The Nanny Nine: Guy Kawasaki

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Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki

Remember in the last Nanny Nine, how I said it was often interesting how I met people.  This is another one of those examples.  It was April 15 2013, the day of the tragic Boston Marathon bombing.  Tension was high and rampant on the Social Media sites, especially Facebook and Twitter.  Along with that were the range of opinions by Social Media Specialists, on if/when/how often a Brand should be posting anything.  I have my own opinions on this, and most of the time I chose to remain silent in the back-and-forth commentary about it.  But that night was different. It felt like there was a higher than normal number of posts and comments about Brands ‘Social Media etiquette’  following a tragedy.  I responded to one of Guy’s tweets, in which he was responding to someone who was lashing out at him.  My response was in agreement to the other person.  After tweeting I felt that gut instinct of “that was not professional”.

In less than an hour I got the shock of my life!  Guy Kawasaki sent me a Direct Message, asking what was wrong with what he was doing.  What followed was a conversation that went on for close to an hour, via Direct Messages.  (And yes, as you can see in his interview, he is in fact the one who sends them.)  We debated on the topic, gave our own view points in very honest and blunt ways, but also remained respectful to each other.  I have long admired Guy, and that discussion brought it to a new level.  The dialogue has continued, on a variety of topics, including a couple of suggested eating establishments we should visit on our trip to Kauai.  We did both of them, and besides it being a fun, local thing to do…both had great food!

For those unfamiliar with who Guy Kawasaki is, here is a brief bio*: Guy Kawasaki is a special advisor to the Motorola business unit of Google. He is also the author of APE, What the Plus!, Enchantment, and nine other books. Previously, he was the chief evangelist of Apple. He is also a speaker, investor and business advisor.

 

1. You are on multiple Social Media sites, which one(s)?

The main ones are Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest

2. How big is your Social Media audience?

Across all of the Social Media sites it is over 6 Million.

3. Do you like one Social Media venue best? If yes, why?

Google+ is the core of my social media existence. It is the Macintosh of social media: better, used by fewer people, and often condemned by the experts. Unlike other social media profiles I own, no one else ever posts, responds, or comments on Google+ as me.

My orientation toward Google+ (and social media in general) is what I call the NPR (Non Profit Rules) Model. My role is to curate good stories that entertain, enlighten, and inspire people 365 days a year. My goal is to earn the right to promote my books, companies, or causes to them just as NPR earns the right to run fundraising telethons from time to time.

4. Do you post daily?

Yes, every day.

5. On your own site, Alltop (used to aggregate RSS feeds), you included a section called HolyKaw.  What is the reason for HolyKaw?

HolyKaw provides a continuous flow of interesting and diverse stories that should elicit the response, “Holy cow!” (Holycow.com was taken but since my name is pronounced “Cow-asaki,” I figured that HolyKaw would work.)  The posts on HolyKaw are short summations of stories, a picture or video to illustrate the story, and a link to the source.

6. What do you think is one big benefit of Social Networking?

Being able to reach millions of people, across a variety of Social Media venues; often by repurposing posts across the venues.

7. Do you have people helping you with your Social Media sites?

Yes on all, with the exception of Google+. The total of all resources, excluding my own activities, is approximately one full-time equivalent. In addition, I spend three to four hours per day creating my own posts and commenting and responding. 

No one responds as me (for better or worse, as I’ve sometimes learned) on social media, though many different people may be behind a post.

8. What apps do you like to use to help keep your Social Media organized and functioning easily?

HootSuite, Tweetdeck,  & Buffer

9. What is your best piece of advice to other businesses about Social Networking?

Get rid of trolls. Be a hard-ass: Get rid of people who irritate you. Think of your Google+ posts as your swimming pool. If people pee in it, throw them out. There are some people you need to get out of your social media life. A Chrome extension called Nuke Comments is a lovely solution because it enables you to delete a comment, block the person, and report him/her with one click.

 

Facebook: Facebook.com/guysco

Twitter: @GuyKawasaki

Pinterest: GuyKawasaki

Google+: GuyKawasaki

 

The Nanny Nine brought to you by the Social Networking Nanny

 (Content was curated from a previous non-exclusive interview on HubSpot; and permission granted from Guy directly to me.)   

*main portion of bio from Guy Kawasai’s website.

Comments

  1. Thanks for informative post. I am pleased sure this post has helped me save many hours of browsing other similar posts just to find what I was looking for.

  2. Anonymous says:

    You’re so awesome! I don’t believe I’ve read a single thing like that before. So wonderful to discover somebody with original thoughts on this subject. Really.. many thanks for starting this up. This website is something that is needed on the web, someone with some originality!

  3. Love the Nuke tip!

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