chrisbrogan.com - Latest Comments in The Secret Fight Club

Re: The Secret Fight Club

William — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:42:46 -0000

Fantastic post Chris!
And amazing comments too.

I have always had a passion for community and connecting people in this increasingly disconnected world. 20 years ago (long before social networking) I opened a coffeehouse in Orlando, Fl. I remember instinctually telling my staff on our first day of business that "it is not about the coffee" I wanted them to understand the importance of the "place" that I had created and they were about to become stewards of. I wanted to make sure that they understood how we were about to open the doors to this huge community of people who had never meet each other... until we created a place for them to gather. I love comment above that references the image of a "Tribe" Shortly after opening we all felt like we were part of a secret place that eventually even developed it's own subtle culture, language, and rituals.

Social media appears to have done the same thing in the virtual world with its effects spilling over into the physical realm. It is truly amazing to see how people connect with new friends, colleagues, mentors, and business through social media.

I will be opening a new business in a few months where we will push the limits of nurturing the ability for strangers to connect in a new physical and social media environment. To build a new "Tribe". My dream would be to once again profoundly affect people by providing places throughout the country where anyone including isolated or disconnected people, can easily meet others and develop new relationships.

I sold the coffeehouse business 10 years ago.... and shortly after that, it closed. To this day, eventhough I live thousands of miles away, I stumble on conversations online and off where people talk about what a profound affect my businesses had on their life and who they connected with and how there is an emptiness now that it is gone.

This has fueled my passion to start UNION!

Re: The Secret Fight Club

lindabateman — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:59:17 -0000

Read the post. Read all the comments up to this one...

One things reads very true: Social Media so called "experts" have forgotten the point behind creating a social network, which is the people factor. Whoever it was that said the secret is knowing WHY we create our networks (to help people) had it all right.

I have read a thousand blogs about how we can monetize social media, but sadly, very few like this one that points out, in its not so subtle way, that social networking is our tool to bring some sort of change to the world. We can, through the power of technology, touch someone on the other side of the world and change their perspective as they change ours. We can use our knowledge to bring resolution to problems that can change the lives of others.

Or we can use it to try and sell 2 for 1 nights at the nearest Holiday Inn and a free sample of Viagra.

Your choice. I am opting for life changing.

Re: The Secret Fight Club

David Murray — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:25:27 -0000

I think I am part of a Secret Fight Club. Its called South East Michigan, or the Detroit Metro Area. There are many of us here working incredibly hard under the false pretense that we are only a blue color/automotive region. Connecting and discovering the innovators, entrepreneurs and the visionaries, we are rebuilding the area. !st rule, we do talk about. 2nd rule, we talk about it even more, because we are tired of just hanging out in basements.

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Brent — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:13:17 -0000

Great post!

I am new to twitter... well I guess we all are so I found this really insightful.

Re: The Secret Fight Club

zaneology — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:57:05 -0000

All hail to SFC..and KFC while we praising acronyms for that matter….Now I'm hungry.

Ahhh yes… the SXSW Adventure I affectionately call “Twitter Trust. ” From the moment @MackCollier suggested I attend SXSW (I was a Twitter Newbie at 3 Months Gestation), I saw firsthand what a difference a TWEET can make…AND how awesome this community is. After sending out a “SXSW 4 Pt. Wish List” on Twitter, @katebuckjr immediately offered to not only host me, but to also “hang out with me” (wish item 3 & 4) and @StevenRay offered to drive me (wish item 2) – I had not met either of them “IRL” - we just followed each other on Twitter…and when @StevenRay got stuck on a project delaying his departure 24 hours, I “tweet inquired” if there might be anyone else looking to rideshare to Austin earlier. A Direct Message arrived in minutes from @TexasZman recommending I connect with @CouchSurfingOri who immediately punched my home address into his GPS and picked me up on his way through Dallas….no questions asked (like…ummm How many bags DO you have?)

And…to make this story even more Twitter Sweet, when my ride home fell through, also because of work commitments, a simple tweet of “HELP! I need a ride home to Dallas” was sent and RT’d around the Twitterverse. In less than 3 hours, @Elysa casually replies, “I can give you a ride to Dallas.” Cool thing here was - Not only had we never met in real life, we had also never tweeted before – she had just started to follow me the week prior to SXSW because one of her Twitter Friends had mentioned my Wish List to her.

