Sean Malarkey is an incredibly successful entrepreneur and social media powerhouse. While I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him in person, his insights into marketing and social media have been helping professionals new to the space and industry veterans. If you’re having trouble connecting with brands and fans on Twitter, Sean can help in a big way.

An Interview With Sean Malarkey

How did you get started in the industry?

By being Social! No in all seriousness things kind of happened by accident. It’s a long story but I will give you the short version. In February of 2009 I was chatting with a good friend on Facebook. We were chatting about Twitter and its awesome capabilities to build a large audience fast. My friend showed me a graph from Twittercounter.com of his last 30 days growth and I was blown away. Knowing the power of a list from email marketing I instantly saw similar potential with Twitter.

So from that moment I began really using Twitter to its fullest. In a short 3 months I grew my following to over 70k.  It grew so fast so quick that everyone kept asking me what & how I was doing it. One day I spent 30 minutes making a little guide for the 15th friend who had asked and later added that guide to a blog I had about Twitter. A few months later after that little guide had been downloaded a few thousand times I wrote an expanded version that I named “Twixplode” (yeah I know, probably the worst product name ever) and the rest is history. I began helping friends, then their businesses –  which attracted more clients and so on.

The biggest transformation really came about when I started working with Lewis Howes  He is the king of LinkedIn and the two of us together had a lot more to offer our clients being that we both were good in different valuable social media platforms.

What is your favorite social network?
Twitter hands down – it’s the most fun and most effective for me. But LinkedIn and Facebook both offer similar value in different ways. It’s been a lot of fun learning those networks and how to work with them.

Why do you think it has more value than the others?

For me Twitter is the best – because it’s more instant & diverse. The results come so fast compared to other networks, and to be honest that aspect makes it the most compelling. In comparsion to the other two – it’s a whole lot simpler and stripped down. Which I think adds to its beauty!

Why do you think people consider you an expert in the field?

Because I show them how to get results! Also, I look at things from a very analytical standpoint and Twitter can seriously deliver if done right!

Do you think sponsored conversations have their place in the industry (Paid posts, SponsoredTweets)?

Great question – I suppose they do have their place. I think proper disclosure is very important with these services. I myself would never partake in them – even though they offer me a lot of money to tweet a few characters – they just kind of go against my line of thinking – if that makes any sense. With Twitter there is a lot of spam – and I would love it if there were none. Because in reality, it takes away from people who are using it the right way to grow their business & brands.

How do you balance professional v. personal?

Another good question – In reality, my personal life has become a big part of my professional life. The line is very blurred. I am a very open person and it can be challenging at times to keep the two separate. With social media I don’t share anything I wouldn’t want certain people to see. So If I am sharing something personal – I take a minute to think about how it will be received. If I have any doubt – I don’t share it. Plain and simple.
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?
Leonardo DeCaprio

OK, now who would REALLY play you?

Eddie Murphy.

Is where you are now where you thought you’d be…10 years ago? A month ago? Why/ why not?

Yes and No. From a success stand point, yes – I have had clearly written goals for where I want to be for most of my adult life – and for the most part they have come true. From where I am now and what I thought I would be doing – No – Life has changed quite a bit and for the better. I always thought I would achieve my success in real estate and never in a million years did I envision social media a part of that. But now that I think about it, the term ‘social media’ didn’t really exist 10 years ago – so I guess I won’t beat myself up over not having the vision 10 years ago.

Is it about quality or quantity? Do I want more followers or more RTs? Lots of connections on LinkedIn or a few excellent recommendations?

I think it’s about both. One without the other doesn’t really do anyone any good. I guess it’s relative from a quantity stand point to the goals you have. But I say why not both? With social media I have figured out how to get both. And the higher quantity you have of quality followers – the better off you are.

More RT’s is a good indication of quality – so it goes without saying that the more quality followers you have – the higher the amount of RT’s you should get.

If you reached a certain level of success, would you ever have someone manage your social media accounts for you? Why/why not (ie Barack Obama)?

