Nathan Hangen

Why I Love the Social Web

The world is connected. Thanks to blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, we’ve got a million different ways to connect with each other. There is no better time for sharing ideas, spreading innovation, and changing the game than ever before. Thanks to Google, I can find a million different blogs about any subject within a matter of seconds. I can learn everything I need to know about any topic without leaving my home. I’m connected with thousands directly, and millions indirectly.

The 8 degrees of separation rule is slowly turning into less than a few. We can all reach out and touch each other at any time. We can chat across the city, across the nation, and across the globe. They say that the 22nd century will be one in which human awareness is increased. We’ll be more loving, more inspired, and more positive. We’ll do good to each other, and to the earth. Can you feel it happening already?

Sure, we’ve got a boatload of evil doers and other no-good ruffians, but for the most part we all seek to inspire and be inspired. I find that extremely wonderful and I can’t believe that I am so lucky as to be able to take part in this grand experiment. The beautiful thing is that we are just at the brink of it all…we’ve seen nothing yet!

We are all game changers, but we need ideas to feed us. I could look at my Twitterfeed right now and be inspired by no less than a dozen or more people. I can reach out to last.fm or Pandora and listen to breathtaking music that I’ve never heard of before. I can search for artists and find stunning photography and amazing graphic design. There is so much potential within us all…don’t let it be stifled by trying to earn a buck.

If you’ve got a passion, release it to the world. Share it with everyone you can. Shout it from the mountaintops. I’ve heard that information wants to be free, but I’d say that ideas deserve it more. Share ideas, improve the world, and continue to spread the love. If we all do our part to make it easier on the next person, we won’t have to worry about dead end jobs and working 9-5. No one wants to be trapped in a job they hate, but we are because we’re afraid to step out. Take an idea and run with it. Worry about the monetization later. When you’ve built an energetic and motivated fanbase, then you can have as much money as you need. In fact, they’ll hand it to you without question.

When you’ve truly mastered the art of giving without expectation, then you’ll know what it is to be free. Your mind tells you that you should charge something, that you need to make a buck, but I can’t help but be reminded by the following phrase:

Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime

Feed mankind, and I promise that you’ll be fed in time.

The King of Content

Content Is King, But It’s Not What You Think

We’ve all heard the adage that content is king, but usually that refers to the content in a blog post, eBook, or another form of web content. However, I’d like to propose that within that meme, there is a king of kings when it comes to content and it probably isn’t what you think.

Before we get started though, I want to share a story about what inspired this post. You see, I lost a friend recently to a longtime battle with lung disease. He was a good man and although I’m sad he passed, his life taught me so much more than his death. However, what really hit home for me was when I was on Twitter asking for a moment of silence and I was flooded with responses from people I’d never talked to before. At that point I realized that what makes social media so wonderful, is that if you take away the spammers and bots, you end up with a community that embraces each other…often without asking for anything in return.
The Power of Social Networking

At that moment, none of us were trying to make money or launch a product, we were simply trying to pay our respects to a lost friend of mine. I didn’t want anything but to just hang out and talk with people to share my respect for this man. Incredibly, and what is really cool, is that these people I’d never met before were sending me replies and DM’s as if we’d known each other for years. Such is the power of social networking, particularly Twitter.
What’s Your Agenda?

Now, let’s get back to the king of content. You see, when it comes to content, I believe there are 2 types: content that has a hidden agenda, and content that seeks nothing but to be shared. In my opinion, the latter of the two is by far the most powerful and important. You might say as a rebuttal that all of your content falls in to the 2nd category, but let me ask you…are you sure?

Look, I’m not trying to claim sainthood and say that no one should sell anything, but I am saying that your intentions should always be clear and good hearted. If you want to sell something, make sure it benefits people and that you believe, without a doubt, that it does. Don’t try to trick people into clicking your link or buying your product if you aren’t relying on transparency and there is not congruency in your message.

I’m tired of meeting people and getting to know them only to find out that they are not what they seem. Let’s face it, that’s easy to do online. The way I see it is this: If you are trying to build a long-term relationship with people online as a brand or business, then you need to be able to look them in the eye and level with them. You need to be comfortable sharing information with no hidden purpose or agenda other than to enrich other people’s lives. You need to be the best at what you do.

I don’t expect your business to become a charity, but I believe there are times to focus on profit and times not to. Don’t be afraid to share your secrets and don’t cling to everything you know like it is your last dollar. I’m betting that a lot of what you know was inherited from others and rather than trying to squeeze a dollar out of someone, why not help them earn one first. Life is too short to worry about money all the time and I’m a firm believer that if you do what you love and help others do the same, then you are already wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.

You Can Trust “Trust Agents”

I’m going to interrupt today’s normal broadcast for a quick pitch for a book that I can’t wait to get my hands on.

I don’t do this often, but considering the author, I couldn’t help but to rush out and give a huge thumbs up and a strong recommendation to buy this book.

If you’ve never heard of Chris Brogan before (what??? Head to ChrisBrogan.com right now!), allow me to give you a quick run down on his importance to the blogging and social media industries…

The Consulting Conundrum

As I mentioned in my Saturday Project Update, I do some consulting for a variety of artists and other bloggers. However, since the needs of my clients are rarely the same, I most often find myself custom tailoring a consulting package for every new client. This means that I don’t really have any standard packages and that my prices are all over the map.

What I like about this is that in any single day I can work all of my given strengths and spend time doing many of the things that I enjoy. I’m not stuck on a particular model or activity long enough to get bored, and I’ve got the freedom to plan my days how I want.

However, as much as I love consulting and as great of an income builder it can be, there are some potential pitfalls that have had me questioning my desire to continue.

Worst Economic Time in History? I Call B.S.

I’m Tired of Hearing It

Over the past several months, I’ve heard the same story over and over and over and over again. It is driving me insane and frankly…I can’t take it anymore.

As some of you know, I’ve made plans to leave the Army in the fall of 2010. It was a great ride, but I’ve got other plans and I’m thankful for the opportunities that the Army provided for me. However, it seems that every time I tell people I’m getting out, they want to make sure that I know that the economy sucks. Of course, I offer a polite response and thank them for the thought, but try to re-assure them that I’ll be OK. However, to my horror, many of these people persist until I either change the subject or leave the conversation all together.