Honorable mention goes to @orchid8. I crashed at her house one night when I got separated from my crew and our only previous interaction was a Twitter introduction by @aronado suggesting we meet up at SXSW…I not only met her as hoped, but her awesome red sofa too. Then we have the @100interviews at SXSW crew - @doverbey, @morganb, @andykaufman & @sukjhit - when they asked me to be one of their 100-interviews, I asked them if they needed any help with their very aggressive project and... they let me help. How awesome is that? And...OH, how I loved the Bloggers Lounge...

So, how is it that we have all never met before “in real life” but we treat each other “as if” - then when we do meet IRL, it’s like we already know each other and nothing feels odd or uncomfortable? Because the Twitter world is different. I am enamored by this “I’m here…and you’re there..and we’re in the Social NOW community...it's comforting. Twitter is comforting...I can read your tweets, click on your links, look at pictures of your cat and “know you” and we may never even meet or talk in person…but when we do, it’s like running into an old friend. If there is anyone that does not feel that that Twitter is a community, I encourage them to just scroll through all the smiling/non smiling/now green avatars in their stream and take note of all the faces & names they “recognize.” I bet if quizzed, they would be “more familiar” and know MORE about those folks in their Twitter Stream then their neighbor who lives down the street. Goosebumps!

We grow up, someone tells us to be independent, we don't really need others....but we do, we really do. Power to the SFC!

Thanks for the great post my friend, Chris Brogan and for reminding me of that fun story.

Note to any OCD readers of this comment: Wish Item 1 was: Husband to smile and say "YES, Zane, take off and Go!" The acquisition of 2 – 4 made 1 a sure thing.

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Duff McDuffee — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 04:31:11 -0000

I think social media as you describe it is more of a #secretloveclub as it lacks the nihilistic, violent cult leader with multiple personality disorder, and has a lot more community and free sharing of ideas. In fact, this kind of connecting through social media might even address some of the meaninglessness and alienation that "Jack" experiences (which drive his obsession with joining self-help groups under false pretense) by providing real, meaningful connection beyond vapid consumerism, and a true sense of community based on values and free sharing of information.

Love is great. Keep on spreading it. #secretloveclubwhichisnotsosecretanymore

Re: The Secret Fight Club

danielendy — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:49:26 -0000

Chris:

I love that movie too. It was the movie that made me into a huge Ed Norton fan. He's so good.

Social Media has changed the paradigm of the web. The first wave was just linked info. The second wave was utility like finding a store or buying a product. The third was rating and commenting. The fourth wave is allowing everyone to connect and create community. Each has exponentially greater value.

I saw it coming and that's why I started my first company doing web work in 1995. When LinkedIn came out I hoped it would become what it is. I am a born connector and I love to help and share.

Twitter is the start of the fifth wave - Realtime public conversations and news.

The revenue model is still not clear for social media consultants (our black eyes and missing teeth) but the value IS clear.

I see you as the Brad Pitt of the SMFC. Who is your alter-ego then?

@DanielEndy
http://Twitter.com/DanielEndy
www.Acognita.com

Re: The Secret Fight Club

MattWilsontv — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:42:29 -0000

So, i just RT'd that thing from shaq even though it was really old--it got me thinking--is anyone making false RTs? Someone saying: RT @chrisBrogan i'm a big dummy and false quoting other people.

Kinda scary (and childish)

Of course--you are only as successful as your critics think you aren't. So if people are misquoting you--awesome--you're important.

Re: The Secret Fight Club

UPrinting — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:23:56 -0000

I don't really use Twitter. I like the idea of a "secret fight club." But I don't want my cause to be limited just on the internet. I prefer personal interaction, just like what Shaq suggests.

Re: The Secret Fight Club

startabuzz — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:14:18 -0000

OK, OK! I'll be sure not to tell ANYONE. ;) Question, though. When does "Secret Fight Club" become "Secret Project Mayhem"?

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Marisa Duma — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:06:19 -0000

Quotations from "Fight Club", 1999
Novel by Chuck Palahniuk
Screenplay by Jim Uhls
Directed by David Fincher

When you have insomnia, you're never really asleep, and you're never really awake.

The things you own end up owning you. It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything.

Fuck Martha Stewart. Martha's polishing the brass on the Titanic; it's all going down, man.

I say never be complete. I say stop being perfect. I say let's evolve. Let the chips fall where they may.

How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?

Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need.

We're the middle children of history... no purpose or place. We have no Great War, no Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives.

