Some of you may remember me talking about Jay Baer (Twitter’s @JayBaer and blogging at Convince and Convert), before. Jay is a master of social media not only because he puts so much hard work and strategy into what he’s doing, but I personally think a huge amount of his success is attributed to being real. Talking to real people through social media and making honest connections. Like I said I’m a fan girl. I’ve gotten his books, emails, podcasts, tweets and more for years.
I met Jay in St. Louis a couple of years ago (total aside – I am still surprised by older pictures of myself…. love how much healthier I am now) and his sheer awesomeness led me to see him speak a couple of times within 24 hours…. And yes, this fan girl got her photo snapped with him. He’s an awesome guy and has written a couple of great books on communications, real people and social media. I put social media last because Jay does a great job of reminding you that while media can be a business, the social in this means you need to approach it a bit differently.
Finding Jay Baer Online & Off
If you are thinking Jay sounds like the kind of person you’d be interested in hearing from, you should find him online and off. No, I don’t mean stalk him, I mean buy his books. 😉
- Convince & Convert Blog
- Jay Baer on Twitter
- Jay Baer on Google+
- Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype — His newest book which I have been loving on my Kindle!
- The Now Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter, More Social — His previous book which I loved hardback and I discussed in my previous post about Jay
Social Pros Podcast
I recently did a Social Pros podcast with Jay about some of the things I see in my social media job. It went out the day I arrived in Japan for my big vacation which meant I was seeing tweets before I had time to listen. When I did, I was reminded how much fun it is to get to know real people. On every podcast, Jay takes time to talk to you as a real person — ask four questions he calls “Four Your Information” and that’s why it ends up here on my personal blog! I answered Jay’s four questions and would love to hear your answers! 🙂
First, here’s my take on Jay’s questions (in bold) and the abbreviated versions of my answers he put on his site (full audio is available if you want to hear me talk these through):
How did you get involved in social media?
Janice says she has always been a communicator. With family scattered across the country, she was able to take her personal passion and make it professional.
What do you like best about social media?
“I love that small groups of people, or individual voices, can be heard through social media.” Distinct from journalism where big groups dictate the conversation, social media lets the little guy have a real voice as long as he’s cultivating valuable relationships.
What do you like least about social media?
Social media, Janice says, allows people to silo themselves in echo chambers. “With social media, you frequently have outlets that only represent one perspective.” Headlines can get people riled up when they haven’t even read the article. “You can prove yourself right 24 hours a day.”
If you could do a Skype call with any living person, who might that be and why?
The Dalai Lama. “He has this tranquility, and this ability to slow down and focus on whoever he’s talking to.”
Four Your Information
While I think that you would pick up some things about my view of social media through all of that, it is the question at the end that most intrigues me. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is someone I truly would love to meet whether it is in real life or online. He’s such a thinking person but that in no way interferes with his feeling. Isn’t that an awesome combo? And the way he finds tranquility despite the things swirling around… well, if you aren’t sure what I’m talking about, I encourage you to read some of his books or watch some of the talks he gives and the way he listens to others as he does it. The connections he makes are deep and real…. the kinds of connections I have been lucky enough to find.
So here are the questions, feel free to answer them in the comments section or if you are a blogger, post it t your blog and link back. I bet some of the folks who read your blog would be interested in your take!
- How did you get involved in social media?
- What do you like best about social media?
- What do you like least about social media?
- If you could do a Skype call with any living person, who might that be and why?
I’ve never spoken to anyone or been to any workshops on social media. It would be interesting.
http://joycelansky.blogspot.com
Thanks Joyce! It really is fun to trade ideas on using social media. I have been lucky enough to be involved in several things that helped me take my blogging to the next level. Mostly incremental changes at the time but the increments really add up over time!