alexgodin · May 9, 2013 18:44
diff --git a/The Modern Brain Trust Field Guide b/The Modern Brain Trust Field Guide
 The Modern Brain Trust Field Guide
 ====

 Ideas in isolation aren't half as powerful as ideas shaped by a group of intelligent peers. Giving and receiving feedback on ideas and challenges helps everyone win. We don't always know the answer or have the motivation to think bigger. *Enter the brain trust...*

 A modern brain trust is some form of mailing list or communication channel with a group of trusted peers all sharing and getting feedback on work. 

 Working on a new landing page? Post it to the trust. Testing out taglines for a campaign? Share it with the trust. Brainstorming a new idea? Share it with the trust.

 Tips for starting your trust:
 1. Make it easy to contribute.
  Get your group together where your the members already live. If they love email, use a group mailing list tool like Dispatch. If they're all Facebook crazy, start a group. Make it super easy for your "trust" to contribute.
 2. Everyone won't be crazy active
  You can't expect everyone to post or comment every day. I found with my group that about 50 percent of the strangers I emailed joined the group and about 25% of those members contributed actively.* Some members become active for a bit and then take a break, others won't be active for a while and then will pop-in.
 3. Invite a mix of close friends and strangers
  Because not everyone is going to be active from day one, you need shills to prop up the group at the beginning. Invite a few people you already know who like to talk. Be careful though, too many friends don't make for a great group. Advice from respected strangers is surprisingly motivating and helpful.
 4. Seed the behavior
  No one is going to know what to do on day one. For my group, I committed to one post per week to get it off the ground. By the 3rd week, other people felt comfortable posting. By the fourth week it was full speed ahead.
 5. Let people invite their friends
  Let your most active contributors invite their friends. They're likely to become active as well, and they're (hopefully) pretty smart.
 6. It's called a trust for a reason
  Don't invite crazy people. Everyone in the group should feel comfortable sharing their half-baked projects with everyone else. No one should feel like they have to hide.
 7. Keep it off the record
  No one wants their half done work broadcast to the world.  Make sure only the members have access to the conversation. Dispatch does this automatically. If you're using Facebook or Google Groups make sure you're careful about privacy settings.

 *Results may vary
	The Modern Brain Trust Field Guide
	====

	Ideas in isolation aren't half as powerful as ideas shaped by a group of intelligent peers. Giving and receiving feedback on ideas and challenges helps everyone win. We don't always know the answer or have the motivation to think bigger. Enter the brain trust...

	A modern brain trust is some form of mailing list or communication channel with a group of trusted peers all sharing and getting feedback on work.

	Working on a new landing page? Post it to the trust. Testing out taglines for a campaign? Share it with the trust. Brainstorming a new idea? Share it with the trust.

	Tips for starting your trust:
	1. Make it easy to contribute.
	Get your group together where your the members already live. If they love email, use a group mailing list tool like Dispatch. If they're all Facebook crazy, start a group. Make it super easy for your "trust" to contribute.
	2. Everyone won't be crazy active
	You can't expect everyone to post or comment every day. I found with my group that about 50 percent of the strangers I emailed joined the group and about 25% of those members contributed actively.* Some members become active for a bit and then take a break, others won't be active for a while and then will pop-in.
	3. Invite a mix of close friends and strangers
	Because not everyone is going to be active from day one, you need shills to prop up the group at the beginning. Invite a few people you already know who like to talk. Be careful though, too many friends don't make for a great group. Advice from respected strangers is surprisingly motivating and helpful.
	4. Seed the behavior
	No one is going to know what to do on day one. For my group, I committed to one post per week to get it off the ground. By the 3rd week, other people felt comfortable posting. By the fourth week it was full speed ahead.
	5. Let people invite their friends
	Let your most active contributors invite their friends. They're likely to become active as well, and they're (hopefully) pretty smart.
	6. It's called a trust for a reason
	Don't invite crazy people. Everyone in the group should feel comfortable sharing their half-baked projects with everyone else. No one should feel like they have to hide.
	7. Keep it off the record
	No one wants their half done work broadcast to the world. Make sure only the members have access to the conversation. Dispatch does this automatically. If you're using Facebook or Google Groups make sure you're careful about privacy settings.

	*Results may vary
No results found