He is not the most gifted presenter in the world.

As my colleague Rand explains “he is an average presenter because his mind is racing too far ahead of his ability to verbalise”

But if you needed to know only 4 people in the world to help you better understand how to build a social brand, and build influence amongst your marketplace…then Robert Scoble WOULD be on that list!

This intriguing presentation brought to my attention by Randal on his blog is from Robert Scoble at Stanford late last month, and it touches on subjects that is very dear to our hearts; influence and doubling pennies!

Scoble talks about the birth of ICQ and the growth of YouTube and Facebook, and how a ‘business case’ and ‘commercial returns’ mean little alongside ‘doubling pennies”

And what is doubling pennies?…effectively, it is the viral effect of the right people saying the right things about something that is…right.

Fundamentally, it is about having a story – and then knowing only 4 people who can help you tell that story…then watch your pennies double and the story spreads, and interest increases to a point where monetisation is easy.

How many people are you following on twitter?

How many people are you connected to on Facebook, LinkedIn and other networks?

Are you starting to seek out intimacy and ‘curators’ on the subjects you are interested in?

We are, and we are finding that we are helping more and more businesses aim for the same goals.  Locate and connect with the right people in the right places…and then make decisions based on their ‘insight and stream (curation)’

Stop listening to the noise of people who may not know what they are talking about!

So, if you could only follow 4 people on twitter…who would they be?