Chris Brogan: Marketer, do-gooder, and stand up comedian

Chris Brogan at Oakley Headquarters 

This week, I had the pleasure of hearing Chris Brogan speak at an event sponsored by my favorite networking group, LinkedOC. For those who don't know, Chris is the best-selling author of the New York Times bestseller Trust Agents and writes one of the most popular marketing blogs in the world, www.chrisbrogan.com. Now, lots of people will provide you with a solid recap of the event, so I'm not going down the path most traveled. What I will do, however, is give you with a look at the man behind the hype.

I've followed Chris on Twitter for quite awhile and I read Trust Agents last year. It's obvious that Chris gets it and is putting the onus on all of us to humanize our businesses. His presentation to the group, however, was more human than I expected. Chris is a riot.

A self proclaimed nerd with an affinity for comic books, his presentation was better than any stand-up routine I've seen in years. With references to Star Wars and the Matrix, a quote from Yoda, stories of stunt sandwiches and the value of nipples, Chris' talk was jam-packed with quotable quotes. Two of my favorites were, "Foursquare is the AOL of the future" and "I am a self-proclaimed bag whore" (as he talked about his addiction to buying travel and business cases). I had no idea this incredibly successful man was king of the one-liners. I laughed so hard I felt like I was in the audience of a Comic Relief show (a dated 80s reference, but I somehow think Chris would approve).

I tell you this story for one reason. News alert, my friends, being human is the new black. Chris is hot stuff on the speakers' circuit these days and gets paid big bucks to speak with very important people. He could very easily maintain a seemingly friendly relationship with all us social media types who worship the ground he walks on, but keep up a wall that separates him from the little people. Not only is that wall non-existent, Chris seems to go out of his way to make people feel special.

I watched him before the event started as he graciously took business cards from every person who thrust them upon him. I saw him take people's words of thanks and turn them back around to thank them for coming out. I looked on as he wrote lengthy notes in people's books, not just scribbling his name and a word or two as many authors do. And, I marveled as he remembered the people he met and called on them by name in the Q&A session. Color me impressed.

The people who really understand the power of social media, know that it's all about the relationships you form. Helping one another succeed, supporting each other, and forming a community. From this point forward, I'm inclined to think of Chris as the Papa Smurf of Twitter. Encouraging all of us to do good, help one another, and make the world a better place.

So get your human, on. It's the latest rage and it's here to stay. And, boy, do we all look good in it.