Within Seattle’s social media community, I am always amazed by all the truly gifted minds I am able to come across. It seems that at every SMC Seattle meeting or tweetup I go to, there is an abundance of folks who are absolutely brilliant. Most often, I find that these are those who have a firm understanding of the “big picture” surrounding social media and are able to eloquently convey these thoughts in a new light. So is the case with our next profile of Ethan Yarbrough, a guy I think you should definitely go meet.
P.S. Ethan is currently looking for an Enterprise 2.0 group in the Seattle area. If you’re interested or have any information, please contact him at ethany@allyis.com or on Twitter.
Thank you again, Ethan, for allowing us to come speak with you.
The Basics:
1. What is your name?
Ethan Yarbrough
2. E-mail?
ethany@allyis.com
3. What is your occupation? Company?
One of the founders and the president of Allyis (http://www.allyis.com/)
4. Originally from? When and how did you end up in the Greater Seattle area? (if applicable)
Originally from Green Bay, WI. Moved here after high school to attend Western Washington University in Bellingham because both parents had also gone there. Got a BA and MA in English; finished in spring of ‘95 and moved to the Seattle area to take a contract job at Microsoft as a proofreader on Encarta World Atlas. Worked as a contractor at Microsoft until Sept. ‘96 and then started Allyis with two friends from graduate school.
5. How can people find you on the web?
Twitter, My Blog, YouTube
Social Media:
6. Why do you like social media?
I have found that social media is a great leveler; it breaks down hierarchies, it strips away the artificiality of titles, and lets us all present ourselves to one another just as human beings with mutual interests and mutual value. I know other people in this profile series have mentioned this, but it’s worth saying again: social media gives you the ability to reach out to anyone, anywhere, and enter into a conversation as a peer rather than as a supplicant. I’m not great at walking into a traditional networking event where I don’t know anyone and haven’t ever spoken to anyone in the room, but social media gives me the opportunity to make contact with people and have valuable exchanges with them before we ever meet in person. Then, if we do have the opportunity to meet at some point, we’re already validated to one another, we already believe in one another’s worth, we no longer have anything to prove to one another and we can pick up an existing conversation, an existing relationship, instead of trying to start cold. Bottom line, I like that social media is an entrepreneurial medium in that it gives anyone who wants it, the freedom to engineer their own identity and highlight their own skills, experience, and worth when they want to, how they want to, where they want to, without having to wait for the permission of some elite authority.
7. How do you utilize social media?
Blogging, Twitter, and video are what I do most (and now I’m looking into podcasting too). I use social media primarily as a professional tool. Allyis helps our clients engage with social media tools and practices to enhance the effectiveness of their own business operations, so a lot of what I post, I would categorize as consultative—I’m using social media in an attempt to guide anyone who’s interested to the most useful information about how to use social media themselves.
8. What is one thing that mainstream population should know about social media?
That it’s not frivolous; that even though from the outside it can look like there’s a lot of self-indulgent, self-promoting activity going on, it’s not about that at all. That stuff goes on and gets a lot of attention, but at its core, social media is about relationship building and those relationships are rooted in peoples’ desires to connect to one another, listen to one another, and help one another. Those are fundamental human desires finding fulfillment thanks to technology, so it’s profound, not frivolous.
9. If people follow you on Twitter, what can they expect?
They can expect inconsistent activity. If I have something useful to offer the community, I won’t hesitate, but I want to avoid being a person who tweets just to remind people I’m there. So, some days/weeks, I get in a groove, find a vein of what I think is valuable material I want to share with people, and so I get active; and other times, I get quiet for a while and just try to listen to what other people are saying. Most of my tweets are professional in nature, but I will throw up pictures if I’m doing something interesting with my family or friends or I’ll post a bad joke now and then because that’s the only kind I know.
10. How would you describe the social media scene in Seattle?
I haven’t experienced the social media scene first hand anywhere other than Seattle, so it’s hard to compare it to other places. But, my sense is that the scene here is really vibrant and growing. There seems to be more diversity in the scene in terms of age, industry, and occupation than you might expect, which I think is really a really good thing. And, I’ve also found that the people I’ve encountered in the Seattle Social Media scene are really supportive of each other and really want to help others succeed.
11. Any good social media success stories or “wow” moments?
I have one moment that’s a “wow” for me. I really got introduced to social media last June: I went to the Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston to learn about how businesses were engaging the tools and practices of social media. Coming out of that conference, I was really inspired by the possibilities I saw for how social media in business could facilitate better communication, greater employee empowerment, and accelerated innovation, among other benefits. So, I started a blog before I even left Boston so I could explore Enterprise 2.0 publicly and keep track of and share what I was learning. I’ve been blogging on this topic for almost a year now and, as a result, have made amazing connections with thought leaders in the Enterprise 2.0 space. And just last week, I got invited to be an official blog partner of this year’s Enterprise 2.0 Conference which will be held in Boston again—almost a year to the day since I started blogging. That’s a “wow” to me because it illustrates how powerful a tool social media is for breaking down barriers, creating relationships and giving individuals the power to build their own futures. If one person can achieve that with one blog in less than a year, think of what thousands of people working together with all the social media tools at their disposal could achieve. It sounds like hyperbole, but in fact, I think it’s an understatement to say that social media contains the power to change the world.
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?
Yes, the Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston, June 22-25. Now that I’m an official blog partner for that conference, I can offer people a 30% discount registration. Just go to my blog (www.emergingwebmemo.com) and click on the Enterprise 2.0 conference banner. That will take you to the conference site, and when you click on the Register link there, it will auto-populate a discount code in the registration form. You can find information about the conference here: www.e2conf.com. I’ll be there, of course, so if anyone in your audience takes advantage of the discount and also shows up, I hope they’ll seek me out. It would be great to meet and share experiences.
Just For Fun:
13. What are your hobbies?
Writing, reading, photography, video production, and bicycling.
14. Favorite vacation spot? Thing to do there?
My family has a cabin on Hood Canal. I like to go there, get in the row boat, row to the middle of the canal, and then drift and wait for the seals to come check me out.
15. Favorite restaurant in Seattle? Favorite food?
I’m not going to pretend to be more sophisticated than I really am: Dick’s Drive-In on 45th: Dick’s Deluxe, chocolate shake.
16. Favorite things to do in Seattle in the summer?
At the moment, bicycling the Burke-Gilman trail.
17. Most embarrassing CD you own?
I have a Celine Dion CD… two. Would you believe they’re my wife’s?
18. Any hidden talents?
My hidden talent is hiding my surprising lack of talent. Most people don’t know what an amazing accomplishment that is for me every day.
19. What would you like everyone to know about you?
I really enjoy learning from other people and with other people; I think that’s the most exciting thing. So if we run into each other at an SMC event or anywhere else, I hope people will reach out and start a conversation. I’ll try to do the same.
Ethan Yarbrough Links
- Ethan Yarbrough’s Blog
- Ethan Yarbrough on Twitter
- Ethan Yarbrough’s YouTube Channel
- Ethan Yarbrough on Facebook
- Ethan Yarbrough on FriendFeed
- Ethan Yarbrough on LinkedIn
- Article on SocialComputingJournal.com: Three Simple Ways to Start Simple with Enterprise 2.0
- Article on AriWriter.com: Guest Post by Ethan Yarbrough – Lessons Learned
