Monday night BT rocked the facebook party at SXSW. Christopher and I showed up at Pangea just around 10 PM. He had RSVP’d, I had not. After a little smooth-talking visual-trickery we got through the Secret Service-like security. Once we got in, we were treated to the best party yet at SXSWi. Wide open bar, amazing setting, great facebook video messaging on monitors throughout. After a few cocktails we watched Chester French, then BT (Brian Transeau) tore the roof off the sucka. Word around the campfire is that they paid BT the paltry sum of $10,000 for his performance - a bargain!

facebook gets it. They are so far ahead of the curve in their space. This event was packed with more thought leadership than I’ve seen in one place. Scoble, Jeremiah Owyang, Kyle Monson, and a ton more. Great music, internet celebrities - what’s not to love?

As we head into the new, very exciting year of 2008, we need to remember and share with our community the “who” and “what” we at MediaTrust believe in and stand for. Our beliefs, philosophy, values are what drives us internally and radiates out through our business partnerships and our community.

What’s in a name?

The name MediaTrust implies an apparent contradiction in terms. The words “Media” and “Trust” are not often paired together because the media industry is not known for trustworthiness and integrity.

We have chosen this name because we are going to change that. Our ancestry is from days past, where handshakes and a man’s word meant something. Our mission is to weave trust and media together into a something that meets the requirements inherent in this new era of Online media.

What is Trust?

trust |trəst| |tr ə st| |tr ʌ st|

noun

1 firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something : relations have to be built on trust | they have been able to win the trust of the others.

• acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation : I used only primary sources, taking nothing on trust.

• the state of being responsible for someone or something : a man in a position of trust.

• poetic/literary a person or duty for which one has responsibility : ruler ship is a trust from God.

• poetic/literary a hope or expectation : all the great trusts of womanhood.

The Tenants of Trust in the New Media Landscape

Customers are partners, and strong business relationships are built by earning a partner’s trust.

Business relationships last for years, not days.

Information transparency is not optional. Every customer deserves full disclosure at all times.

A media firm’s obligation to perform: To deliver what they say, when they say it with no hidden costs.

Relationships are founded on handshakes and aligned activity toward a profitable end.

Trust isn’t granted, it’s earned over time by being truthful to your word.

Building Trust in Today’s Landscape

Times have changed, but fundamental business values have not. Used to be, you could trust a man or woman for their word and the look in their eye when you shook hands. Just because there is less personal contact today, it does not men that traditional values can be disposed of.

In this rapidly changing world, virtual relationships do not mean you can ‘get away’ with more or obfuscate the truth. Trust still must be earned, even if there is no physical handshake. Relationships are still built one at a time and are not something that technology will ever replace.

Relationships will always require trust and meaningful dialog between to mutually benefiting parties. Business partnerships are built with care and attention through intelligent dialog and genuine interest from both parties.

Building Trust is a constant, ever-changing process that does not have an end. To grow trust between two parties, you must work together, plan, test, and repeat. Trust requires learning from one another and sharing knowledge to mutual benefit. Trust means delivering what’s been promised and more. Trust means being true to yourself and true to your word.

Our Beliefs

Our belief is that there is a real and logical meeting place where thinking and feeling, intuition and integrity, and intelligence and inspiration come together to profitable outcomes.

MediaTrust holds true that business should be a platform for human ingenuity and innovation, for in this, business serves the human condition best.

Change is constant. By understanding that continual shift requires continual measurement and adjustment, we can arrive at the goal of delivering relevance and genuine human interest.

Our business is a quest of investigation, exploration and discovery…a quest anchored to a consciousness of the role we play as a partner to those who trust us to take them where they want to go.

MediaTrust is a place where ideas are heard, issues discussed, and needs met. Our offices are an environment of collaboration, a place of open communication, intelligent deduction, and creative solutions.

We are new world craftsmen who take the time to understand who you are and what you want to build. Each project is treated as a unique and dynamic labor. We weave a custom solution from our trust of resources, technology, and human ingenuity.

MediaTrust believes that dialog drives change, innovation, and continuous improvement. This dialog between all of us makes everything we do and everything we are, better.

Our concerns are driven by mutual interest, shared values, real and lasting relationships, and our obligation and passion for innovation.

We are clear as to purpose and outcome, strategy, tactics and all that goes in-between.

Trust is our guiding light and it is easy to navigate by. It is either there or it is not. With us, it will always be.

I just finished reading Steve Rubel’s opinion on the concept of Digital Curator. What struck me as interesting is his comment that “curators are not editors.” I would disagree with that whole heartedly. While his premise that “the notion of an editor inherently implies that space is finite. Online it’s not” does make some sense, the role of being a curator is that the audience is expecting you to edit based on perspective. Again, this points to our belief at MediaTrust that relevance is the first and foremost point of reference to our audience. It is our responsibility to edit the amazing volume of information that is available to us and only present what is of value to the community that we are establishing and guiding.

