Last week I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Linda Konop, a student at Tribeca Flashpoint Academy, where she profiled me on her blog, Social Media Expert in Training (SMEiT).  Linda is enrolled in the Chicago Career Tech Social Media Marketing Program, which is a six-month course for a limited number of adult learners preparing them to become social media experts.

I love working with students of all ages, and was thrilled to discuss my career path, and some key learnings I’ve had along the way. You can watch us talking shop below.

interactiveAmy getting interviewed by Linda Konop at Tribeca Flashpoint Academy in Chicago, IL.

Have any questions about my career path, or how you can get started working in social media? Let me know, this is a subject I can talk about for hours!!

Related posts:

1. Lawternatives – What to do after a legal career has run its course
2. UnMarketing’s Superiffic Stop at Social Media Club Chicago
3. interactiveAmy is looking for a Social Media Intern!

I’m on a TechWeek panel today (Saturday, July 23rd, 2011) at 12:30pm at the Merchandise Mart, entitled Social Media Magic: A Woman’s Touch! “From trendsetting to jetsetting, women influencers have been dominating the social web. Find out their secrets and what makes them subject matter experts who have tens of thousands of followers clinging to their every tweet.”

I am honored to share social media thoughts with these leading ladies:

Moderator: Meagan Lopez, Social Media Account Sensei at Socialkaty. com, Hermione Way, Silicon Valley Video Director forTheNextWeb, Shira Lazar, creator, executive producer and host of CBS Interactive show What’s Trending, and Hope Bertram, Founder of Windy City Social, Inc.

Check out the 2011  TechWeek Schedule and be on the lookout for me at one of the bazillion events being held throughout the week. Let me know which ones you are attending and what you think of the sessions you catch!

Related posts:

1. Social Media Magic: A Woman’s Touch, Chicago TechWeek Panel Recap
2. See You at North Coast Music Festival, Summer’s Last Stand!

Happy 2011. This year is already off to a sweet start!

I received an interview request from Crain’s Chicago Business, who was writing a few articles on social media success stories in Chicago. Steve Hendersot wanted my help – for an interview, and also recommendations on local businesses who are doing creative things in one social vertical or another. It was my pleasure to contribute, and today his series called “Doing social marketing right” published!

So what does this have to do with cupcakes?
I was quoted in “Foiled Cupcakes has that personal touch,” It was so perfect that in my commentary section the headline is “Back Seat Driver,” because that is what my husband, and my friends also call me! Mari Lundgrath (aka @FoiledCupcakes) and I met on twitter over a year ago, bonding over Beverly Hills, 90210 trivia.
We have since spoken on two social media panels together for the Public Relations Student Society – their Young Professional Network and the DePaul University PRSSA Chapter, so I have a strong understanding of her social media philosophy, business history and passion for cupcakes, shoes and 90210!

YPN April 2010 Workshop: Social Media and Business Growth Presenters: Amy Korin , Owner of interactiveAmy and Mari Luangrath, Owner of Foiled Cupcakes Add a caption YPN April 2010 Workshop: Social Media and Business Growth Presenters: Amy Korin , Owner of interactiveAmy and Mari Luangrath, Owner of Foiled Cupcakes

You can read my thought on Foiled Cupcakes’ approach to social media, in the Crain’s Chicago Business’s January 3, 2011 This Week’s Crain’s Focus by Steve Hendershot. I also suggested Steve speak with the guys behind Windy City Ski, and he interviewed them too for an Focus article called: “Windy City Ski stays top-of-mind even in off-season.” As a Vermonter and lifelong skier I was excited to see that there is a Chicago Ski Bus (that tweeted!). I’ve engaged with them personally, and on behalf of one of my clients, Reside Living and I hope to make it to the slopes with Windy City Ski this winter!

Buckle up, I am a Back Seat Driver. (Most of the time, I am proud of it!)

I admit it: I have a vision, I see the destination, and have an action plan to get there. This mentality is great for project management, business development and any goal oriented opportunity but it doesn’t carry over very well to being a passenger in a car. Just ask my friend Lauren, to whom I will forever be apologizing to about one trip to Tinley Park for a Dave Matthews Concert!

In the social media space however, I am a driver. I steer the rig, dispatch the fleet, and weather the storm on behalf of my clients. Along the way, I am building relationships and driving meaningful conversations with brand advocates, while simultaneously developing a strategic social media road map and a voice for the business.

