Chris Brogan and I first met when I was in Africa. We “met” through the wonderful world of blogging. I was working as a manager at a non-profit organization whose Africa headquarters were in Nairobi, Kenya. I found Chris’s blog through another long-forgotten social media authority. Chris’s blog quickly made it to the top of my daily must-read list. His easy-going manner, wide knowledge of many topics and above all, humility, drew me in. He has the ability to relate with a large number of people and make them feel like they have value. Rare indeed.
Chris found me through our mutual friend Jon Swanson. I was blogging about the quirkiness of life in the frenzied city of Nairobi. Chris enjoyed my perspectives and appreciated some of the work we went there to accomplish.
How did Chris change my life? He introduced me to the world of social media. I realized that I enjoyed that world! Management was not my cup of tea — at least when it involved directly managing 15 people, none of whom were Americans. (Cultural gaps were magnified in ways that I never expected.) So when our tour of duty was up, we returned home to Colorado — and social media became part of my job mix. Thank you Chris!
Disclosure: a small part of why I wrote this post is that I’m entering this post to try to win a free trip to #SOBCon2010 (the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers Conference in Chicago). I met Chris and Jon face-to-face at SOBCon 2009. I must say that more people than Chris changed my life as a result of the 2009 conference.
Paul, I believe you hit the nail on the head. Chris Brogan has changed a lot peoples lives. “His easy-going manner, wide knowledge of many topics and above all, humility, drew me in. He has the ability to relate with a large number of people and make them feel like they have value. Rare indeed.” Somehow he is able to engage you so that you not only feel of value, but like you are the ONLY person in the room when he is talking to you.
Good luck with the contest.
M
I’ll look Chris up in a minute. Hey, have you ever visited http://notalwaysright.com/? Very entertaining.
If you want readership, I recommend either xanga or blogger. You have a great blog.
(Like I know anything about the blogging world.)
Paul,
I’m sorry to know that we didn’t have a chance to connect at SobCon09. I was there too!
Like you, I’ve found both Chris and Jon to be very influential in my journey. They each have their unique perspectives. My two highlights for SobCon09 were short conversations I had with both of those guys. Good stuff!
Cheryl: I do hope we get to meet in Chicago at SOBCon10! Both Chris and Jon are key members in the leadership of the social media community.
Michelle: Chris does have unique abilities — and I’m glad he’s getting rewarded for his talents.
Tim: Maybe I’ll learn to go further with this blog. Keep checking back...