Jennifer Leggio is the director of strategic communications for Fortinet, as well as a regular blogger on ZDNet and co-host of the Quick-n-Dirty show on blogtalkradio. Having spent more than 15 years in the communications industry, she has a good grasp on technology, network security, and digital media.

Jennifer also played an accidental role in the naming of this web site (a typo she wrote basically helped inspire the name “Social Nerdia“). Please follow Jennifer aka Mediaphyter on Twitter and make sure to pay attention to any thought-provoking typos.

1. How do you balance your life while working at Fortinet, blogging for ZDNet, and contributing to other projects?

It’s tough. I sacrifice a lot of my personal life. While Fortinet is flexible and understanding of my “double life,” my job there is my first and foremost priority, and it has both its demands and rewards. I need to write at least two to three times per week for ZDNet and I have pretty high standards for what I post on the blog. I don’t like to do little blurbs that just riff on other people’s research. I like to do my own research. It’s challenging but worth it. I just need to find a way to work a little more “me” time into the equation and I’ll be satisfied.

2. You write about “social business”. Do you think there’s a place for every company (products/services, B2C/B2B, etc.) in the social web?

Every company? That might be a stretch. (more…)

Craig Newmark founded Craigslist as a hobby in 1995. The site is one of the most popular destinations on the Internet and Craig’s way of seeing things is still much part of how the web company operates.

Craig was very kind to answer our questions about his current role at Craigslist, lessons learned from past work experiences, controversies, customer service, design, and more.

Please check out his very interesting blog and follow him on Twitter.

1. Every month, Craigslist gets 20 billion page views, 40 million new classified ads, and 50 million people looking to buy stuff, meet others, and get a job. What would you have done differently from 1995 to 1999, if you had known what your hobby was going to become?

I wouldn’t have done anything differently overall, but would have listened more to the lawyers and my own instincts.

2. In what ways (positive and negative) did your previous professional experiences help shape the culture of Craigslist?

I learned how important customer service is, and how largeness in organizations leads to dysfunction. For example, in a hierarchy, you get ahead by telling your boss what he or she wants to hear; then he or she tells his or her boss what they want to hear.

3. Craigslist is largely based on trust. Do you often wake up and wonder how your site continues to deliver what it offers despite the controversies and criticisms?

Not a problem, unfair controversies and criticisms just strengthen us, and increase community support and traffic.
(more…)

It was my privilege to interview Christopher Barger, Director of Social Media at General Motors, this past Monday morning.

The GM Social Media Team took some time off their busy schedule to talk with me and I write about it on the paragraphs that follow. I also highly recommend that you listen to the interview by downloading our very first podcast on iTunes or streaming it via blogtalkradio:

First of all, let me say that Christopher proved to me, over the course of our 30 minute conversation, that GM is serious in its efforts to engage in sincere communication with real people, particularly during the challenging phase in which the company is operating in. Christopher’s openness and candor, combined with his deep insight and thorough knowledge of the auto industry, make him an example of how to lead a corporate social media initiative.

Now, I did not previously know Christopher or anyone in his team, but I felt as if I almost did by the time we finished talking. As you listen to the interview you will notice that Christopher answered each question with a combination of deep and simple thoughts that he conveyed with confidence, poignant honesty, vision, and passion.

(more…)

John A. Byrne is the executive editor and editor-in-chief of BusinessWeek.com. Byrne previously launched the magazine’s ground-breaking rankings of business schools, best and worst corporate boards, and most generous philanthropists. He is also the author of eight books, including The New York Times best-seller “Jack: Straight from the Gut”, with former General Electric Chief Executive Jack Welch.

John was extremely gracious to provide us with his thoughts, which he wrote mid-flight from his BlackBerry. His insights about social media, online collaboration, business writing, and the future of journalism will certainly encourage and inspire you.

Please subscribe to the “Cover Stories” podcast and send John a message on Twitter. You can also join Business Exchange and add us to your network while you’re at it.

