This is a selection of the different people mentioned in this blog. They are listed in the order in which they appear.
Since 2009, we’ve been interviewing innovators & pioneers within social media. We look for people who aren’t necessarily in the business of communication or social media, but use social media in life-changing & facinating ways. We did not choose our sources to represent a comprehensive cross-section of social media users. Nor is this a list of those with the most fans, likes, or followers. We sought out “real” people blazing new trails within their own fields via social media. Our goal was to interview the people who utilize Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, LinkedIn, and MySpace to dramatically open their worlds to a whole new level of dialogue & communication.
We worked with Michael Norton to determine the answers to some critical questions. Who are these people? What attracted them to social media? What can they teach us about forthcoming trends in consumer behavior ? It wasn’t easy tracking down many of these trendsetters. Some didn’t want to be interviewed, some didn’t want to talk about their personal experiences. On the whole, however, we found a group of genuine innovators willing to tell their story and let us into their virtual lives. From these interviews, we have gleaned insights into the world of these “social butterflies.” The influencers. Each one, a trailblazer in their field…as diverse as a teacher, a fashionista, food activist, design blogger and even a dairy farmer.
This project has spanned almost one solid year of interviews, research, analysis and debate. We sincerely hope that over the next few months, our insights will spark substantive conversation about the new world in which dialogue, instead of monologue, is the future for all consumer brands. This blog is only the beginning in exploring social media’s impact on the consumer. How these consumers are wired…and how to reach them…is the biggest challenge facing advertisers today. And examining consumers’ on-line behavior is life or death for any brand. We will continue to conduct these interviews to see how these trends change over time as well as to identify new trends and behaviors. We’re excited to share with you our thoughts…but most importantly, we want you to join the conversation. After all, we’re all just simple Slouch Potatoes searching for the “send” button.
