(Image from Flickr: “FB-TG-080314” by Glenn Zucman)

Agree or Disagree:

If you want to know how someone uses a social network, ask their criteria for adding someone as a friend on it.

(Image from Flickr: “The Boy Whatley” by whatleydude)

Introducing James Whatley, the boisterous creative force behind SpinVox’s blog and Whatleydude.
To be around James is to experience a whirlwind of creative energy which social media celebrates.
We spoke at length in Helsinki, and one of our favorite topics was social media and business.
This interview is a continuation of that conversation.
If you’re contemplating starting a company blog, or if you already write one, James’ perspective is essential.
And if you like what he has to say, make sure to give SpinVox a try.

1. Who reads the SpinVox blog and why?
The SpinVox blog, I would say, is read by our users, partners, employees, customers – past, present and future! The SpinVox Blog or ‘Big Talk’ as we like to call it… – is our way of communicating daily/weekly/monthly with our users on a personal level. I work at SpinVox and try to give a level view on what’s going on in ‘the World of SpinVox’ both inside the company walls and out. The readers drop by for a number of reasons I guess – for information about our activities, to read up on how we are and to also just ‘connect’ with SpinVox. I mean, the last thing we are or would want to be is some faceless corporation and SpinVox blog is one way we can give people insight to our culture and attitudes…. For instance, we care about our users and their experiences, so the blog – as well as being a place for SpinVox to give our point of view on the world – is a place for our readers to comment and give feedback on what we do and what we say… The feedback loop if you will.

2. How do you know if the blog is successful?
Obviously you can go down the old school route of sheer numbers. However, in this new/digital/social media world we live in, ‘numbers’ don’t necessarily equal success. Before we had the blog there was no personal online voice for SpinVox. There was nowhere where we could talk informally about any of the things I’ve mentioned so far and there was also no way for our users to really feel like they could discuss issues with us and our ‘ecosystem’. I consider the SpinVox Blog a success because it stimulates conversation and while simultaneously giving us a place to free-form ideas and point to other things we like, it gives all those who care about SpinVox a place to get involved.

3. How do you decide what to blog about?
This is a many-headed beast… but to be honest – the better question is what do we decide NOT to blog about? When I wrote the blogging strategy for SpinVox at the tail end of last year I floated a whole host of ideas about what we could talk about – to the point of there being nearly too much! The acid test is that what I blog about should be something that stimulates discussion – the difference between ‘visual’ and ‘visible’ voicemail being a recent example. Plus on a daily (sometimes hourly!) basis I get Google Alerts from all across the web from people talking about much they love SpinVox or how they integrated SpinVox into their life or business and that prompts a constant flow of new ideas.

4. Tell us about your posts: which is your favorite? Which was most popular and/or influential?
So a few posts immediately spring to mind – I mentioned it above but the first one would be the most recent post I wrote – which pitches the iPhone’s Visual Voicemail feature vs SpinVox Voicemail, something we’ve notionally referred to as ‘Visible Voicemail’.
The link is above but it resonates well because not only does it stimulate a discussion worth having, (and, of course, SpinVox comes off better out of the two), but we also have Testimonials from well-known users across the web, including TechCrunch UK! Worth a look (it features of my pen & pad diagram work too – which has kind of become my calling card of late)

The second one would be a post entitled ‘Ouch’ – in which we publicly apologised for a few hours downtime after an incident with some building works cutting through one of our main supplier cables. We learnt a lot from that whole episode and you can read about it all here.

The 3rd and final post – which really has to be my absolute favourite – (again featuring my handy work with a pad and pen) – is ‘Confidence in Communication’. This post came about after a particularly intense brainstorming session at SpinVox HQ and it was the first time we’d publicly shared some of the more meatier thinking that goes on around our product and is pretty typical of the sort of thing that goes on at SpinVox day-in day-out.. It also spawned many responses from our readers who wrote out their own interpretations and blogged them. Great stuff all round.
Actually – I’d really like to get your POV on it if you get a chance – you can find the post here.

5. You recently posted a video about condoms: Was that considered controversial? What does buying condoms have to do with Spinvox? Did partners with “tellingitlikeitis.tv” offend any SpinVox users?

