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.

Ian is as well-known for his affiliate marketing efforts as he is for his ability to network with industry vets and new affiliates at his IANteract dinners. I’ve had the chance to chat with him at several shows, and even caught his session at a recent Affiliate Summit.

For more information, you can visit Ian’s blog, or find him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

An Interview With Ian Fernando

How did you get started in the industry?

I first started out with eBay. Selling old things and buying things from flea markets and selling them on eBay. I soon started an eCommerce store which I think was a big mistake because of the customer support.

Then I started doing bulk orders, which was a hassle with customs and vendors.

I needed a way where I can make money ‘selling’ something and not deal with customers and the actual product itself.

I then found affiliate marketing and started with Linkshare, CJ, Clickbank, and ShareaSale. I definitely think it was the best due to the fact that I just had to make a sale and not deal with any troubles from vendors or customers.

What was your biggest learning experience to date?

My biggest learning experience is probably tackling Facebook. Back in the day when Facebook had their first advertising system called Facebook Flyers, I was on top of it but with their strict rules, it was hard to get things approved.

I almost gave up on it but kept going with small tests. Until I got some things profitable, I stuck to it and then scaled through.

It definitely taught myself to just keep going and tackle this specific traffic source.

What was your biggest success to date?

The biggest success I think is the opportunity to speak and I want to thank Affiliate Summit for giving me the opportunity to do so. It is one of the bigger milestones in my online career. I think I like having the online presence and definitely helping people tackle their goals.

It definitely put me in a different light and has changed my attitude a lot.

How did you learn the business (eBooks? Webinars? Membership sites? Freebies? Paid services?)?

Curiosity I guess. I read a lot of blogs and some mentioned affiliate marketing with Clickbank and how important it is to sell information.

I use to be in the forums back in the day just reading, until I decided to do it myself. I did download a bunch of crappy free eBooks and reports.

They did give me some foundation, but I found out quick that most are repetitive.

What do you think is the true value to consumers in affiliate marketing?

Like any consumer, they all want to learn more and get the information. The most important part is how something will benefit them. All marketers are good at selling. It is in our blood to get everyone to convert.

The reason for this is because we want to get them through the sales funnel with ease. If we provide something to the consumer with value, they will go through the funnel with ease.

Do you think sponsored conversations have their place in the industry?

Depends. The reason I say this is because as a consumer and a marketer I find it annoying because I know what it is. BUT I also use it as a source of traffic.

Social conversation and recommendations will be more powerful than a banner ad moving forward. It will be and is useful to take advantage of it now and use it.

Since sponsored conversations are up to the publisher, they get to choose what to advertise based on their recommendation. So there is a place, all traffic needs to be utilized and understood to be used properly.

Besides yourself, who do you think is the most valuable resource to the affiliate community?

There are a lot of people out there that definitely know a lot about the industry. I always read up affbuzz.com to check out what’s happening in the industry.

I can say Shoemoney. Ever since I met him he definitely has great knowledge to share and experience.

How do you balance professional v. personal?

Well for 2010 I set working times. I usually look at professional and personal as nothing because I like being in front of my PC and looking at my stats.

But sometimes it does take me away from my goals, so I would have to start creating timelines for myself.

Personally I travel a lot and my business is always with me; I never look at my business as a professional job but instead as something I look forward to all the time, because I enjoy what I do.

How often did you check your stats….1 month in? 1 year in? Today?

More like all the time. I have one PC dedicated to just my Spy view so I am always checking my stats. If I am away I check my stats on my iPhone. I learned not to look at it every so often, but I def look at it at least 1 an hour.

You just don’t know what will change in an hour or 5 minutes.
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Hmmmm…. Probably 50 Cent. Just because he is a marketer and a G.
OK, now who would REALLY play you?

Maybe Jay-Z then… he has a lighter tone complexion that matches me more.
What are some of the key differences between a ‘super affiliate’ and the veteran, less successful affiliates?

Not too sure since I am a ‘Super Duper Up, Up, Up and Away Affiliate’. Not really a fan of the term Super Affiliate. I look at myself as a learner. I learn from everyone and there is a lot of information to be taken in.

Being successful vs being average is different. Successful users know how to work demographics, dig deep into the numbers, decipher how users react, etc.

It is probably these things that separate big affiliates from the smaller ones.
Is where you are now where you thought you’d be…10 years ago? 5 years ago? A month ago? Why/ why not?

