Mónica Guzmán: Seattle P-I’s Big Blogger

Posted by admin

June 22, 2009

I love Seattle. L-O-V-E it.

From the rain, to the culture, to the food, to the crazies, I love it all. It’s so uniquely… well… Seattle.

But ask me, “What one aspect of Seattle do you love the most?” and I’ll tell you it’s not the fresh-from-the-boat seafood, the breathtaking scenery, or the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee that makes it great. For me, what truly makes Seattle great are the voices and people that make up our amazing community. And if there was ever a person who understood Seattle’s community, it would be our next profile, Mónica Guzmán.

A journalist for seattlepi.com, Mónica constantly has her fingers on the pulse of Seattle’s community. As the main contributor to The Big Blog, Mónica writes stories which matter the most in the hearts of Seattle-ites; from issues that affect the city, to local events, to baby leopards at the zoo, she covers all aspects of life here in Seattle. She has been a pioneer in her use of social media to share her articles and connect the collective voices of Seattle residents.

When she’s not doing her Seattle P-I thing, Mónica can be found speaking at events on topics from journalism to social media, watching sci-fi flicks, and singing in a band called “The Bad Editz.”

Get to know Mónica. She’s wicked awesome.

Happy Monday!

The Basics:

1. What is your name?
Mónica Guzmán

2. E-mail?
moniguzman@gmail.com

3. What is your occupation/company?
Reporter/Newsgatherer at seattlepi.com.

4. What is the best part of your job?
The randomness. I get to hear and write about all sorts of things that are going on in Seattle—from zombie walks in Fremont, to the state’s simmering gay rights battle, to a guy who watched 104 films at SIFF this year.

5. Originally from? When and how did you end up in the Greater Seattle area? (if applicable)
Born in Mexico, grew up in New Hampshire, studied in Maine, and moved to Seattle in January 2007 to begin work with the Seattle P-I as a full-time Hearst Newspapers Fellow. The paper hired me to stay on that July to design and run what we lovingly call The Big Blog.

6. How can people find you on the web?
The best place is on Twitter: twitter.com/moniguzman. Quickest way to contact me, too. Then there’s the blog: seattlepi.com/bigblog.

Social Media:

7. What is it about social media that attracts you?
That it makes tangible these things that we do to make friends, get to know people, share ideas, and make them spread. It makes those things possible even when we’re not in the same room or on the same phone line. Even when we’re asleep, people can see and discuss our ideas. And that’s pretty cool.

8. How do you utilize social media?
For lots of things. On Facebook, I stay in touch with my family in Boston and Mexico and my friends from the East Coast. Through my tweets and Facebook status updates, I talk about some of the stories I’m working on or share interesting links I run into. As a reporter, I also use the real-time web as a resource for breaking news and developing stories. Once, it helped me figure out what to wear to a fashion show.

9. What is one thing that mainstream population should know about social media?
No matter what you hear elsewhere, there are many rewards and nothing to fear.

10. If people follow you on Twitter, what can they expect?
There’s no formula for it—just a mix of links, observations, and stories from my work and my life. I think I have an amazing job and love being plugged into what’s going on around Seattle. I like to think that shows.

11. How would you describe the social media scene in Seattle?
Enthusiastic, unbelievably friendly and still struggling to figure out what being a social media community even means.

12. Do you remember your social media “wow” moment?
In 2004, I was senior editor of my college weekly and we were covering the initial rise of this newfangled site from Harvard: Facebook. I remember editing the story, clicking from student profile to student profile on the site, and thinking things were never going to be the same.

13. What is one piece of advice that you give to new users of social media?
Don’t use it professionally until you understand why people use it personally.

Just For Fun:

14. What are your hobbies?
I’m big into sci-fi, movies, and music. I’ve got a piano and a couple guitars.

15. Favorite vacation spot? Thing to do there?
My favorite vacation spot is the one I haven’t been to yet. My favorite thing to do is the thing I haven’t done.

16. Favorite restaurant in Seattle?
I’m a big fan of Wasabi Bistro in Belltown, Galerias in Capitol Hill, Tum Tim Thai in Queen Anne, and Dick’s… everywhere. But my real favorite is Dragonfish downtown. They’re fast, delicious, close to the movie theaters, and, during happy hour, amazingly cheap.

17. Favorite things to do in Seattle in the summer?
Lounge and read on the grass in the sun, especially at the Olympic Sculpture Park and by the International Children’s Fountain at the Seattle Center. Also, lining up outside Cinerama for midnight premieres of summer blockbusters.

18. Favorite quote?
“Caminante, no hay camino. Se hace camino al andar.” It means, “Traveler, there is no path. You make the path as you go.”

19. Movie you’re embarrassed to say you like?
No such thing.

20. Last song you listened to?
Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” at the gym. It came up on the Lady Gaga station on Pandora on my iPhone, and I don’t care how commercial it is. I love it.

21. I really like it when…
People leave smart, thoughtful comments on my stories and blog posts—the kind that make me look at things differently and want to write another story.

22. One day, I would love to…
Meet Billy Joel, live closer to my parents, and teach.