Not my personal brand or personal accounts. I’m too worried they would screw it up. Also, it doesn’t seem very genuine to me to have someone else tweet for you. Yes, I do think for certain people who have certain goals with social media that it’s fine – as long as the messages don’t appear to be from their mouths. In other words – don’t have someone tweet “I am enjoying this sushi so much I have ordered seconds.” Instead it could read – “I love sushi so much I normally order seconds.”

Provide the best social media tip you can think of in 40 characters or less.

Be you – and be the best you!

Is social media your main business, or just an extension of your main online efforts?

An extension, I have my hands in many things and social media is a marketing tool for most of them.

When did you get started in social media? Who do you consider a social media expert, and why?

That’s a tough question. The reality is anything on the internet that involves interaction with other people could be considered social media. For example: Chat rooms, forums, blog comments, message boards, etc. I really got into using the internet a lot more when the web 2.0 revolution came about several years ago. For me, that revolution that saw the birth of Twitter, YouTube & many other great sites is the main reason we’re all still here. It was inevitable as the web provides us all a place to connect and discover. The sites that have come about in the last 5 years have really enhanced that ability to connect and discover.

Do you make money directly from your social media efforts?

Not exactly, but indirectly in a major way. People that try to make money directly from social media will usually fail. It needs to be considered what it is – another form of media, and should be used as such. In other words – if you have a business – use social media to enrich your marketing efforts. Use it to build your brand, use it to respond and interact with customers. Don’t try and mine gold from it – if you do you will most likely fail – or have a hard time sleeping at night.

What services do you use to monitor the social media stream?

My computer & iPhone – just kidding. For Twitter I like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck. Socialoomph has a cool email digest tool for those that don’t need their updates instantly. I also use google alerts to monitor the web. For business – Radian6 and Scout Labs are both great.  Cotweet is awesome as well.

Do you think celebrities belong on Twitter?

Sure – Why not? They definitely help generate a lot of exposure from the dumb things they say and do. In a more serious light – it provides them with an incredible marketing opportunity as people love following their every move, the same reason people buy People magazine. It also gives them complete control or the ability to control what exactly is said about them or to dispell things that are not true.

Explain social media so a child would understand it.

Social media plain and simple is a place to discover, interact & connect. It is a place where real people hang out and interact with others & discover new things. These same people buy real things and services, that is the main reason there are so many businesses trying their hardest to understand it and utilize it so they capture their attention and convert them into fans and customers. Essentially it is another form of media – plain and simple.

Thanks for doing the interview with eMonetized, Sean! To hear more of Sean’s insights on social media and business, visit SeanMalarkey.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Drew Bennett, better known as ‘Ben’ or ‘BenSpark’, has become one of the most well-known bloggers in the industry through his Photo-A-Day blog, BenSpark.com. I had the pleasure of meeting Drew at several industry events                                       where we discussed everything from blogging  to Drew’s new social media course, and his photography newsletter Behind the Lens.

You can check out Drew’s blog, or find him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

An Interview With BenSpark

How did you get started in the industry?

In 1995 I taught myself HTML and created a website on my college’s network. I quickly ran out of space and made the IT department very upset with me. From there I worked as the college webmaster and then with an independent web design company. But I didn’t actually start blogging until 2003 with my girlfriend (now wife) Allison. We named the blog BenSpark because my last name is Bennett and hers was Sparks. I think Allison posted about 10 times and I posted much more. 2003 and 2004 were spotty at best, but I tried to post regularly. I really hit my stride in 2005 when I decided to take and post a Photo-A-Day and my purpose for blogging was solidified. Each and every day I took a photo and posted it. Sometimes with commentary and sometimes without. In 2006 Allison saw Ted Murphy on one of those morning TV shows and told me that I could make money from my blog. I joined PayPerPost in the early days and through that I was hooked. I started making some extra income which I funnel back into my blog to upgrade hosting and buying my own domain name benspark.com. I also bought cameras and equipment to enhance my ability to take more photos. In 2007 I attended the first Blog World Expo as well as Postiecon and I got a chance to talk to a large group of bloggers. There I became much more involved in the blogging community.

Is social media your main business, or just an extension of your main online efforts?

Social media is compliment to my blogging efforts. New posts go right to Twitter, FriendFeed and Facebook. I respond to every comment, tweet and facebook wall post because I feel that builds a stronger community. I love engaging in conversations with people online.

