soon after completing an 800 km walk through Spain. Here’s his advice on navigating the world of new media.
Katya: What is the concept of a trust agent, and why is it important?
Julien: The web is an environment for people and ideas, not companies and nonprofits. Unless you’re a proper human – likeable and with good ideas – it is hard to be successful online. You need to adapt to the fact that this is a social setting, and it is the environment of the future.
Katya: I think some nonprofits feel they get an exception to this rule – that because their mission is just, they can treat social as more of a broadcast medium. What would you say to that?
Julien: The problem is, there are nearly as many nonprofit missions as grains of sand on the beach. People are fatigued with the sheer volume of need, so it’s just not enough to be a good cause. You have to participate as humans in the social environment, which is a trial and error process.
Katya: In terms of this environment and millennials, is it true that most online activity is slactivism that doesn’t yield bigger actions?
Julien: I believe there is a lot of slactivism – and we should be happy about that. The barriers and ease of participating in a cause have been reduced to such a low level that you naturally see more and more action at that level. It needs to be viewed as a form of action, and it has value. It’s up to the nonprofits how to engage from there. My personal attitude is that if people don’t like me and aren’t responding, I’m not doing my job well enough. We need to stop blaming “slactivists” for what they do or don’t do and work on ourselves. Millennials are seeking clarity – the ability to help one idea, one business, one individual in a connected way. That’s why you see the success of Kiva. But so many nonprofits are not like this, and they are obfuscating about what’s really going on.
Katya: How do we begin to change how we approach this work online?
Julien: Be strangers at a party – go out and talk to people. Chris Brogan and I are writing about this now. Sitting on the couch does not lead to massive opportunities. There are no magic answers to spoonfeed here. I just did an 800 km walk in 35 days in Spain, and I can’t articulate that experience for you, just as I can’t fully describe the experience of participating in social media. You have to do out and participate, get your hands dirty, and start getting comfortable. You find the answers when you have that attitude. People who work for nonprofits work hard to do good – similarly, with this form of engagement in social media, you have to do the hard work to achieve the good.