Alexander B. Howard works for O’Reilly Media as the Government 2.0 Washington, D.C. Correspondent. His professional background includes a stint as the associate editor of SearchCompliance.com at TechTarget, where his writing centered on the impact of regulations on IT operations, covering topics like data protection, privacy, security, and enterprise IT strategies. Prior to that, he held the position of associate editor at WhatIs.com, an online resource for IT professionals, where he delved into and wrote about a wide range of enterprise IT subjects. Alexander’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in biology and sociology from Colby College, which he received in 1998. In his free time, he enjoys staying active with his greyhound, reading, microblogging, fishing, cycling, gardening, cooking, and hiking. For more information, visit his blog or connect with him on Twitter: @digiphile. What role does social media play in your job (or career, if you prefer!)? What role does it play in your personal life? Social media, or as it’s sometimes called in the business world, collaborative technology, is a significant part of both my professional and personal life. As an IT journalist, I utilize social media for a variety of purposes, including finding sources, providing real-time event coverage, assessing public opinion, disseminating content, keeping up with news, and verifying information. In my personal time, social media allows me to stay connected with friends, family, and former colleagues and classmates, discover local happenings, and get updates on events or government services. I see the various platforms as valuable tools for expanding my knowledge. How did you get on so many Twitter lists? I believe it’s a natural outcome of building a certain level of influence, especially in the technology realm. It’s been an organic progression, aided in part by early inclusion on influential individuals’ Twitter lists. Any tips for getting followers, gaining authority, and generally being interesting on Twitter? My advice is to steer clear of services promising increased followers, as Twitter keeps an eye on such activities and might suspend or penalize accounts associated with them in the future. A more effective way to attract followers interested in your niche is to follow relevant #hashtags and lists, engaging with those users by replying to their tweets and retweeting content that aligns with your target audience’s interests. Establishing authority in real-time search involves both qualitative and quantitative aspects. Google’s ranking algorithm for Tweets might differ from how an influential writer, politician, or tech leader decides to cite or share your work. It’s important to remember that your online presence beyond Twitter plays a crucial role in attracting followers. Ensure your bio is complete, use your real name for searchability, and link to an informative website or landing page. Integrating your Twitter account with your email, blog, website, and other social media profiles is also beneficial. Being engaging on Twitter shares similarities with other media; you simply have a limited character count. This constraint encourages concise and witty communication. Sharing images or relevant and trending stories can be effective. Most people don’t have inherently captivating lives, so choose your moments wisely. Refrain from mundane updates unless it’s something unique, like a dispatch from abroad or a meal at an exceptional restaurant (and don’t forget the picture!). As with any online community, take the time to observe the established norms and conventions before actively participating. Who or what are your top resources for social media and online marketing information? I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge, both through their writing and by observing their work, from individuals like Chris Brogan, Paul Gillin, Andy Carvin, Mark Glaser, Laura Fitton, Clay Shirky, Mathew Ingram, Howard Rheingold, Amber Naslund, Peggy Rouse, and countless others. Andy McAfee has been a particularly insightful source on the topic of collaborative media within large organizations. I also regularly visit websites such as ReadWriteWeb, Mashable, TechCrunch, Hubspot, PBS’s Mediashift, and others. How has Twitter changed journalism? Twitter has significantly accelerated the already fast-paced world of online news. There are numerous reasons why journalists are excited about social media. Breaking news now emerges on Twitter first, rapidly spreading globally. A new form of collaborative reporting has emerged where journalists contribute to a developing story, verifying facts and publishing updates on their blogs or through new articles, which are then further disseminated. Some refer to this as “ambient journalism.” With celebrities, politicians, and professionals from various fields now active on the platform, sourcing information has also been transformed. Editors can utilize geotagged tweets from breaking news events like the Haiti earthquake to gain insights, identify potential leads, and compile lists of verified sources. News gathering is increasingly becoming an iterative process; journalists might pick up on a story, write about it, tweet it, and