Let's see how many social media metaphors I can cram into one post, shall we? :)

Jeremiah Owyang has a piece today about trust. I don't know if you've felt this lately, but I certainly have: we're head over heels for trust in the sector these days. I wrote a bit about it back in November. Katya Andresen and Mark Rovner think it's one of the seven things everyone wants. Search for "trust" on Beth's Blog and you'll come up with myriad posts. Search for trust on the NTEN website and you'll get dozens of job listings where "building trust" is in the job description.

But back to Jeremiah's post. Want to guess what the number one source of trusted information is for most Americans? People like them -- their friends, colleagues and peers.

What does this mean for nonprofits?

1. Expertise is irrelevant (sort of). It does not matter if you're an expert: people would rather hear about rainforest deforestation from their neighbor. So, be an expert, but know that you can't deliver your message from on high.

2. EVERYONE is an influencer. In traditional campaign planning, influencers are those folks that are highly regarded in their circles. When they talk, the masses listen. Those people still exist to some extent, but more and more EVERYONE is an influencer. We all have communications channels that allow us to share opinions and information. Take your expertise and put it in the hands of your stakeholders so they can do the influencing for you. That's the long tail of trust.

3. Trust is harder to build, so remember it's a two-way street. People trust institutions less and less. When you do get someone to trust you, trust them back. You can't expect someone to trust you with their donation if you can't trust them to comment on your blog.