Marcus Schmidt: Windows Online Community Manager

Posted by admin

June 15, 2009

Microsoft. Inevitably, when you think of that ginormous company out in Redmond, often times you can’t help but think of one of its top competitors: Apple. Why? Because the debate about which is better is such a polarizing one. Either you’re a Windows fanboy or you’re an Apple fanboy—there’s no inbetween, gray area, or sitting on the fence on this one. You have to choose a side.

As for me, I’m a big fan of both. They both make great products that are valuable to me. On the Mac, I love iMovie 09. Have you tried it? I wish I had a Mac just so I could use it. Seriously, I would probably give up two of my kidneys and a lung just so I could play with it for 15 minutes. I love it.

At the same time, I still got mad love for Windows. I’ve been a huge fan since I discovered Windows 95 (Ski Free anyone?). You can imagine then, how stoked I am that Windows 7 is almost ready to roll out. Honestly, it’s pretty gangster. It’s got a slick interface, accessible features, and I love the simplicity of it.

For me, the question of which is better, Mac or PC, is one I don’t even address because I think there’s room for both, and as a consumer, I love to see healthy competition. There is no light side or dark side of the force to debate here.

Now that we’ve gotten the disclosures out of the way, one thing that has impressed me specfically about Microsoft has been their usage of social media tools. From Bing, to Xbox, to Zune, to Windows, many of their teams have fully embraced it and it’s something I love seeing.

For me then, having the opportunity to speak with Marcus Schmidt, Online Community Manager for the Windows team, was an incredible opportunity. We spoke about a variety of topics ranging from social media to his job as an Online Community Manager to South Dakota. It was a fascinating discussion and I’m sure you’ll think so as well.

Get to know him Marcus. He’s a great guy and he’s a gamer to boot!

Thanks again, Marcus.

The Basics:

1. What is your name?
Marcus Schmidt

2. What is your occupation/company?
Senior Marketing Manager and Community Manager at Microsoft.

3. Originally from?
South Dakota

4. When and how did you end up in the Greater Seattle area?
Came here in 1997 to work for Microsoft.

5. How can people find you on the web?
@marcusatmsft on Twitter and marcusatmicrosoft.spaces.live.com. I also cotweet on @MSWindows and @windowslive.

Social Media:

6. Why do you like social media?
I really like the immediate personal relationships you can create with people around a specific topic or interest.

7. How do you utilize social media?
I would say 80% of my social media time is related to work and about 20% personal. I primarily blog and tweet, but also have done some podcasting and v-logging. I also do Facebook and LinkedIn, but not as much as I probably should.

8. What is one thing that mainstream population should know about social media?
Social media happens with or without you. People are talking about your product, service, company, issue, or interest and it’s up to you if you want to listen and/or engage.

9. If people follow you on Twitter, what can they expect?
Information about Microsoft stuff, mostly Windows related. Plus a few tweets about baseball, maybe something about my plans for the weekend. And they can absolutely expect responses to their @’s and DM’s. If you have questions about Microsoft stuff, I’ll try to help as best I can.

10. How would you describe the social media scene in Seattle?
Vibrant and growing! Working on the board of the SMC Seattle group, I’m amazed by the passion and interest around social media. Our events are always sold out, which is a great reflection on the interest level.

11. Do you remember your social media “wow” moment?
Probably one of my biggest “wow” moments was when I blogged and tweeted a question about “Why do you use a Windows PC?” and got like 68 comments within a day. What an amazing response!

12. Are you currently working on any projects which involve the use of social media?
My whole job is social media. My top projects right now are focused on building community activities on our own website with a site called the Clubhouse (which I’ll explain more during the interview), a site called Answers (more on this in the interview too), and a new part of our Windows website that helps bring those two community activities together along with our other social media work on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other communities on the web.

13. Are there any social media events or conferences in the future you would like to let people know about?
Just keep in touch with SMC Seattle on our website (www.smcseattle.com) or Twitter account @SMCSeattle.

Just For Fun:

14. What are your hobbies?
Travel, Washington wines, cooking, reading, photography, playing Xbox, and gardening.

15. Favorite vacation spot? Things to do there?
My wife and I took a great trip to South Africa a little over a year ago. We loved the whole country, but I really liked taking photos on the safari. I shot about 3,300 pictures.

16. Favorite restaurant in Seattle? Favorite food?
Herb Farm in Woodinville… love anything with fresh herbs. But make sure you set aside a lot of time for the multicourse meal. It’s a must-do at least once—kind of expensive, but worth it!

17. Favorite things to do in Seattle in the summer?
Sit in the sun and read.

18. Most embarrassing CD you own?
Hmmm. Hootie and the Blowfish’s Cracked Rear View?

19. Any hidden talents?
Hmmm… none come to mind.

20. What would you like everyone to know about you? Other interesting facts?
My wife and I have two guinea pigs as pets. Great pets for busy people.