Pretty much, I always imagined being on my own and owning my own stuff. So yes. I never was a fan of the workplace; it was just an option but a fixed option to many.

I was always a hustler trying to make that extra income to get what I wanted.
Explain affiliate marketing so a child would understand it.

Imagine you are at a candy store. You ask your mom to buy a bag of skittles. She opens the bag and rewards you 10 pieces out of the 100 skittles that are in the bag. That is affiliate marketing to a child in its simplest form.

The mother being the consumer, YOU the child (affiliate) funnels your mom to buy, which in turn you are rewarded with just 10% of the income, in this case 10 skittles and your mom keeps the bag and hides it away from you forever so you won’t get tooth decay.

Brandon is another very successful affiliate and direct response marketer who likes to fly just under the radar. I’ve run into Brandon at a few conferences and exchanged some great tips with him. I also visit his blog regularly to check out new posts.

For more insights, you can visit Brandon’s blog, or find him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

An Interview With Brandon Adcock

How did you get started in the industry?

I got started in the industry because of the SEM work I was doing.  I started out doing SEM consulting, then moved into an in-house SEM role at Lowe’s Home Improvement.  While I was there I started working on some blog projects to test out new ideas and make some extra money.  That evolved from working to optimize adsense, to rotating in affiliate offers.  After getting my feet wet with credit card affiliate programs, which took a huge hit last year, I quit my in-house job to do affiliate marketing full time in August of 2008.

What was your biggest learning experience to date?

This is a tough question.  In terms of single experience, I would have to say it was the day I lost roughly $25,000 on a campaign and my server wasn’t even down.  I had gotten to a point where I was getting sloppy with my media buying because everything had been going so well.  I took some uncalculated risks and it completely bombed.  It was a great ego check for me to make sure I was still spending the appropriate amount of time to ensure my buys were setup correctly, my landing pages were tweaked, my creative was good, and I was targeting the right demographics.

What was your biggest success to date?

This is a tough question, too. I’ve been very happy with what I accomplished over the last year, not to mention I’ve learned so much.  Outside of learning so much about performance marketing, I’d say my biggest success was consistently being the top earner at a top network this fall.

How did you learn the business (eBooks? Webinars? Membership sites? Freebies? Paid services?)?

I bought one eBook on cookie stuffing before I ever really got into affiliate marketing.  Worst money I ever spent and a moronic tactic.  I got to where I am by networking and testing.  The only way you can get a campaign to work is by trying and tweaking.  I am not a fan of eBooks or membership sites.  Any information that is worth knowing is usually kept within a small circle of people.

What do you think is the true value to consumers in affiliate marketing?

Well, inherently affiliate marketing is just an extension of a brand’s marketing department.  So as long as affiliate messaging matches the brand’s messaging, it provides any, if not all of the same value the marketing department provides.  The real value of affiliate marketing is provided to the company itself.

Do you think sponsored conversations have their place in the industry?

Sure, but it isn’t something I have actively participated in so far.  There is a time and place for all sorts of advertisements, conversations are one of them.

Besides yourself, who do you think is the most valuable resource to the affiliate community?

Ha, I would hardly call myself the most valuable resource. If I had to pick one that is/was the most valuable resource, I would say it is my friend who tries to fly under the radar but he invented/first affiliate to use a blog style testimonial and has now single-handedly taken an affiliate offer to a mainstream brand;  a feat no one else has ever really done before.

How do you balance professional v. personal?

I combined the two so it has just become my life. I don’t really view it as a separation.

How often did you check your stats….1 month in? 1 year in? Today?

In the beginning I checked a lot, as all people do. But as of this year as I became mostly media buying, I became a “traffic controller” where I pretty much just watched traffic and stats all day.  Made sure things we’re tracking right, offers converting, staying under caps, etc.

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

They wouldn’t. It would be the most boring, monotone movie ever.

OK, now who would REALLY play you?

Lorenzo Lamas

What are some of the key differences between a ‘super affiliate’ and the veteran, less successful affiliates?

Honestly super affiliate is a term that shouldn’t be used anymore and doesn’t fit.  A super affiliate in my mind, was the guy who made a six figure, maybe low 7 figure income before affiliate marketing became the juggernaut that it is now.  Now the biggest affiliates, the ones doing half a million a day are small companies.  They have developers, designers, media buyers, etc.  Affiliate marketing has turned from individuals to companies, in terms of the top echelon. Not to mention you have large media companies now with affiliate divisions that run affiliate offers on their own media and on other ad networks.  The line has become blurred as the amount of money at stake has increased.