What is your favorite social network?

It is a tie between Facebook and Twitter. Twitter is great for sharing fun things, but Facebook allows people to get into the conversation and be able to say more than 140 characters.

Why do you think it has more value than the others?

I think that Facebook is better because through it you can funnel all of your other social networks into one place. This way people who are not following your Friendfeed could still see updates, or if you share something on Google Reader, it can also go directly to Facebook.

When did you get started in social media?

I got started in social media in 2006 or early 2007 with Twitter. Although I think I was on MySpace earlier than that, I can’t remember.

Why do you think people consider you an expert in the field?

I don’t think that people consider me an expert in the field although they do ask me many questions. I have a decent following of fantastic people and I have rubbed elbows with some of blogging’s elite. I just find that if I offer to help people I get more positive response from everyone.

Who do you consider a social media expert, and why?

I consider Ted Murphy a Social Media expert because he went from zero to hero on Twitter in record time. Ted know how to promote himself and keep people engaged. Of course, Chris Brogan is an expert and one of the most prolific Twitter users I have ever seen.

Do you think sponsored conversations have their place in the industry (Paid posts, SponsoredTweets)?

I do think that sponsored conversations do have their place in the industry. I have participated in a lot of these and I love them. Not only do I make money from it, but I also engage an incredible new audience with each of these. The ones that work best for me are the contests for fun products. I love writing about a product that I receive and then can give away. I’ve gone out on my own to contact companies and do contests with them directly. This has worked very well for me over the years.

How do you balance professional v. personal?

My blog is a very personal one. I put out my real self. When you meet me in person you will already know me pretty well if you are a reader of my blog. For my professional life, I say as little as possible because I do not want to reveal much about my 9 – 5 job. I want to leave that job behind but the security of it is very important to this small family. I am the single earner of the family. I want my wife to be able to spend as much time as possible with our daughter Eva. Many a blog post has been written while we are on the couch watching shows on the DVR.

Do you make money directly from your social media efforts?

Yes, I participate in Sponsored Tweets, Sponsored Conversations and some affiliate marketing.
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Christian Slater. I really like him and my favorite movie is Pump up the Volume. I would love to do a blog like that pirate radio show.

OK, now who would REALLY play you?

Jason Bateman.

Is where you are now where you thought you’d be…10 years ago? A month ago? Why/ why not?

No. I never realized where social media would take me. I’ve worked on a movie, won contests for vacations and spoken in front of my peers at many social media events. I never thought I’d be flying all over the place meeting so many people that I knew only from their online presence.

Explain social media so a child would understand it.

Imagine a playground with 5 children on it. Eva knows Sally and tells her that she just got a new Barbie and Sally would really enjoy it. Sally knows Jen and Ellen. Sally tells those girls about Eva’s Barbie. Jen tells Eva that the Barbie is sweet and she has it, too. Eva becomes friends with Jen because of that connection. Jen likes Eva and she introduces Eva to Ellen. Ellen likes Eva and introduces her to Nancy who is over on the swings. Suddenly Eva has 3 new friends because of word of mouth.

Is it about quality or quantity? Do I want more followers or more RTs? Lots of connections on LinkedIn or a few excellent recommendations?

It is certainly about quality. I have a ton of followers but there are quite a few core people that I interact with every day. If someone follows me and then does nothing, no RTs or no messages then do you think I will interact with them? Probably not. But, when someone RTs one of my tweets or responds to it, then I will look for them to more messages and will want to interact.

What services do you use to monitor the social media stream?

I use Tweetdeck, Google Reader and that is about it to monitor.

If you reached a certain level of success, would you ever have someone manage your social media accounts for you? Why/why not (ie Barack Obama)?

I would not have anyone manage my social media because then I would not be real at all.

Do you think celebrities belong on Twitter?

Yeah I think that they should but it pisses me off that they don’t follow their fans. With tools like lists and Tweetdeck they can filter out the people that they really want to listen to but if they followed their followers, then I’d actually feel like they cared somewhat.

Provide the best social media tip you can think of in 40 characters or less.

Be Real, Be Nice and Be There.