SpinVox does one thing well – turn voice into text in order that people can message more effectively. The MTV campaign was all about getting messages over in an effective away and actually using our system to do it – to allow people to ’speak freely’ on associated websites through SpinVox. We’re also a company that takes our social responsibilities seriously – we sponsored this activity for instance – and our co-founder Christina Domecq has been personally funding for nearly a decade orphanages in Southern Africa in villages devastated by the effects of AIDS. So over the Summer SpinVox teamed up with MTV’s Global Multimedia HIV/AIDS prevention charity: The Staying-Alive Foundation (SAF). Together we launched the Stand By What You Say campaign which, along with the support of Causes for Facebook, encouraged people to not only pick up the phone and Speak Freely about the sexual issues that were relevant to them, but to then also act on them. The campaign was an outstanding success and resulted in SpinVox once again teaming up with SAF this time with the guys from Fur.tv (the puppets featured in the video you mentioned) to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the SAF being in existence. Inviting the viewers of this years European Music Awards to call in and ‘tell it like it is’.

6. If you were starting the SpinVox blog again, what would you have done differently and why?
When I first started the SpinVox Blog I felt a small amount of pressure to tow the company line and not to put too much ‘whatleydude’ into it, if you get my meaning? I was concerned that my writing style and my POV on the world might contradict with the SpinVox Brand/Image and I was reticent to put anything to (virtual) paper, as it were. After a month or so of this my boss noticed and pulled me up on it. He explained that the pressure was non-existent and was all in my head and that in fact, the reason I’d been hired was so that I could be myself – SpinVox really is that sort of company! I can write blog posts and I do have a sense for what makes good content and what doesn’t…. and if the James Whatley of SpinVox point of view on the world is one that the company is happy stand behind then who am I to complain?!

(Image from Flickr: “Business Meeting in Coffee Shop with Windows Mobile devices” by gailjadehamilton)

What I look for in a face to face meeting with a vendor depends on the context of the meeting.
If I am calling a business meeting with you, I am likely doing so because you can solve a problem I can’t solve, or you can increase my efficiency.

1. The first thing I look for is whether we are in agreement on the purpose of the meeting: Do we both want the same thing from our conversation? That’s the “what.”
2. I next evaluate “the who.” If the meeting is important, I’ve searched online to know who I am meeting with and what matters to them.
3. If the what and who check out, I’m on to “the how.” I want to see clear examples that demonstrate that you can do exactly what you say you can do.
4. Next,  “when and how much.” I am looking for transparency and candor here.
5. If I’m really interested, I’ll want it faster. And if we’ve never worked together, I will look for ways to mitigate risk.

This post was inspired by Andrew Clark’s comment yesterday: “So you’ve covered ‘online…’ Where (or what) do you look at when meeting someone for the first time (face to face)? Where do you keep your “About me” page?”

For a blog post on great meetings see this one.

I am interested in great “About Us” pages. Every time we craft one for a client, we access so much about the company, both about how they perceive themselves and about how they want others to perceive them.

When I evaluate a company’s “About Us” page my two criteria are credibility and personality.

For credibility, I scan bios of their leadership team to see where they’ve worked, attended school and when they’ve spoken at conferences. What makes them uniquely qualified?

Evaluating personality, on the other hand, is more of an art than a science.
I start by seeing whether the company has a clear vision, expressed as a story, which I can easily follow.
Why was the company established and what is its mantra?
Then I look at how effectively their design brings that story to life.
I next scan for involvement, and this will vary depending on the industry. For instance, if I am on an agency’s website, I want to see what social networks their employees are on and how they are using them.
Finally, I look for the personal touch: Who are the principals as people? Do I want to work with them? Video interviews, quotes, funny and intriguing stats help here.

I have shared a few examples below that illustrate intriguing about us pages:

1. Meebo – Instant messaging site

A nice mix of credibility and personality with short, descriptive bios visible when you click the arrow.

2. Zappos – The customer service company that happens to sell shoes

A good example of the use of narrative and intertwining the company’s initiatives into the overall story

3. Design Continuum – A design & marketing company

A good example of personality. Reading these pages gives me a sense of who they are—as people.

4. Headwaters – A Merchant Bank

The “About Us” page is a clear cut example of credibility, and the site exemplifies personality. It’s a gem amongst financial services sites.

5. Elastic Lab – A marketing agency

Although their video bios aren’t complete at the time of this entry, I like how they have positioned them on the site. If I want to learn more, or see their people, I can do so with one click.

