Betsy Aoki: Microsoft’s Blog Queen

Posted by admin

May 13, 2009

Meet Betsy Aoki, Program Manager on the Live Search team at Microsoft and all-around social media superstar. Recently, Veronica Sopher and I had the great opportunity to go talk with Betsy about social media and the upcoming “Will Code for Green” contest. We would like to thank Betsy again for letting us come out and chat with her. We had a fantastic time!

If you’re interested in meeting Betsy, she will be at tonight’s SMC Seattle event at the Lake Washington Rowing Club. Go say “Hello!”

The Basics:

1. What is your name?
Betsy Aoki

2. E-mail?
E-mail me via the link on my blog at blogs.msdn.com/betsya.

3. What is your occupation/company?
Program Manager, Microsoft

4. Originally from? When and how did you end up in the Greater Seattle area?
East Coast. I came to Seattle to do an MFA in Poetry. Then I discovered the Web.

5. How can people find you on the web?
twitter.com/baoki

Social Media:

6. Why do you like social media?
You have to dig back before the phrase “social media” was invented.

I was first working with online communities in 1995 when I founded the Seattle chapter of Webgrrls. I had fallen in love with creating Web sites during my graduate degree and wanted to connect with other women in the same field.

I’ve been working on creating Web applications and online communities ever since. When I fell in love with the Web, I fell in love with its connective powers and, certainly, my most recent projects for Microsoft reflect my obsession for Web and connection.

As Microsoft’s “Blog Queen” – Launched blogs.msdn.com and blogs.technet.com, empowering employees to be the voice of Microsoft.
Live QnA – Search’s question and answer site.
Program manager for XNA’s Community Games Web site (Creators.xna.com) – Enabling developers to make games for the Xbox, having them peer reviewed, and then offering them for sale.

Now, I’m doing social media strategy and outreach for Live Search!

7. How do you utilize social media?
I go through phases, usually depending on what makes me feel less guilty if I’m spending time doing it at work. I’m concentrating on Twitter and Facebook right now, but before that, I was all into the Xbox community forums and gaming sites—wherever the people that I want to listen to are hanging out.

8. What is one thing that mainstream population should know about social media?
Be really centered in who you are and, likewise, think ahead about how much you want to keep private before you begin using social media tools. There’s a balance between authenticity and too much information.

9. If people follow you on Twitter, what can they expect?
If they follow me at @baoki, they will get oddball and social media-related commentary. If they follow me as a @Live_Search team twitterer, they will see more focused customer support and Live Search info. I’m still figuring out frequency.

10. How would you describe the social media scene in Seattle?
Exploding with fabulousness but also I think finding itself. The Northwest as a whole is pretty unpretentious, which I think will help us forge a true community rather than a superficial one. I feel like I still have tons of people to meet and learn from, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and talking with folks.

11. Do you have a good social media success story or “wow” moment?
There’s a great archetypal reaction I’ve had throughout my five years at Microsoft, including Live Search, and it goes something like this: Through some community channel, a customer lets us know he/she is hopping mad and won’t take it anymore. Sometimes the f-bomb is thrown, sometimes not.

And you, as an employee, e-mail or post a forum post or comment directly back to the person (for Live Search it’s our Twitter account) and immediately when they realize Microsoft = real person listening, they calm down a bit and the dialogue begins. Sometimes, they even turn into fans from complete fury. It happens more often than you’d think, and always feels like magic when it does.

Previous to my current job with Live Search, my biggest “wow” moment was seeing XNA’s Community Games launch and seeing the first 25 or so games speed through the system and go up for sale on Xbox LIVE marketplace and seeing people in the forums argue about what a good game was and how to peer review properly, all with huge pride, like, “This is OUR gaming community and we don’t want to fill the marketplace with crap.” Like being in a rock band, making a video game is such a deep dream for people, and it was gratifying to realize I’d helped them do it.

12. Are there any social media events or conferences in the future you would like to let people know about? Please include dates, locations, etc. Where can more information be found?
I, for sure, have to let folks know about Gnomedex, who are our partners for the Live Search contest “Will Code for Green.” I had the fortune of attending last year, and it really is a unique, intimate, yet streaming-live-on-the-Internet, connected adventure. August 20-22, 2009. Information at Gnomedex.com.

Just For Fun:

13. What are your hobbies?
I am part of the “Urban Chicken” movement.

14. Favorite vacation spot? Thing to do there?
I love the U.K. and just listening to people talk while drinking tea and eating a cream scone.

15. Favorite restaurant in Seattle? Favorite food?
This is not about haute cuisine but about comfort food after a long day at work. When I need that Chinese food fix because I don’t want to cook, I get it at Chef at Wok (chefatwok.com).

16. Favorite things to do in Seattle in the summer?
Be anywhere there is sun! I’m not proud; at this point, I’ll take anything!

17. Most embarrassing CD you own?
Stevie Nicks: Bella Donna

18. Any hidden talents?
I can make decent homemade bath bombs/fizzies.

19. What would you like everyone to know about you?
I’m not as fat as I appear on this video. Really.