Thanks for doing the interview with eMonetized, Drew! For additional tips and stories from BenSpark, here’s a full list of his blogs and resources:

WiredKayaker
ReadToMeDad
GoogleisNotGod
ImNotaFamousBlogger
15MinaDay
FortunateBluFrog
BenSparkles
MehCats
CompetentDads
Droid.Benspark.com

Tamar and I recently touched base in NYC during AdTech. She is one of the best resources on social media and blogger outreach, and in 2009 released The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web; a great book on positioning your business in the social media space. Tamar is also Mashable’s community and marketing manager.

An Interview With Tamar Weinberg

How did you get started in the industry?

Good question.  I’ve been involved in the “social media” space since computers were able to go online.  I was involved in the most niche communities on online services such as AOL and my local library-owned BBS.  On the BBS, I met an environmental activist who I became friendly with and even had him talk to my Earth Club in 10th grade (I loved the intersection between online and offline back then and I still do now).

I knew from the start that I always wanted to be involved in “computers,” and the only computer-related disciplines taught at my college were computer engineering, which I hated, and computer science, which I didn’t like so much but I tolerated. I ended up working at school on side jobs, doing network engineering and website administration.
When I graduated, I didn’t go into programming (I didn’t really learn how to code!), so I continued along the path of system administration.  I ended up finding my way to a search engine marketing shop as a sysadmin, and I realized I found what I had wanted to do all along. During downtime, I learned the nuances of SEO but really stuck to my core roots as a social media enthusiast, and it showed — after my sysadmin duties were complete, I often handled social media initiatives for clients.  Now I’m doing that full time.

What is your favorite social network?

It’s easy to say that I love Twitter for a few reasons:
- Community: there are some really awesome people that I’ve met on Twitter.  I follow a small subset of them directly, but I follow so many more via RSS. There’s always something happening, and you can find out newsworthy material immediately.  I also love learning what other people share as well.
- API: Twitter was smart when they opted to have an API available quickly. That has given people countless opportunities to build applications that really rock.  Twitter is the foundation, but these applications themselves are super powerful.  It’s probably the biggest thing that has ever happened in the way of API development ever.
- Ubiquity: you can get to Twitter from anywhere, as long as you’re connected.  I have 40404 on speed dial.

Is social media your main business, or just an extension of your main online efforts?

Based on my history, you can see that I have some different hats that I wear.  Fortunately, I can still solve web hosting issues every so often.  But yes, I do live in the social media space.  I do consulting for clients and also work for Mashable as its Community Director.  I also dabble in other projects as well.

When did you get started in social media?

Are we talking about the social media that started in the last 10 years or the social media that started in the age of forums and BBSes?  Let’s just say that I was an early adopter of both.  I had dialup and would connect to my local BBS that was offered by my county library in South Florida, and I’d meet people despite being probably 30-40 years younger than most.  I was active on forums when forums were brand new.
When we talk to the social media of today, I was on Facebook when it was open to only 2-3 schools.  I was on Twitter in December 2006.  I was a Digg top user 3 years ago.  I still live and breathe in this world of social media, but I can’t consider a “starting point” because I feel like I was always there.

Why do you think people consider you an expert in the field?

Hopefully it had something to do with my new book, The New Community Rules (http://www.newcommunityrules.com), which talks about social media marketing and how to leverage the current technologies of today to initiate successful marketing campaigns.
But I think that my passion speaks loud enough as well; I love what I do.  I think it is great that companies are interacting with people.  I like being part of the equation: to help them get visibility and exposure, and to help foster genuine relationships that will bring them great success.

Who do you consider a social media expert, and why?

There are a few people who I admire:
- Chris Brogan (chrisbrogan.com), because he really shows that he cares.  He exudes confidence in his talks and understands what it is to be human online.
- Brian Solis (briansolis.com) is one of the most brilliant writers in this area.  He gives true analytical thought to everything he comes across in the space.  His blog posts are insightful collegiate essays.
- Jeremiah Owyang (web-strategist.com) also gives high level insights to social media based on his observations as an analyst.  He has access to some incredible data and can predict the future better than most other social media experts that I’ve known.
- Jason Falls (socialmediaexplorer.com) is also brilliant.  He shares wonderful insights that make you sit down and reflect upon your engagement in the space.
- Samir Balwani (samirbalwani.com) is an up-and-comer who I have to mention here.  He works as a online marketing strategist at Morpheus Media right now, but like me, his work doesn’t end when he leaves the office. His blog posts are choc full of great observations, and he just came out with a social media marketing training program (trainingsocial.com).  He’s also only one year out of college, but I’ll be keeping my eye on him for a long time.