then receive additional context, sources, information, and reactions from their audience. Leah Betancourt has written an excellent piece on the relationship between journalism and Twitter. ReadWriteWeb is another example of a publication that has been effectively leveraging Twitter for years. And marketing? Twitter has brought about numerous changes in the marketing landscape. Discussions about social media marketing were relatively uncommon just three years ago. Now, major brands like Pepsi are redirecting a portion of their traditional broadcast media budgets towards social media. Marketers now have the ability to identify and connect with individuals who have already shown interest in a product or service and engage with them directly. Successful marketers have mastered the art of conversing with customers, rather than simply broadcasting messages at them. They utilize Twitter for various purposes, including sentiment analysis, gathering product feedback, raising brand awareness, and making direct announcements about products. Effective marketing also entails ensuring that individuals seeking information about products or services can readily find it, regardless of their preferred platform. This includes Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and, of course, Twitter. What’s the future of Twitter? If I possessed such foresight, I’d be pitching my insights to The New York Times. In all seriousness, it’s challenging to predict. Will it go public? Get acquired by a tech giant like Google? Or perhaps decline in popularity and become a niche platform like Friendster? While I consider the latter scenario unlikely, it’s plausible that Twitter will continue its international expansion and further integrate with other services. Will it find a profitable business model in 2010? Yes, the search agreements Twitter has established with Google and Microsoft will undoubtedly contribute to its profitability. Additionally, providing enhanced services for business accounts presents another revenue stream. Google’s path to profitability stemmed from its superior search engine coupled with advertising revenue generated from search results. Can it survive? As of 2010, I believe its survival is highly probable. David Carr, a former skeptic, recently expressed similar sentiments in The New York Times, stating that Twitter will endure. He quoted Steven Johnson, who wrote a seminal piece about Twitter for Time magazine last June: “Twitter is looking more and more like plumbing, and plumbing is eternal.” While only time will tell, I tend to agree with their assessment. Is Google evil? Maybe just a little? That depends on your interpretation of enlightened self-interest in the context of publicly traded companies. Google’s recent actions regarding China could potentially reverse a compromise made several years ago that many perceived as somewhat unethical. Google’s significance in advocating for global freedom and empowering citizens worldwide cannot be overstated. What’s the future of Google? Perhaps I should pitch this answer to The Wall Street Journal. Google’s future likely involves further expansion into the enterprise market, advancements in mobile advertising, and continued efforts to digitize and organize the world’s information. Google’s ventures extend far beyond its core search engine, and while it may not achieve success in every endeavor, its influence, resources, and capacity for innovation are undeniably disruptive. Will it buckle under its own growth? I highly doubt it. How can companies respond to real-time search? If they haven’t already, companies need to establish control over their brand on Twitter. For those who have, the next step is to consistently share valuable content, identify influential figures and engaged customers, clients, and employees, engage with them, and amplify their content. Monitoring brand mentions and responding constructively are also essential. How does it complicate SEO, SMO, and brand management? While the emergence of real-time search might appear to complicate matters, I believe it doesn’t make SEO, SMO, and brand management significantly more challenging than they already were. While influential individuals and businesses might have real-time search boxes for specific terms, the fleeting nature of those scrolling messages merely emphasizes the importance of attentive listening, engagement, and responsiveness. Companies like Dell and Zappos are generating revenue through real-time engagement, while others are focusing on fostering goodwill. Public service organizations and utility companies are leveraging social media for crisis monitoring and information dissemination. In such situations, real-time capabilities can be incredibly valuable. However, it’s essential to acknowledge the ways in which social media adds complexity to traditional SEO. A blog post or video that rapidly gains traction on social media platforms can attract a surge in traffic and inbound links, potentially exceeding what a conventional campaign might achieve. As Google’s Social Search experiment progresses, content optimization and sharing methods will continue to evolve. The practice of crafting one title for search engines and another for human