@JoelECarlson – Hello everyone and welcome to the Twitterview of @rickmahn. Lets make like some Grade-A Bacon and get cooking!
@rickmahn – Hello Joel, hi everybody!
Q – #1 So @rickmahn, tell us, where did you grow up and what were some of the life steps that you took to get where you’re at today?
A: Gosh, that goes back a ways. :) I grew up in both urban and rural areas. Originally from New Hope here in the city.
Around age 10, my family moved to western WI – Spring Valley, WI to be exact. Had fun there through high school.
It was in HS there that I found my passion for technology using old Radio Shack/Tandy TRS-80s !
Getting started with those early computers in the early 80s set my trajectory into IT, the web, and social media
Q – #2 So you have a good foundation in tech. So how did you get involved with Social Media Breakfast and bring it to MN?
A; Well, I’d been connecting with folks around the country online since about 2000, and started blogging in 2004.
After a couple more years and jumping on Twitter in early 2007 I started thinking it’d be nice to meet these folks IRL!
One of the many folks I connected with in 2006 was @BryanPerson (hi Bryan!) and saw his efforts in Boston in 2007
In August of that year, he did something interesting and invited a lot of the Boston crowd to breakfast. #
Q – #3 What kind of support/attendance did you start off with, and how large has the @smbmsp network grown to now?
A: The first @smbmsp had just 18 people in attendance at Key’s Cafe in DT Minneapolis
Since then, we’ve grown to just under 2,200 members of #SMBMSP today.
The growth is amazing, and the challenges/responsibilities that go with that have taught me a lot.
Q – #4 WOW! The variety of topics keeps things fresh. In addition to your @smbmsp work, what else are you involved with?
A: Thanks, we take topic suggestions from the community.
I provide social media strategy & implementation services as an independent freelancer. Both small & large orgs.
Along with that is the task of managing communities, web support, and writing when time permits.
The @smbmsp work has really started to consume the most time, however, with lots of requests and mentoring.
Q – #5 …and sleep too right? :) Who are some (5-15) people that you get real benefit from following on Twitter?
A: Yeah, sleep is in there somewhere. ;) Hmm, I don’t know that I can narrow it down to a few individuals… there’s 100s
I’ve tried to highlight the really influential tweeps in #FF posts on my blog. Used to be a lot of A
Ok, sorry for the delay… where was I?@
Q – #6 Okay, new question. As someone involved heavily in tech/web/sm, what do you see happening in the next year or two?
A: Yeah, the SM/Tech set is pretty static at the moment. I’d have to say, like many, that mobile is really next.
If you look at geolocation like Gowalla and Foursquare, mobile is the key to those services.
Having that connectivity with us every moment opens up many, many opportunities for new business.
I guess I also see a larger opportunity for companies to start leveraging new mobile tech. The iPad is one example.
Q – #7 Yes it does! Now for the FAVS questions: Favorite – restaurant(s), store(s), tech gadget and summer activity.
A: My Faves: I’d say for food it’s the Calddagh in MG, Vino in the Valley in WI, and The Hotel in Turtle Lake, WI
Guess I’m a closet foodie! I always like a good tech store like MicroCenter, but I kinda miss CompUSA a bit.
My Nexus One Android (#froyo) phone is the greatest gadget, and my fam likes boating & camping in the summer.
Q – #8 Ah, an #android user. If you could invite any 1 person (dead/alive) for dinner, who would you ask and why?
A: Oh, that’s a tough one! I’ll go for alive this time – Anthony Bourdain to talk about food, and culture.
Q – #9 You are a foodie! :) Nice choice. Any goals (personal/biz) that you have for yourself for the next year or two?
A: Good question! I plan to continue exploring social media, and supporting the #smbmsp community in new ways.
There’s a lot of things that coincide with that since we have a GREAT SM community here in MSP. Looking forward to it.
Q – #10 Great! Final question – what thought or mantra would you like to share with everyone today?
A: I’d say that merging online/offline communities is something to keep in mind as we go about our day. Thanks Joel!
@JoelECarlson – Thanks very much @rickmahn! I appreciate you taking time to share some of your thoughts and life today. Enjoy your afternoon!
@rickmahn – Thanks Joel, have a great day!
when summer comes, our summer activity ranges from kayaking to mountain climbing and also hiking too ;;,