But to get back to the question, what makes differentiates successful ones from less successful ones are the people who test, take big risks, and are willing to spend big money on media.  Without doing these, you won’t be near the top.

Is where you are now where you thought you’d be…10 years ago? 5 years ago? A month ago? Why/ why not?

No. A year ago, what seemed like huge feats/earnings seems miniscule now. The bar is always being raised. I had no idea I would be as lucky as I have been when I first got into this industry. I try to keep working and making progress as fast as I can.  I never know what the next month has in store for me.

Explain affiliate marketing so a child would understand it.

Affiliate marketing is basically a performance based, independent marketing arm for a company.  Affiliates can be people or companies, but all affiliates promote something for someone else based around performance metrics (that was geared toward smart kids).

Trisha has an extensive affiliate background, having worked with reputable companies including most recently For Me To Coupon, her insights at conferences, on her blog, and on the Affiliate Marketing Fanatics podcast she co-hosts on GeekCast.fm.

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

An Interview With Trisha Lyn Fawver

How did you get started in the industry?

I was working at a printing company in the marketing department when they asked me if I wanted to take over the affiliate program.  I had been running other programs and turned them around and the affiliate program needed a lot of work and updating.  So I took over the affiliate program, turning it from a independent Direct Track based program to a top performer with Commission Junction.

What was your biggest learning experience to date?

It was interesting working at a start-up marketing firm that was backed by an existing company and seeing what that dynamic was like.  Despite good affiliate results, the backing company still ended up dictating what happened at the firm and ultimately sealed it’s demise.

What was your biggest success to date?

Growing the two printing company affiliate programs I’ve managed into top earning programs.  Reorganizing the first program I managed completely to a great running program.

How did you learn the business (eBooks? Webinars? Membership sites? Freebies? Paid services?)?

By jumping in head first and listening to my manager, who had run affiliate programs at other companies.  I also attended my first Affiliate Summit about 6 months after jumping into affiliate marketing, and learned a lot that way.

What do you think is the true value to consumers in affiliate marketing?

A lot of affiliate sites offer tons of value to consumers.  Whether you’re talking about cashback sites or incentives, or just offering an abundance of coupons.  Obviously, if affiliates didn’t provide a lot of value, consumers wouldn’t go to their sites.

Do you think sponsored conversations have their place in the industry?

It’s a fine line.  If the conversation also has a lot of good value and doesn’t push the sponsor before the good content, then there’s definitely room.

Besides yourself, who do you think is the most valuable resource to the affiliate community?

The obvious answer for me is Shawn Collins, as his blog is a fountain great information.  A second would be AffPlan, which is starting to really come into its own with the information being presented.

How do you balance professional v. personal?

Very carefully lol.  Especially since I work at home, sometimes it’s very difficult to turn off work mode and turn into professional mode.  Basically my weekends are personal only and every other day is professional until my husband tells me it’s time to put the laptop aside and watch some tv or eat with him.

How often did you check your stats….1 month in? 1 year in? Today?

As an affiliate manager, I check the stats of my programs daily pretty much.  We do weekly reports that are a bit more in-depth.

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

It would be cliché to say Kathy Bates since she’s one of the only plus sized ladies in Hollywood, but she’s also a great actress so I think I’d still go with Kathy Bates.  Or I could throw America Ferrara a bone.

OK, now who would REALLY play you?

That girl on Drop Dead Diva lol.

What are some of the key differences between a ‘super affiliate’ and the veteran, less successful affiliates?

Lightning in a bottle.  From talking with super affiliates, yes they put in a LOT of work, but many of them were also just in the right place at the right time with the niches they chose (ringtones, mobile phone accessories, etc).  There are also other affiliates that got started in the beginning 10+ years ago and have built up their businesses to successful enterprises.  I think what mainly differentiates them from the less successful affiliates is time put into their businesses.  You have to make this a full time business to earn full time profits, otherwise it’s still just a side job, even if you’ve been doing it for years.

Is where you are now where you thought you’d be…10 years ago? 5 years ago? A month ago? Why/ why not?