6. Forty Media – Another marketing agency

Their whole site lives on one page, and their credibility derives from their involvement. Click under any of their team’s photos to see where they are active online. I love it.

I asked friends on Twitter for their feedback on about us pages. Here’s what they said:

@central_nm  on about us page – what is look and feel? does it convey a sense of person/company/service in honest & authentic? current?

@solobasssteve context, background info, links, credentials, personal info, photos, interests, friendliness.

@nwjerseyliz If biz, a BRIEF statement about goals whether that is a mission statement or a promise to customers to provide good service

@kirbstr I look for the 5 w’s. Who are they? Where are they? (this sticks in my mind even as it seems less relevant) what, when, why

UPDATE: @solskinner Check out DanSko’s “About Us” page. http://tinyurl.com/6pghnk

I have an idea for an “About Us” page I am considering for my agency’s website. The page would have two buttons. The first would be called “Just the Facts,” and the second, “Our Story & More…”

This would give visitors the ability to select how much information they want to know.

Want to read more on the subject? Check out:

The Power of the About Us Page, ClickZ, by Bryan Eisenberg
Your About Page is a Robot, A List Apart, by Erin Kissane
Calling for a Ban on “About Us” Pages, AdAge, by B. L. Ochman

Do you have an “About Us” page you love? Please leave it as a link in the comments below.

I am interested in great “About Us” pages. Every time we craft one for a client, we access so much about the company, both about how they perceive themselves and about how they want others to perceive them.

When I evaluate a company’s “About Us” page my two criteria are credibility and personality.

For credibility, I scan bios of their leadership team to see where they’ve worked, attended school and when they’ve spoken at conferences. What makes them uniquely qualified?

Evaluating personality, on the other hand, is more of an art than a science.
I start by seeing whether the company has a clear vision, expressed as a story, which I can easily follow.
Why was the company established and what is its mantra?
Then I look at how effectively their design brings that story to life.
I next scan for involvement, and this will vary depending on the industry. For instance, if I am on an agency’s website, I want to see what social networks their employees are on and how they are using them.
Finally, I look for the personal touch: Who are the principals as people? Do I want to work with them? Video interviews, quotes, funny and intriguing stats help here.

I have shared a few examples below that illustrate intriguing about us pages:

1. Meebo – Instant messaging site

A nice mix of credibility and personality with short, descriptive bios visible when you click the arrow.

2. Zappos – The customer service company that happens to sell shoes

A good example of the use of narrative and intertwining the company’s initiatives into the overall story

3. Design Continuum – A design & marketing company

A good example of personality. Reading these pages gives me a sense of who they are—as people.

4. Headwaters – A Merchant Bank

The “About Us” page is a clear cut example of credibility, and the site exemplifies personality. It’s a gem amongst financial services sites.

5. Elastic Lab – A marketing agency

Although their video bios aren’t complete at the time of this entry, I like how they have positioned them on the site. If I want to learn more, or see their people, I can do so with one click.

6. Forty Media – Another marketing agency

Their whole site lives on one page, and their credibility derives from their involvement. Click under any of their team’s photos to see where they are active online. I love it.

I asked friends on Twitter for their feedback on about us pages. Here’s what they said:

@central_nm  on about us page – what is look and feel? does it convey a sense of person/company/service in honest & authentic? current?

@solobasssteve context, background info, links, credentials, personal info, photos, interests, friendliness.

@nwjerseyliz If biz, a BRIEF statement about goals whether that is a mission statement or a promise to customers to provide good service

@kirbstr I look for the 5 w’s. Who are they? Where are they? (this sticks in my mind even as it seems less relevant) what, when, why

UPDATE: @solskinner Check out DanSko’s “About Us” page. http://tinyurl.com/6pghnk

I have an idea for an “About Us” page I am considering for my agency’s website. The page would have two buttons. The first would be called “Just the Facts,” and the second, “Our Story & More…”

This would give visitors the ability to select how much information they want to know.

Want to read more on the subject? Check out:

The Power of the About Us Page, ClickZ, by Bryan Eisenberg
Your About Page is a Robot, A List Apart, by Erin Kissane
Calling for a Ban on “About Us” Pages, AdAge, by B. L. Ochman

Do you have an “About Us” page you love? Please leave it as a link in the comments below.