Getting ready for SXSW

Aaraon Strout is putting together  45 Interviews in 45 Days as a lead  up to South By Southwest. here are my answers to his interview questions:

• In one sentence, please describe what you do and why you’re good at it.

I measure communications-- specifically I measure all forms of professional communications, internal, external, investor, community, events, you name it. What makes me good at it is that I love the math and the analysis but as a former reporter and professional communicator I also understand what the data means and what you need to do with it and about it. 

• How did you get into the world of online community, social media or social marketing?

I was assigned to write a paper on "how to measure blogs" by the Institute for PR's measurement commission. In order to measure something, you need to know how it works, so I started a blog. Then Shel Israel told me to get onto Twitter, and we got Facebook as a client and the rest, as they say,  is history. And, since I measure our own communications, I can honestly say its been great for business. 

• If you had $10 million to invest in one company and one company only based on their use of “social,” which company would it be and why?

If there were such a thing, I'd say Obama, Inc. His campaign did social better than anything else in history. But if it had to be a real company it would be Comcast, I think any public utility that can make me love them by fixing my broken TV at 10 pm on a Friday night is doing things right.

• Which business leader, politician or public figure do you most respect?

Michell Obama

• Would you join a toothpaste community? Why? [for background on this question, see the "Would you Join a Toothpaste Community"]

No, I'd rather spend time with real people, or my Twitter community, rather than develop a whole new one.

• Freeform – here’s where you can riff on anyone or anything – good or bad. Or just share a pearl of wisdom.

I think social media can really change the world. We saw a little bit of its power with the Obama campaign, we should see lots more of it as social media brings sunshine and transparency to government.