10 Edmonton Trust Agents

The temperature outside on this lazy Sunday suggests that I should talk about the summer of 2009 coming to an end.  Feels like fall outside and it has put me in a bit of a reflective mood.  Something that most outside of my immediate family don’t know about me is that I’m extremely grateful to be alive and to have the life that I do and I mention this daily.  My wife Tracy, daughter Sydney are everything to me and I’m fortunate that they understand who I am and put up with my many short-comings.

I’m also extremely grateful for my business life.  Many know that fusedlogic has grown over this past year and has had the opportunity to work with several really terrific clients, we’re a long way from the one person operation I started in 2000.  Beyond being grateful for the business, the people on the team are the true engine and I’m very grateful for their hard work and commitment.  Paul Ney, Evan Adnams, Genoa Adnams, Troy Wason, Debra Ward, work tirelessly to do their best for our clients and it shows in the social media work we do.

This week in particular, I’m grateful for all of the people who supported the Edmonton International Fringe Festival.

Notables were John Wilson (@SirThinks) who wrote a great blog post and along with several others, @cyclopsphoto, @pixelens, @livingsanctuary to name a few, took copious amounts of photographs these last 10 days to visually document our Fringe in their own way on flickr for the world to see.  By the way, thanks to them the Edmonton Fringe now has the largest Fringe related flickr group with over 1300 images all telling a story about Edmonton and the Fringe.  This is just one of the terrific things we were able to accomplish with the help of the community, not to mention the amazing ticket sales this year topping over 90,000.  The way these #yegphotographers provided their perspective was terrific and it was really cool to be a part of.  Also, I feel like I know these folks a lot better as a result of that experience which I’m grateful for. Thank-you for all of your support.

Earlier today I was reading Chris Brogan’s blog post Take 10 Minutes – Meet a Trust Agent.

I began to reflect on the various people and relationships out in the world that I have had an opportunity to cultivate and wondered what it took in my mind to be a Trust Agent?  Below are 10 in the Edmonton area that I’d like to mention.

Social media is about conversations and relationships.  Beyond that, the most important key to social media is a person’s ability to “build and maintain trust.”  Trust is critical in all areas of life, but especially online within chosen networks or micro-tribe(s).  The Edmonton region is a bustling micro-tribe and if you spend any amount of time online with Edmonton on your mind, you’ll no doubt recognize these people below identified by their Twitter handle below and in no particular order.  They all stand out as Trust Agents in my mind for one reason or another.

@ZoomJer, is a local Realtor.  Jerry is also a rock solid member of society.  He goes out of his way to create opportunities to help and support others.  In particular his #yegicecream events for @RLPShelterFdn are a big hit.  Jerry protects those he respects and holds accountable in his own way those who step out of line.  I first met Jerry when he attended one of my seminars well over a year ago and he and I maintain our conversation regularly.  Jerry is a “Zoom” family man first, strong digital citizen second, all of which makes his real estate business thrive as a result.  A true example of what Chris Brogan calls a “Trust Agent.”

@KenChapman46 is one of the most politically active digital citizens I know on the planet Earth.  Beyond politics and policy, Ken is a proponent for justice and equality.  You will always know where you stand with Ken as you’re measured based on your actions.  When it comes to politics, Ken understands how it affects our community and holds those accountable for their statements, actions or inaction as the case may be.  I have found Ken to be a loyal, trust-worthy person, who’s friendship I appreciate.  If you want to know what’s going on in politics days before it happens? Ken is your man.  That’s not to say he speaks out of turn, rather that his blog and predictions are typically accurate or not far off the mark.

@ChrisLabossiere is a local businessman, one of the founders of ProTraining.com he is an active digital citizen.  Chris was recently voted onto the board of one of our clients, Edmonton Economic Development Corporation and through that appointment he’s continually looking for ways to make Edmonton better.  My experience working with him on Change Camp and other ventures has taught me that Chris isn’t shy when it comes to sharing his opinion, and thank-goodness because he’s usually bang on in his assessment of the situation.  Sometimes he takes too many shots at himself, but Chris is a stand-up guy.  Frankly Chris, you should make a run for city council.