While I couldn’t find the actual publishing date, sometime in the pre-fall of 2006, frog design’s Strategy Director Adam Richardson wrote a very forward thinking article titled “From the Information Age to the Recommendation Age” He sites many of the drivers that have created this role of “digital curator”, but positioned as a trusted advisor. “The key to recommendations are their trustworthiness - the track record and perceived objectivity and competence of the source is paramount.”

In my role as a creative director I am continually asked for my insights, opinions, and recommendations because I can edit a large variety of influencers and trends, and establish a curated view of these items to my staff, my company and my clients. It is this ability to present a collection of information that is relevant and useful that makes me a “digital curator”, as well as the trust that I have built over time with my audience and the usefulness and value of the information I present to them.

Steve Rosenbaum over at Always On seems to agree, and makes a very interesting observation about the changing role of the curator - no longer neccessarily an institutional voice, but an individual one. As he writes its “the passionate individual voice. The single editor-in-chief. The hands on editorial manager who’s taken it on as his or her mission to discovery, sort, and promote the best of the best content within an individual curator’s area of interest.”

As always, we would value your opinion and comments on this and any topics we discuss here on Relevantly Speaking.

Just as in a conversation it’s a good idea to listen more than you talk, it is also wise in relationships to think about the well-being of others more than you think about your own wishes and desires. When you constantly strive to treat others in the same way you would like them to treat you, you become a person whom others like to be around, one who commands their respect, confidence, and loyalty. When you learn to manage emotions and your ego, and when you learn to always consider the needs and desires of others, it is inevitable that you will “bait your hook” with kindness and consideration, and catch more friends than you can count.

This positive message is brought to you by the Napoleon Hill Foundation.

CONGRATULATIONS Will Chen for being voted the first “MediaTrust Family Member of the Year 2007”.

Each year one of our members is acknowledged and honored by fellow peers in our MediaTrust community. This award goes to Will Chen for setting an example to all for living our core MT beliefs. Will, you have made great contributions in many ways this past year. You have set an example to all in team work, work ethics, coaching, collaboration and pro activity. Your contributions from the innovative world class technology perspective are going to have a major impact in 2008. We are set to turn heads and disrupt the entire affiliate marketing industry GLOBALLY! You truly embody the MT spirit of “all for one and one for all”. Your contributions impact both our company and individual abilities to achieve our goals and successes. Thank you for you insight, ethics, dedication, passion and inspiration. You are a mentor to us all.

Your Family Members,

MediaTrust

This is a simple yet very powerful human capital principal that is based on the principle of being able to “conceive & manifest”. A good practice for individuals and teams in a company of any size:

“In physics, positives attract negatives and vice versa, but in human relationships the opposite is true. Negative people attract only other negative people, while positive thinkers attract like-minded individuals. You will find that when you begin to achieve success more successes will follow. This is the law of harmonious attraction. When riches begin to come your way, you’ll be amazed how quickly they accumulate. Train your mind to visualize yourself acquiring a specific amount of wealth or achieving a certain goal-whatever you most desire. Then use self-suggestion to persuade your subconscious mind that you can achieve your goal, and put your plan into action. When you use the tools that you have at your disposal to prepare yourself for success and visualize yourself as having already reached your objective, you can achieve any reasonable goal that you set for yourself.”

This positive message is brought to you by the Napoleon Hill Foundation.

We are starting a new section of RelevantlySpeaking that is dedicated to leadership, management and corporate culture. Innovation and leading technology is an empty shell unless it is filled with the passion, inspiration, intelligence, strategy and culture of the human spirit that created it. Many of our great industry publications and blogs only cover one side of the equation: technology, data, and techniques. We will be adding the other side of success: “the human touch,” and some good old elbow grease. We hope you find this column to be the human yin to the yang of technology!

This one is a bit self explanatory. It not only relates to our companies internal relationships, but also our external relationships with clients and partnerships.

“Discord in any relationship often has unpleasant financial implications, but it is far costlier in human terms. When you are involved in a fractious relationship, physical and mental energy that could be directed toward positive achievements is dissipated needlessly, squandered upon stressful, unproductive activities.

Unfortunately, whatever the cause of friction between individuals, it adversely affects each person involved. When you find yourself in a contentious relationship, there are few acceptable alternatives. You can work out your problems or leave the team. Only you know which is the best solution for you, but if you objectively evaluate your reasons for becoming involved and find that they are still valid, your best course of action may be to swallow your pride and find a solution that is acceptable to everyone involved. If you cannot do this, perhaps it’s time to get out of the partnership and find another course toward your objective.”

This positive message is brought to you by the Napoleon Hill Foundation.