Broadcasting Brain

Catch the Brainwaves is our ongoing series of interviews with a variety of folks participating in blogging and social media. I ask them ten questions and they respond with their brilliant answers and insights!

Today’s Q&A features a true social media rockstar, the author/editor of Techipedia - Tamar Weinberg!

Are you sitting comfortably?   Then let’s begin!

1. You seem to be involved with a lot of cool websites and companies.  How many jobs do you have – it seems like 100 or more!

Exactly 102.
 

2. Your new blog template for Techipedia makes use of purple and navy, which are unusual choices.  Some people think colors are very important in your template.  Why did you choose that particular color scheme?

I actually wanted pastel type colors — they’re soft and welcoming.  I ended up going with a dark blue and purple because my favicon was already purple and blue is my favorite color.  There really was no specific rhyme or reason for the design but I liked the colors. 

3. You’ve been featured or participated in a number of podcasts.  How do you like doing that compared to other social media work?

Well, to be honest, I’m not such a fan of podcasts as much as I should be.  The ease of social media engagement is that I can multitask and be a lot more efficient (at least in terms of how I measure my own productivity) using the internet as a tool and having my fingers on the keyboard or mouse.  When you get into podcasting, you simply cannot multitask — you need to be focused on what people are saying (especially if you’re live on the show!) so that you don’t say anything silly. 

With 102 jobs, doing one thing at a time just isn’t me

4. Ever think about writing a book?  If so, what would be the topic?

I’m always considering these options, though I don’t really know what the topic would be yet.  (And if I did, I couldn’t possibly tell you in case you’d steal the idea)

[ED:  her book will be about how to survive on a desert island with only a box of crayons, some Play Dough, and a bottlecap.  But don't tell anyone I told you...]

5. Do you think that large organizations are starting to understand the potential value of social media? Or does social media really have an impact on a large corporation?

I think it does.  Social media brings brand awareness to individuals who may know about large corporations but may not know exactly what they do.  For large corporations, social media also is a fun way to engage the community.  Repeated social media campaigns can really build relationships (and if nothing else, put the corporation at the front of a prospective consumer’s mind for later consideration).  As many people know, the return may not be immediate (social media is not necessarily fulfilling an immediate need to search for something *right now*), but the more people know about you and your offerings, the more likely they are to work with you in the future.

6. This is bait, but I can’t resist:  what’s the future hold for Digg?  Does it have a long term future?

To be honest, I’m not that sure.  My last submission to Digg was on January 28th.  I think that once it made some serious changes (primarily to attract a new and broader demographic), they impacted some of their key contributors, including me.  I am not venturing off to Digg anymore or as often, and frankly, I don’t miss it that much either.

7. How’s the swag collection coming along?

Oh baby, it’s getting better and better every day.  But you can always send me more great swag.  Some of this stuff is turning out to be more and more awesome.  And lately, I’ve been considering reviews of gadgets.  My first review was on the Microsoft Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000.  How’d I do?
 

8. What is the one achievement on the Web which gives you the most pleasure and/or satisfaction?

I really like blogging, and I love it when people find my content interesting and enjoyable to read.
 

9. Pretend the Internet is destroyed overnight. What do you do the next morning?

I’d hibernate.  Forever.Interestingly, I’m watching Jericho and I think I’d go absolutely insane without the Internet.  I still can’t imagine what my life was like beforehand.  I guess I’d be reading, but lately, all the books I’ve been reading are about marketing…on the Internet. 

10. What one piece of knowledge, advice, or wisdom do you have to share with our readers?

I’m all about networking, and one of the biggest things I’d advocate online is that you should network, but do it right.  When you find people online, build a relationship with them that means more than just asking for a vote on a social network site.  Get to know your friends.  Some of these relationships can be extremely valuable in the long run.  I’ve met several individuals from social media spheres in real life and we have a connection that nobody understands, but it’s a beautiful thing because we’ve been building upon our friendships elsewhere for months.  If you’re only networking to ask for votes (for personal gain) and never get to know the person behind the screen name, you’re not doing it right. 

Thanks to Tamar for sharing her brainwaves!

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