Tracey Halvorsen is a blogger, painter, author, speaker and Principal and Creative Director at Fastspot, a Baltimore, Maryland-based interactive agency. I had chance to speak with her about many aspects of running a design business, from social networking to determining budgets to the importance of failure.
Question: You and I met on Twitter, and I see lots of Tweets from you and use of services such as foursquare. How has social media changed the way you communicate and do business?
Social media really expands your ability to connect with like-minded groups, especially Twitter. Not only is Twitter useful to broadcast and interact, it’s also incredibly useful to research prospective clients, learn more about potential employees and watch what your competition is up to. I really enjoy following other agencies and seeing what interesting tidbits they post, and I try to do the same. It’s a nice way to mix personal with business, and I think that is the best approach.
With foursquare there is less business relevance for me, but I do like it to help me remember where I was in certain cities as I’m not good at remembering hotel or restaurant names. It also allows me to let friends and family know when I’ve arrive somewhere, which is a nice side benefit. On the flip side, there is a certain arrogance to constantly broadcasting your whereabouts to people who probably don’t give a damn, and these thoughts have me rethinking the appeal of foursquare or similar services.
I think the public opinion and absorption rate for social media fluctuates wildly, and I am not sure where we will find ourselves in 5 years when it comes to these types of technologies. While I have made interesting and beneficial connections (like the one with you), most meaningful connections still come the old fashioned way - through a phone call or an email.
I know clients do follow Fastspot or me personally on Twitter, and I’m sure a few prospective clients do as well, but I don’t think social media can be attributed directly to significant gains professionally. However, I can firmly say that if I wasn’t in that social media space I do think it would hurt us professionally. So it’s a space I feel I need to be in, since it reflects to our clients that we understand these spaces and their usefulness (or lack thereof).