Do you think sponsored conversations have their place in the industry (Paid posts, SponsoredTweets)?

I think that yes, they do.  Adam Singer had a great blog post (http://thefuturebuzz.com/2009/11/30/sponsored-conversations/) that attacks those who spread marketing messaging, claiming that those are for the uninspired marketer but also attacking those partaking in it as shills.  He’s right about the lack of inspiration.  However, I don’t think it’s fair to say that these bloggers are shills.  Some are very careful about what they choose and will only blog about that which is relevant to their readership, because targeted messaging is incredibly important to them.  I’ve learned about new products I’d actually want to try through the sponsored posts venue, which is great for both the advertiser and for me as someone who might be a potential new subscriber/buyer.  If the advertiser cherry picks you because you’re a suitable candidate to spread that messaging, they should be able to without fear of attack.  It just so happens to be paid.  If I discovered these products after the fact, I might tweet about them organically.  I just found them sooner since they discovered me first.

Do you make money directly from your social media efforts?

If client work counts, then yes, I do.

What services do you use to manage the social media stream?

I use a number of tools, and it depends on the work I’m doing and for who.  I’ve used Radian6 and Socialradar but both are quite costly and are not for the sole consultant.  But I use a number of tools that are free too, including BackType, YackTrack (which is new and awesome and should definitely be considered), and Google Alerts.

How do you balance personal v. professional?

For me, my Twitter account is a mix of both, but I keep personal out of it as much as I can (though I just had a baby so I’ll occasionally share some baby-related tweets). I put a much heavier emphasis on community and social media in my Twitter stream.
I do use my accounts differently, though. I wrote a blog post about this in 2007 (http://www.techipedia.com/2007/networking-on-different-social-sites/) which predates Twitter since it just wasn’t so big then.   I mostly still use Facebook as a personal account (I have nearly 700 pending friend requests, but I’d like to meet people before I actually accept!) and I use LinkedIn for professional purposes.  My other accounts online are usually a mix.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Can I play myself?

OK, now who would really play you?

Would you?

Is where you are now where you thought you’d be…10 years ago? A month ago? Why/ Why not?

I just missed my 10-year high school reunion over Thanksgiving weekend.  Ten years ago, I had no idea what I was going to do.  I knew, though, back then, that I loved this kind of thing.  And I’m glad I’m doing it.

One month ago, I figured I’d be growing and learning more, but I knew that we wouldn’t be doing a huge amount of new work since 2009 is waning and people are slacking for the holidays.

Is it about quality or quantity? Do I want more followers or more RTs? Lots of connections on LinkedIn or a few excellent recommendations?

Definitely quality.  I’d prefer to have people who actually have an interest in what I do over people who are following me to stroke my ego.  I think it’s best to find people who will engage with you than people who don’t do anything at all.  And yes, less connections on LinkedIn with excellent recommendations looks much better than having 500+ connections and no recommendations.

If you reached a certain level of success, would you ever have someone manage your social media accounts for you? Why/why not (ie: Barack Obama)?

Even if I become the queen of the world, I’d want to be connected to the people who helped me get there.  So no,  I wouldn’t want to have someone manage my accounts.  I may not be tuned in then as much as I am now, but I wouldn’t disappear from my social streams.

Explain social media so a child would understand it. *Note- Please don’t just say ‘I make friends who make money online. Assume the follow up would be ‘how?’

Social media or social media marketing?  Hopefully the child knows it already; those kids today are smarter than we are.
I try to explain social media marketing like this: social media is about leveraging the “social” (the community) through its “media” (the actual communities and destinations on the ‘net that where you can find them) to “market” your products.

Do you think celebrities belong on Twitter?