1. The BusinessExchange has grown to be a major part of BusinessWeek.com. What has been the secret to its success?

The Exchange is unique. No one does what we’re doing in our business category or outside it. I think that’s one major reason for its success to date. The other is that it meets the information needs of a business professional who wants to stay on top of his or her industry, company or discipline. Today the amount of news and information available on the Web is overwhelming. The Exchange allows you to quickly and easily get your arms around the most useful information you need, whether it’s on your company, your competitors, or aspect of your job. If you’re in human resources, for example, it will bring to you the latest news, feature stories and blog posts on stock option programs, human resource best practices, or the administration of benefits. And it will do this through intelligent human filtering so that a community of smart people in the topic will help us determine what the most valuable information is. That saves you time and gets you to the most important content you need to know to be the smartest person in the room.
(more…)

Alex Bogusky is the co-chairman of Crispin Porter & Bogusky, one of the most awarded and creatively relevant ad agencies in the world.

CP+B has quite an impressive list of clients (Burger King, Guitar Hero, Hulu, Volkswagen, Coke Zero, Microsoft, etc.) and it will soon also provide the services of its interns to the highest bidder in an eBay auction (Update: Sold for $17,655!).

Alex, who has won hundreds of top industry awards and was recently inducted into the Art Director’s Club Hall of Fame, was very cool to answer our questions during Memorial weekend and we’re confident you’ll enjoy reading his wise and down-to-earth words.

Please make sure to learn more about CP+B, follow Alex on Twitter, and allow yourself to think like a 12-year-old more often after reading this.

1. Crispin Porter + Bogusky has been named “Agency of the Year” by AdAge, Creativity, Clio Awards, and others. What is it like to be part of an agency that creates so much buzz for clients that it gets some buzz of its own?

It certainly doesn’t suck. But the accolades come and go and the buzz about the agency can sometimes get distracting. And I think a lot of the buzz is because we were the first agency to really rise to fame during the digital age. It’s been pretty wild because we haven’t had anybody to model ourselves after when things get bumpy. But it’s all good. The real fun is in helping build businesses by using the tools we have both with media and creativity to make our clients famous. As a rule we get off more on the culture jamming aspect of what we do for clients than the actual advertising aspects. For example we get more excited to see all the twittering on Hulu than we do about the creative awards. And for me the best part is you get to spend the day with a ton of your favorite people.

(more…)

David Siteman Garland is an entrepreneur,  speaker, and host of “The Rise to the Top,” a show that is entertaining, empowering, and energizing entrepreneurs.

1. Tell me about how you started “The Rise to the Top.”

It all started in a coffee shop. I felt like there was a market need on television for a show designed for forward-thinking young and young-at-heart entrepreneurs, and also room for events and resources to really help people grow their business and get involved with the community. I saw what was out there and honestly thought we could do it better by bringing in extremely interesting guests and delivering helpful content. I went all in, invested everything I had in getting it started and was fortunate to land some early sponsors who believed in me and the concept. The most crucial aspect though was surrounding myself with great people simply by asking for help. I talked to everyone I knew and said “I‘m doing a TV show and this is what I want to do but I’m not exactly sure how to do it. If you think it sucks, punch me;  however, if you like the concept I would appreciate a nudge in the right direction.” A bunch of nudges later I had a solid network of people who had years of experience helping me.

(more…)

Kentucky Fried Chicken’s “Unthink KFC” campaign looked like gold just 24 hours ago. Launching a new product (that actually looks ok), with the help of no other than The Oprah Winfrey, is a success in itself.

Especially for a restaurant that has not been doing well.

Unfortunately, failing to meet demands and angering people is probably not going to help them in the long-run.

Here’s why this is KFC’s Second Massive Fail (remember when rats conquered a KFC in Greenwich Village?):

1. Not enough chicken!

2. Oprah, the hypocrite?

3. Riots, long lines and racism

4. Poor coupon exclusions / explanations

5. Lame customer service

I don’t think I’m going to “unthink” KFC.

I haven’t been there in 5 years and now that I’ve attempted to get some free grilled chicken (5 times at 3 different locations), I don’t think I’ll go again for another 5 years.

So cheers, KFC. Job well done. Golden star in your face.