@Out_Inc is empowerment personified.  Shauna keeps herself very busy with her successful marketing company Out Enterprises Inc., and we almost had a chance to work together on a project.  I look forward to the day when a project comes along that makes sense for us to collaborate on.  Beyond her work life what makes Shauna a “trust agent” in my mind is her endless source positive energy and giving spirit.  Shauna is well known for coordinating with ZoomJer on charitable events and that sets her apart.  Not everyone steps up to organize and inspire others to give, Shauna does it often and she does it well.

@jdarrah is a digital gentleman among citizens, the fact that he believes strongly in building a enviable quality of life for others to enjoy in his community through his work at the City of Edmonton (#yeg) and privately is just one of the character traits that sets him apart.  I’ve come to know Jason better through our work on Change Camp and he’s top notch.  A smart and diplomatic voice in any room is in part what makes Jason a trust agent.

@bingofuel is one of Edmonton’s unique characters.  Always fun and unexpected, Adam blogs, helps run the very successful OilersNation and works with the Dub5 crew.  As if that wasn’t enough he recently started the unusual podcast, the Unknown Studio with @Scottybomb.  Mr. Fuel is pure digital citizen and a proponent of Edmonton through and through.  He’s searching for your pride Edmonton and he’s not going to stop until he finds it.

@livingsanctuary is a quiet, yet powerful voice for her micro-tribe via the community paper Boyle-McCauley News.  Paula readily lends her voice in support of issues, events and causes that need her help.  A proponent of equality, justice and humanity, Paula is a trusted source of positive energy.  I must admit that I have not spent time off line getting to know Paula and yet her activities online make her stand out in a positive way.  Thank-you Paula for your support.

@CaryWilliams is a key member of Edmonton’s NextGen group.  I first met Cary in person at Michael Janz’s IDEAfest, I called him “Astroboy” all day (ask him why) and our conversation continues to grow from there.  I interviewed Cary regarding NextGen and social media for my column in the Edmontonians Magazine, unfortunately it was replaced by a request from the publisher to cover another story.  Sorry Cary, maybe we can try that again in the future.  Cary is a “trust agent” because he believes in community roots, he believes in innovation and he believes in the empowerment of Gen Y.

@mastermaq is all about Edmonton, if there’s news to be had about the city, he’s all over it and likes to break the news first.  Due to his many media appearances, Mack is one of Edmonton’s most recognized digital citizens and he keeps everyone well informed about Edmonton via his blog.  He’s also not afraid to take a stand or offer his opinion, as we witnessed during the Edmonton City Centre Airport debate.  Another reason why you’ll recognize Mack is because it seems that he is at every social event happening around town, those he isn’t organizing himself that is.  Mack, you’re also someone who I think should run for city council.

@GriffMLA is about the truth, about being honorable and a voice for others.  Having had a few opportunities to meet with Doug and learn more about Doug and what it’s like to be an MLA, it’s clear to me that not only would I personally not want the job.  I also admire those who step-up, in the same way I admire goaltenders in hockey, they have to be just a little “off” to want to have players wire pucks at their head.  Doug is a very dedicated family man and digital Albertan, it’s clear he loves this province and offers a sound voice in the chaotic world of Alberta politics.

Edmonton’s online community has many folks who may be considered Trust Agents.

This is not a list made to the exclusion of others, you’re just as cool on this list as you are off it.  The true purpose was to take Chris Brogan’s lead and help identify certain meaningful traits in others that I have met online.  Too often people are given too much credit because they know something about the technology.  Chris Brogan along with Julien Smith’s work on Trust Agents is a game-changing look at how people and trust are the real power components behind social media.

Another personal motivation for this list was so that I express my gratitude and start a conversation by recognizing in a small way the good work that others in the community are doing and how that influences every day life for the rest of us.