In the new year, I encourage you to strap on your media seat belt, and take a test drive! You may find your silver lining in the form of foiled cupcakes!

Wishing you a sweet and successful new year with a cherry on top!

Related posts:

1. I’m quoted in the Chicago Tribune Business Section re: Ramon
2. Social Media Club Chicago presents 2011 Community Outlook

A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a “town” varies considerably in different parts of the world, but no matter what you call it, to me town is synonymous with community.

I grew up in Shelburne, Vermont for my first 18 years.  When I left for the University of Michigan in 1996, it was a town of 5,000.  Even after attending a University where my freshman class was larger than my hometown and spending 10 years in the city of Chicago, I still pride myself on having a small-town spirit, in which knowing your neighbors makes a difference and being a contributing member of the community counts.   Today, my Twitter following has hit 5,000.  It is crazy to visualize a sphere of influence that encompasses every member of my childhood hometown!

As a social media consultant and marketing professional, I wholeheartedly believe that it is the quality of relationships, not the number of followers that matter and one of the greatest features of social media platforms is that it levels the communications playing field, and one-one-one engagement matters! While I can honestly say I do not have the capacity to engage with each of my 5,000 followers everyday, I have interacted with many at one point in time and I have done this the old fashioned way – building relationships and  connecting with people with similar interests, who have attended the same events as I have and whom I would like to get to know better.

Similar to building relationships offline, it is important for your to get to know the members of your community.  Be proactive and help people get to know you by taking the time to complete your 160 character Twitter bio, and include a link for people to learn more about you in your profile by a linking to either your website or your LinkedIn profile.  The relationship building goes both ways, and  it is also key to make sure you know something about those who follow you and the information you get from a bio opens the door for dialogue and that is what your community is all about!

The best way to contribute to Twitter is to actively participate, and doing so will result in an increased follower count, and more substantial relationships over time.  Venture out of the “voyeur” mentality and share with your community – greet people with good cheer, share industry specific information to position yourself as a thought leader, call upon your community to help you when have questions, and be the one to answer a question when you have expertise to lend.  Connecting with your target audience and fostering quality relationships take time, but the rewards will be reaped for a long time to come.

Have you sought out your Twitter community yet?  There are numerous Twitter applications and resources available to search for people to follow.

Some of the top Twitter search tools include:

1. Twitter Search is the only search function actually hosted by Twitter. It’s easy to use and offers comprehensive results, check out Advanced Search to dig a bit deeper.
2. Be sure to add yourself and search for others by using We Follow, a user powered twitter directory that ranks Twitter users based on the number of followers and allows you to search for “most influential” users by category, location and subject matter.
3. TwitDir lists top Tweeters as measured by various criteria such as those who follow the most, who are followed the most, update the most, etc.
4. Want to get to know a follower better? Check out their Klout to measure their online influence.
5. If you want to stay close to home, check out TwitterLocal,  a great place for customers to connect to local businesses by combining the power of Local Search and Google Maps with the popularity of Twitter.

Don’t forget to include a “follow me on Twitter” signature on all of your email accounts and invite connections on other social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn to join you in conversation on Twitter too!

Do  have additional information and/or resources to share about community building on Twitter? Please include your favorite tools in the comment section below, and don’t forget to leave your Twitter name in the comment so we can follow you!

Related posts:

1. Lawternatives – What to do after a legal career has run its course
2. There is No Such Thing as a Blind Date Anymore, And There is No Such Thing as a Blind Meeting!
3. 4,000 followers!? I Heart You All!

TA-DA and Shalom!

Here I am on the OyChicago website,  I am a honored to be their first “Jew You Should Know” video interview!  OyChicago is a fantastic resource and funny blog about Jewish life in Chicago.

Thank you to Sydney Bucksbaum for conducting a great interview and thank you to the Oy Chicago team for selecting me as a Jew You Should Know!

Of course, I forgot to mention that my brother lives in Israel, served in the Israeli Defense Force, and made Aliyah! But if you follow me on twitter and facebook, you know that I just got back from Israel for my brother’s wedding this past May!

interactiveAmy can interact with any living creature!

interactiveAmy overlooking Jerusalem

On the “Jew You Should Know” video I was asked 8 questions – check it out to get to know me better.  If you are an online dater, there is a bonus in there for you – I shared some tips to help you pop online!  Besides being a double JDate success myself, I actually get hired by to help other people revamp their online dating profiles!

Josh & I at the Western Wall

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