I think everyone belongs on Twitter.  And I think that celebrity presence on Twitter merely means that there are famous people who want to be like US.

Provide the best social media tip you can think of in 40 characters or less.

40 now? I thought Twitter had a 140 character limitation.  Is this a new mobile standard that I’m not yet privy to?
I think I’d say the following:
be yourself, have fun, and be committed
Social media marketing should not be a chore.  If you’re not being real, you’re not having fun, and you’re not committed to the task, you won’t be successful.

Thanks for doing the interview with eMonetized, Tamar! Looking forward to reading your next social media resource! You can visit Tamar’s blog at www.Techipedia.com and also follow Tamar on Twitter.

I met Lewis at BlogWorld this year and was impressed with his social media and online marketing background. Lewis frequently holds webinars on the benefits of tools such as LinkedIn, and combines his passion for marketing with his extensive sports knowledge on sportsnetworker.com.

You can check out his blog at lewishowes.com, or find him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

An Interview With Lewis Howes

How did you get started in the industry?

I broke my wrist while playing Arena Football and had to be in a full arm cast for six months, then rehab for another six months.  During that time I got really bored watching T.V., and I turned to the Internet for a change of pace.  I got hooked into online marketing/blogging/social media and that was all she wrote.

What is your favorite social network?

LinkedIn

Why do you think it has more value than the others?

Many reasons.  It has the highest average house hold income per user over any other social networking site, 45 % of users are decision makers (more than any other of the top sites), and for other reasons I talk about on www.lewishowes.com.

Why do you think people consider you an expert in the field?

I guess because I actually practice what I preach.  I use LinkedIn daily to help me achieve my professional goals, and it works.  I have trained thousands of people and had many success stories with my clients.  I also wrote two books on the power of using LinkedIn.  I spent about 6 hours a day on LinkedIn during that 6 month period when I was in my cast.  When you spend that much time with one thing, you start to figure it out

Do you think sponsored conversations have their place in the industry (Paid posts, SponsoredTweets)?

Yes I think think they are necessary in their own right, but it all depends on what your personal/company goals are.

How do you balance professional v. personal?

In a strategic way.  Probably doesn’t make any sense huh, but I think being more personal with people breaks down walls and helps you do more professional business with others.  Wouldn’t you agree?

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Vince Vaughn, because he is money baby!

OK, now who would really play you?

Vince Vaughn… really!

Is where you are now where you thought you’d be…10 years ago? A month ago? Why/ Why not?

10 years ago I thought I would be playing in the NFL or training for the Olympics.  A month ago, yes, I thought I would be exactly where I am now, living the dream.

Is it about quality or quantity? Do I want more followers or more RTs? Lots of connections on LinkedIn or a few excellent recommendations?

I go for both.  I try to build large communities on the various social networking sites, but I also spend a lot of time connecting with individuals one by one to ensure the quality in my networks.

If you reached a certain level of success, would you ever have someone manage your social media accounts for you? Why/why not (ie: Barack Obama)?

I have Virtual Assistants manage certain things already, but not things that deal with connecting with people, more “push button” tasks that don’t need me doing them.

Provide the best social media tip you can think of in 40 characters or less.

Add value and care for everyone.

Is social media your main business, or just an extension of your main online efforts?

It’s a path that gets me where I need to be in my business.

When did you get started in social media? Who do you consider a social media expert, and why?

Got started on Facebook when it was just for college students, but really got into social media at the end of 2007 when I had surgery on my wrist.  Chris Brogan is the man on social media and someone I look to for guidance because he always makes great points.

Do you make money directly from your social media efforts?

Yes

Do you think celebrities belong on Twitter?

Yes, they are people just like “the rest of us”.

Explain social media so a child would understand it. *Note- Please don’t just say ‘I make friends who make money online. Assume the follow up would be ‘how?’

I create content, connect people, refer good content, and try to add as much value to my personal friends and network of friends as much as possible.  By doing so, my friends also help me achieve my goals.

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Lewis, thanks for doing the interview with eMonetized! Keep up the great work on the webinars! You can visit Lewis’s blog at LewisHowes.com and also follow Lewis on Twitter.