Ha!  10 years ago I was graduating high school and on my way to college for Theatre Arts – I thought I was going to be an actress and playwright.  So this is miles from where I thought I’d be.  5 years ago I was working in customer service and still thought it was a stepping stone before selling a script.  A month ago is probably the closest expectation!

Explain affiliate marketing so a child would understand it.

Affiliate marketing is where people put advertisements for online stores on their websites and get paid a fee when someone else buys through their advertisements.

Jonathan’s blog is one of the top on my must-read list. He provides a lot of great resources for affiliates and online marketers. He also recently wrote a free guide, Affiliate Marketing 101, and has some fun contests running to announce the launch.

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

An Interview With Jonathan Volk

How did you get started in the industry?

It was roughly around age 11 that I began to learn to code first in C and C++ and then websites languages. I’ve been doing it ever since and it’s really what began this passion for everything internet-related.

It was then in 2004 that my Dad called me into his office and told me that he was interested in starting another business with me, web hosting. This was my first venture into making actual money online.

While attempting to get a successful hosting business up, my Dad invested tens of thousands of dollars into learning SEO and other techniques. As an example, one conference with Brad Fallon and a few select others cost $10,000 for two days. While there was a lot of great information, the hosting business still failed.

The business might have failed, but we did not fail. It really was this foundation that enabled me to reach the level that I have reached currently.

After moving on from the hosting business, I had learned quite a bit about SEO and affiliate marketing.

Early in 2007, I really decided to get serious about affiliate marketing. I had been running some adsense websites and such for a while and had made up to $250/day during the peak of my adsense days.

The adsense income was very inconsistent and the profit margins were very very slim. I was essentially buying traffic and sending it to my heavily ad ridden websites.

As I began to apply my techniques to affiliate marketing, I began to learn how much potential affiliate marketing had. I researched everything I could about affiliate marketing through forums, friends, and my friend, google.

What was your biggest learning experience to date?

The biggest learning experience has come from all the failures that I have had. I’ve had many businesses and websites that would have been successful had I executed them better. Looking back on those failures, I have learned the most from those experiences.
What was your biggest success to date?

My biggest success is probably marrying my beautiful wife Maria.

How did you learn the business (eBooks? Webinars? Membership sites? Freebies? Paid services?)?

I learned the business from forums (digitalpoint, clickconsultants, etc), from blogs, and any resource I could find on the subject.
What do you think is the true value to consumers in affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketers try hard to show relevant products, services, etc to people looking for a solution to a problem.
Do you think sponsored conversations have their place in the industry?

Sponsored conversations? I don’t really know until I saw it. It’s less about the idea and more about the execution of the idea.

Besides yourself, who do you think is the most valuable resource to the affiliate community?

I would say all the affiliate marketing blogs listed on Affbuzz.com. I couldn’t pick a single one as they all mostly have good information. If I had to pick it would probably be Chad from CDFNetworks.com. Great information.
How do you balance professional v. personal?

I set a schedule. I get up around 8 am every day, start work around 9:30 or 10 am. I work until 4pm. Then I spend some time with my wife, cook dinner with her, and clean up the kitchen. After this we go back to work until 9PM. At 9PM we go and watch TV for a little while. Around 10:30 or 11PM, we go and read until we are tired enough to sleep.

It works really well for us.
How often did you check your stats….1 month in? 1 year in? Today?

Month 1: Very often – 10-15 times a day or so.

1 Year in, 4-5 times a day.

Today: 1-4 times a day.
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Michael Cera for sure.

What are some of the key differences between a ‘super affiliate’ and the veteran, less successful affiliates?

I would say connections in the industry and drive.
Is where you are now where you thought you’d be…10 years ago? 5 years ago? A month ago? Why/ why not?

Where I am now is way beyond what I would have expected when I was younger. Where I am now is not where I want to be in 2-3 years, however. I want to always be growing in more areas then just affiliate marketing. I want to create websites and services that I can sell later on.
Explain affiliate marketing so a child would understand it.

Affiliate marketing is being a sales man online. You get commission for selling products or services for companies. This is done by telling interested people about a product or service and helping them to know the benefits of the product or service.

Thanks for doing the interview with eMonetized, Jonathan! For more affiliate marketing strategies and interviews, check out JonathanVolk.com!