You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.

No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide.

Re: The Secret Fight Club

T.Marie Hilton — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:35:27 -0000

Posts like this (along with the fact that I find your tweets entertaining and that we both originally hail from Maine) are the reason I enjoy following you so much Mr. Brogan.

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Deirdre — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:39:50 -0000

Thanks! I gave my colleague three different publishing options and she walked away with one at the top of her list. She couldn't wait to get off the phone to pursue this new direction and her writing goals :)

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Chris Brogan — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:29:17 -0000

Passing out oranges. I love this.

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Chris Brogan — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:27:22 -0000

Small planet, Elysa. Truly. : )

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Chris Brogan — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:22:53 -0000

We'll connect at some point. You have a few dozen years left to meet me. : )

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Chris Brogan — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:22:20 -0000

Not even CLOSE to my intent. Social Media Club is about educating people on using Social Media. That's swell and all, and it's a great organization. But what I'm getting at here is something far more human-empowering. Steve Wright didn't ask me jack about social media. He gave me a ride on his cool tram. Ron Harris and I shared a cab. Brian Simpson gives away bacon to bloggers and twitterers.

It's the human part I'm interested in, in this case.

With love for my clone. : )

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Chris Brogan — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:20:26 -0000

And that's only the beginning. : )

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Chris Brogan — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:16:37 -0000

Hope the call goes well. : )

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Chris Brogan — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:16:09 -0000

Of course you're right. But know what draws us in? Secrets. : )

Re: The Secret Fight Club

digiphile — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:02:36 -0000

First rule of #SecretFightClub: No one talks about Secret Fight Club.

Chris! eTyler Durden is gonna be so annoyed. I suggest you change your soaps and don't eat soup for months.

Seriously -- great post. And of course, now many people WILL be talking about SFC, though perhaps even more will simply keep on spreading that good will.

"Buying free plates of bacon at the bar" isn't a bad metaphor at all -- can't forget that from the #140Conf -- but passing out oranges to the homeless catches something closer to my heart. A member of my family always carried oranges in Philly and Baltimore growing up, where there are major homeless populations, most of whom have major Vitamin C deficiencies.

Instead of giving them money, he passed out oranges. A few homeless people became upset, since they wanted $ for whatever other cause, but most were incredibly grateful.

You pass out oranges all the time, like when you take pictures of others, feature them on your blog, retweet great insights or services, talk about favorite writers or services during conferences. Some cynics might say that's name dropping or crass brand mentions, like the unfortunate choice of Magic Johnson to mention KFC five times during MJ's memorial.

I don't buy into that.

In the social media world, regardless of what digital outpost you're on, sharing information and being helpful is the best and most important form of digital currency we have to share.

Instead of beating each other up to escape the banality of corporatized modern life, in order to FEEL something, we are all collaborating on building a global network of digitized human experience, caught on video, pictures or memorialized in 140 characters or more.

That's the kind of Secret Fight Club I'm proud to belong to and recruit others to join. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. Let's go give away some oranges.

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Kelly — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:59:45 -0000

Thanks. Yes, definitely empowering... and as delightful for the giver as the receiver. How's that for win-win!

Re: The Secret Fight Club

@katebuckjr — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:24:58 -0000

Great post, Chris. A few of us were just discussing this on Twitter a couple of days ago. Someone tweeted they were looking for a ride, to which someone replied, "you're not supposed to take rides with strangers" and I replied, "on Twitter, there are no strangers".

I guess in a sense there are strangers on Twitter (spam & bots I don't get that warm and fuzzy feeling about), but in most cases, I feel as if I know everyone in my "Twitter club" because I share in their lives each and every day.

As a matter of fact, it was I that opened my doors to @zaneology for SXSW having never met her before. And it was the kindess of @elysa and @couchsurfingori who reached out and gave her a ride.

None of us had ever met, but yet we knew each other quite well. As a matter of fact, when the 3 of us first met up, we found we had little "catching up" to do. It was as if we were long lost college roomies!

Re: The Secret Fight Club

elysa — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:07:46 -0000

love the post and soo funny that you mentioned Zane - I was just telling Ryan Plesko today how Zane & I met. I was the one who answered the tweet and drove her home from SXSW!! And we've been friends since.

Re: The Secret Fight Club

Lee Odden — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:29:15 -0000

Hey Chris, great angle, not a new idea exactly. Heard of "Social Media Club" anyone?