Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust

Chapter 4. Archimedes Effect

Beth Kanter is a force to be reckoned with in the technology not-for-profit space. She is a passionate, energetic woman who seems to be forever in motion. One night, at a Boston-based tech gathering, Kanter mentioned her latest project to Chris: "I'm working on sending a Cambodian woman to college. Today, I raised $500 toward my goal of $1,000, and I was wondering if you could help me get the other half tomorrow." Chris said yes. It's not easy to say no to Kanter. She supports the best causes.

Chris decided to ask the community on Twitter to support the cause. He tweeted a message that read, "Spend $10 and send a woman to college," with a link to Beth's blog post, which had a simple widget that would let one send money. Subsequent messages on Twitter said, "For the price of two lattes, you can send a woman to college today." Chris asked that his followers on Twitter "re-tweet," to help spread the message, along with the link. This request turned the message viral, as other people on Twitter with different followers sent the request out into their communities.

Using these simple techniques, the additional $500 was raised on Twitter in less than two hours.

Kanter explains, "My first campaign took three weeks of blogging, e-mailing, and IM'ing people I had a connection with. After that I did two other campaigns, and because I built relationships with the donors of the first campaign, they donated again and asked their friends as well." If you construct your ...