Kate Morris is a search marketing guru who I met at SXSW last year. Our unofficial tour guide in Austin, Kate has organized some great search and affiliate marketing meetups and discussions both locally and on panels at several trade shows including Affiliate Summit. Kate also co-founded Marketing Demons, a search and social marketing agency.

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

An Interview With Kate Morris

How did you get started in the industry?

I got started in the search marketing industry when I was in school at The University of Texas. The internship I was at had a client that wanted to do PPC ads, so they put me on it. The rest is history.

What was your biggest learning experience to date?

The greatest learning experience has been at 360training where I was in charge of a team of 5 people, mostly developers in Pakistan. Most were men, most older than me. I learned a lot, and grew a lot as a person. It also helped professionally because we had 30+ websites to run, ad campaigns for 6 divisions, and the search optimization for them all. It was hectic but I got a lot of experience there.

What was your biggest success to date?

My first real site optimization on my own, I was working in-house as a marketing manager doing everything from online stuff to designing ads for magazine placements. After a few months, we ranked on the first page for the most general term for the industry. Very hard to do. I could barely believe it.

How did you learn the business (eBooks? Webinars? Membership sites? Freebies? Paid services?)?

I learned from reading and from mentors. One is Brian Combs, I call him my Yoda. He taught me a lot from the start. But sites like WebmasterWorld and SEOmoz will always be in my heart because it’s because of them that I learned the basics.

What do you think is the true value to consumers in affiliate marketing?

The value to consumers lies in the fact that they can learn about products when doing something related. Reading, researching, or just being entertained. Affiliate marketing gives companies a way to be a part of people’s online lives.

Do you think sponsored conversations have their place in the industry?

There is a very fine line there. I think they do have a place but need to stay in check. Just because someone sends me a product sample does not mean I am indebted to write a glowing review. But sometimes it’s needed to get your product name out there. Basically, if you do it or ask people to do it, just keep your morals in check.

Besides yourself, who do you think is the most valuable resource to the affiliate community?
I am not sure that I am a «most valuable resource», but I think one of the best resources is Scott Polk. He is who got me interested in affiliate marketing, and has been a champion of the industry for a long time. He really understands the need to build relationships and how to connect the right people.

How do you balance professional v. personal?

This is hard considering the fact that I work from home and am finishing up my MBA right now. It’s probably my outside obligations and my goal to have a work life balance from the beginning that has kept me from working too hard. It also helps that the two merge a lot. I never thought I would be the person whos work was their life, but my work really is a part of me. So I enjoy what I do, it’s not really «work».

How often did you check your stats….1 month in? 1 year in? Today?

Stats are checked weekly.

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

I have no idea. I hear Julia Stiles and I have the same mannerisms, but I don’t see the likeness. I really don’t know.

OK, now who would REALLY play you?

Haha … you tell me!!

Is where you are now where you thought you’d be…10 years ago? 5 years ago? A month ago? Why/ why not?

10 years ago I didn’t know this part of the world existed. So no. 5 years ago, I was still figuring out if being online is where I needed to be. So not then either. A month ago, yes. These past few months have just flown by.

Explain affiliate marketing so a child would understand it.

My first answer was: Utilizing a person’s passion, expressed on the web, to get information out to others. And because that information crosses paths with some companies and their products, opening some of that space to advertising the products that match with the sites content.

There is no way a kid would get that. So  … placing ads on my website for things that people are interested in.

Thanks for doing the interview with eMonetized, Kate! Looking forward to seeing you in Austin again soon. You can visit Kate’s blog at www.katemorris.com or follow her on Twitter.

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.

—————————

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.

I got an email today from Amazon titled “PlayStation 3: Top Games of 2009.” The email also links to new future releases which you could try and setup campaigns for so you will be first.

Normally you might consider email like this junkmail. But as an affiliate some of these emails can be really helpful!

Thinking like an affiliate the first thing I thought was “If they are the top 3 games then they probably get the most traffic right!”

While you could try and profit off these games by trying to selling them directly through affiliate links, I think about it a different way.

I consider top games lists and all “top …” 10 lists as great sources/keywords for traffic!

For example with the Google content network, you could setup an separate Adgroups targeting those top games and then use nice image ads for gaming email submit offers. You could also go the “poll” route and setup and landing page listing the top 3 games and let them vote on their favorite. After they submit the answer, they might “win a prize” (to an email submit) or something like that. The poll method has been around awhile.

Just an example but just think outside the box a little.