readers is already prevalent. While not every aspect of online marketing will be revolutionized, social search will undoubtedly bring about notable changes. What’s the low-hanging fruit in social media optimization (SMO) for a business just beginning to establish a social presence? Start with the fundamentals. Utilize services like Knowem.com to secure your business name across major social media platforms. Then, shift your focus to listening and identifying where your target customers are discussing your industry or business. Create a list of influential blogs in your field and keep track of their content. Chris Brogan offers valuable advice on how to enhance your listening skills in just 10 minutes. For businesses facing time and staffing constraints, a common obstacle these days, resharing positive customer feedback is a highly effective strategy that requires minimal effort. Creating a Facebook page can also provide a dedicated space for customers to share their experiences. However, it’s crucial to be prepared to address any negative feedback promptly. How would you make a business case for social media marketing/SMO? When in doubt, highlighting success stories is usually the most effective approach. (Building a case for social media’s relevance in media and journalism tends to be more straightforward.) For a more lighthearted perspective, this presentation can be helpful: Olivier Blanchard Basics Of Social Media ROI. If business owners inquire about the benefits, I respond with questions of my own: Are you interested in making it easier for customers and clients to find you online? Do you want to expand your customer base and leverage word-of-mouth marketing? Are you interested in gaining insights into how your products or services are perceived in the marketplace? Would you like to understand where, how, and when customers are using your products or services without investing in focus groups or consultants? While these benefits might not materialize overnight, they represent attainable goals. What tools/applications do you use every day to make your job (and life) easier? Our team relies heavily on Microsoft Office for email and document creation. I personally use Xobni to enhance my Outlook experience and leverage numerous macros and templates to streamline my workflow in Word. We also collaborate using various tools such as WebEx, instant messaging, Skype, and Google Docs. For information filtering and sharing, Gmail and Google Reader serve as my central hubs. I’m a long-time user of Delicious, and for Twitter, I primarily use Tweetdeck and Seesmic on my desktop and Tweetie on my iPhone. Evernote and Etherpad are also incredibly useful tools, although I admit I could be utilizing them more effectively. I made the investment in a high-quality Logitech webcam that captures excellent images and supports live streaming through platforms like Livestream.com and uStream.com. (Although, an upgrade on my microphone is long overdue.) To stay on top of live events, I rely on Twazzup.com and Tweetgrid.com. Do you ever experience information overload? Absolutely. How do you deal with it? I make a conscious effort to disconnect periodically by going on hikes, bike rides, enjoying dinners, attending theater performances or movies, taking my dog for runs, or visiting the Smithsonian museums. These offline experiences help me refocus, particularly when I can immerse myself in a good book. In the digital realm, I strive to prioritize my daily tasks and deliverables. Recently, I’ve been using a tool called “Readability” to filter out distractions and concentrate solely on the content I want to consume online. It’s an ingenious tool, although its ad-blocking feature might cause some concern for publishers. Last question, from a fellow home chef: What’s your favorite thing to cook? Share the recipe if possible! Choosing just ONE recipe is a tough call! I’ve been really enjoying barbecuing over the past few years, experimenting with smoking pork shoulders and ribs and trying my hand at beer can chicken. I find the most satisfying dishes to be those where I’ve had a hand in sourcing the ingredients, whether it’s something I’ve grown, foraged, or caught. There’s a special connection to the origins of the food that way. I’m a big fan of crab boils and have my own versions of grilled striped bass and bluefish. If I absolutely had to pick a favorite, it might be my Mussels Bianco recipe. Start by chopping some garlic and onions and sauté them in olive oil for about two minutes in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the cleaned mussels and a handful of fresh basil or oregano, tossing them in the oil. Pour in a cup of white wine, cover the skillet, and increase the heat to high. After about 5 minutes, add some chopped tomatoes, and cover again. Check after another 3 minutes to see if the mussels have opened. Discard any that remain closed. Serve the mussels on a trivet with plenty of crusty bread for dipping in the broth, along with the remaining white wine, preferably chilled. (I’m partial to a good Sauvignon Blanc, but Pinot Grigio works well too.) For an extra flavor boost, toss in some lemongrass along with the herbs. (Read More: How to Measure Social Media ROI)