I am an @Midwest board member and a designer creating his own paths.

How do you walk the talk re: social media?
At Illinois state, we are constantly trying to locate and engage our alumni in order to let them know how the university is growing, expanding and rising in reputation. At the same time, we are tying to locate the top notch students in Illinois and let them know what great things our alumni are doing with their degrees. Social media allows us to do both at once.

We are using Facebook/Twitter to let alumni know what great things are happening at the University and a place for them to share their memories. At the same time, allowing prospective students see what experiences they will share in.

We have moved our magazine and newsletter into a blog format so alumni can comment, sharing their own ideas along with the ability to share individual articles with their friends.

Videos and images of campus are being pushed out through YouTube and Flickr and we are moving towards a system were students and alumni can share their images and videos with us, and all their fellow alumni

And then there is texting, emailing and a host of other technologies we are using all in an effort to engage our alumni on their own time, where ever they may be.

 

Makes for a busy day.

What one practical tip can you recommend regarding the use of social media?
No thy audience, and take a breath. Yea, that’s two, but they both equally important. Whether you are new to social media or have been engaged for years, examine your audience and make sure they are listening. And don’t get caught up trying to jump into all the aspects of social media at once. Pick one of, experiment, try, grow, and obtain a level of comfort before expanding into another one.

What do you think is the perfect age?
What ever age I am. Life just keeps getting better as the days pass.

 

What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Outside on the patio with an old fashion, hard cover book. Preferably something in the realm of sci-fi or fantasy. I love the portability of iPads, Nooks and Kindles and read on those whenever I can, but nothing beats a visit to a used bookstore in order to purchase a new book to read.

What are you really good at?
Reading people in order to discover the best possible solution to unique problems. There is nothing better than to take on a project, do all the research and then sit down with the client. The discussions that follows always leads to unique, creative solutions to their marketing issues.

Name one thing you will never understand.
Why people play the “blame game”. When ever mistakes are made, people would rather look for a scapegoat rather than examine the process that allowed the mistake to be made. The only true mistakes are those you do not learn from.

Share something on your mind lately.
I am not going to complain about a hot, humid summer after a cold, wet winter and a cold, wet spring. My patio is waiting for me.