Hello everyone! Welcome to the Twitterview of @jbsem today! He’s one of those Social Media . . . gurus. :) Lets get started!
Q – #1 So @jbsem, where did you grow up, go to school, and what was your 1st job as an adult?
Jason: I was born in Fargo but moved around MN a lot but finally stayed in st paul
My first job was on the farm in MN where I helped my grandfather milk cows
I remember one of my favorite jobs was riding the tractor and combine. Good fun
I ended up going to high school in Columbia Heights and then went to St. Cloud State for college #jectv Go Huskies!
And I just have to say I my computer crashed and my cell phone lost signal all at 2pm. What timing.
Q – #2 What did you major in at #StCloudState, and how did you end up working in the field of Social Media?
Jason: studied international relations at St. Cloud State after I went on a study abroad program at was able to live in a castle (Alnwick)
I didn’t get into sm though until about 5 years ago when I was working at Carlson Companies as a sales manager.
At Carlson I went to a lot of trade shows in a sales capacity and I found I got a lot of sales at the receptions.
I quickly learned that one2one contact with people and the ability to be human went a long way to building relationships
When social media rolled around I understood it intuitively because that was exactly what I was doing with my sales efforts
I think coming to sm from a sales perspective has helped me work with orgs to help them become more social in terms that they understand
Q – #3 What tools did you first start using and which ones do you primarily use now? What thoughts leaders have you learned from?
Jason: When first getting into social media I was using the basics in terms of interacting on the different platforms. Hootsuite was my 1st
I also used Tweetdeck and I’m still trying to decide which one I like more. There’s also umpteen other ones that cost some $$
For large companies who need enterprise solutions I usually recomd involver context optional buddy media, depending on their needs
For monitoring I’ve used Radian6 and am just getting the hang of Sysomos. I like both of them depending on the clients
The thought leaders I most closely follow are @jowyang @charleneli as they understand social from an enterprise-wide perspective
I also follow @briansolis as he has an interesting perspective on changing corp structure to allow for effective social
Q – #4 In 1-2 Tweets, what’s your take been on Google+ and it’s features?
Jason: Regarding Google+ I like it a lot. It’s incorporating aspects from Facebook & Twitter and putting its own spin on social circles
I don’t think it’s a FB or Twitter killer but it has some functionality that ppl will like and it has some privacy safegaurds
One more thing about Google+ – I believe it will have significant influence on brands and their seo efforts
Q – #5 @radian6 Thanks for follow #jectv! So @jbsem, FAVORITES – Restaurant, store, comfort food, recent blog or book and TC neighborhood
Jason: As a social guy I love #punchpizza; not only for the food but they way they’ve approached their online social presence.
I’ve also really come to like the food trucks that stop in St. Paul on the river bluff. I especially like border tacos
I live in St. Paul right now but I miss the Lynden Hills neigborhood. Especially turtle bread
I also have to send a shout out to the local ice cream place: connie cones
Q – #6 Good calls on food and Linden Hills! Do you feel the MSP is a strong force when it comes to Social Media use?
Jason: I’m really getting into how the consumer decision journey is changing in the digital age. http://t.co/u8vGVk8
Judging from the size and scope of Social Media Breakfasts #smbmsp I would say Mpls/STP is a hotbed of social media
We also have big companies here who are embracing social like #target #bestbuy #3m #generalmills that’s also driving social adoption
#bestbuy seems to be one of the national leaders in social and I think it has definitely affected how other companies view social
Q – #7 Do you see any areas or fields of business that aren’t taking advantage of the abilities that SM has to offer them?
Jason: I’ve spoken to a few med tech companies like here and they’re struggling to integrate social due to regulatory issues
For companies like #medtronic and bostonscientific it really comes down balancing regulation with being social with their communities
I also see B2B companies struggle with sm but there is a wealth of opportunity for them to engage customers via blogs, LinkedIn, etc
Q – #8 Final question, what’s one tips you’d give to students or interns wanting to get into Social Media for employment?
Joel: I would definitely recommend students understand how social is used to achieve business objectives
For companies, social media is more than getting #’s of followers or likes, its about understanding customers and then engaging them
I stongly recommend they read “Career Path of the Social Strategist”
@JoelECarlson: Thank you very much for your thoughts and time today. It’s great to get your take on Social Media. Have a great week!