Conversation Agent: Meet DJ Waldow, Community Builder

As he tells the story, when he was in high school, his good friend used to call him the “social butterfly.” He was that guy who got bored real quick if he was not engaging with other people.

That's how social butterfly guy was hatched - his wife Kristina suggested the "guy" at the end. DJ Waldow just finished his MBA - while working full-time. He was nominated to speak at his graduation at the end of September, 2009.

DJ is Director of Community at Blue Sky Factory, an Email Service Provider (ESP) based in Baltimore, MD. His job allows him to interact and have conversations with many people all over the world. It is a combination of sales, marketing, operations, support, client services, account management, etc. Wearing many hats (and tags, apparently) suits him.

Straight from the About You page, today we spend a few minutes with DJ.

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Why are you online?

DJ: Wow. that's a loaded question! I'm online to build/nurture/grow relationships, to learn from others, and to contribute to the community. "Online" removes some of the physical (location) and personal ("I can't talk to her! She's the CEO!") barrier.

Online is another channel to show people who you really are. I'm goofy, outspoken, honest, (funny?), and all over the place... online. Pretty much how I am when you meet me face to face.

What prompted to post in "About You" at Conversation Agent?

DJ: First off, I read nearly every single one of your blog posts. You do an incredible job of (gently) reminding folks of this page. I read nearly all of the stories on that page and was fascinated. As I may have mentioned before, I'm all about people. That's the tagline of my blog - "It's all about people."

Telling stories like those on the "About You" page allow people to learn something new, discover a new perspective, and/or make a connection. This whole Six Degrees/Pixels of Separation is fascinating to me. It's real. It's scary. It's kinda cool.

What are you working on that you feel will connect ideas and people?

DJ: I don't have a "project" necessarily that I'm working on. However, I think that being part of the conversation helps to connect ideas and people. I truly think of myself as a "Connector" (<--Is that from The Tipping Point?). I love it when I know someone who can help another individual.

Professionally, I think that my role as Director of Community at Blue Sky Factory is all about connecting ideas and people. My job is to build relationships, be the face/voice/ear of the company, and point people in the right direction. Ideally that direction is to buy our stuff (<--I think "stuff" is an Andy Sernovitz word).

Pretty sure I didn't answer the question. Awesome.

Who would you like to connect with?

DJ: Believe it or not, I have a large list - one that is growing by the day, by the hour. Some of these folks I've already connected with (thanks to Twitter, Blogs, Email, etc), but many I've never met in person.

From the twitter world, I actually have a group set up called "Face to Face." It's a list of individuals that I've either met in person or plan on before January 1, 2010. I'm traveling a ton in October and plan to knock off a whole mess of them.

Some of those people include (in no particular order):

YOU, Amber Naslund, Jason Falls, Mack Collier, Justin Levy, Chris Brogan, Gary V, Beth Harte, Lauren Vargas, Teresa Basich, Danny Brown, Sonny Gill, Amy Africa, Ken Burbary, Liz Strauss, Ann Handley, Meg Fowler, Darren Rowse, Scott Monty, Stuart Foster, Anna O'Brien, C.C. Chapman, Chris Penn, Cori Mozilo, Brian Clark, Dharmesh Shah, Matt Vernhout.

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Many stopped linking to people on their blogs. They simply list the names. That misses part of the spirit of blogging and gives Google more searches and people less link love. Start thinking about you and your platform - if this is about connecting and making connection, why aren't you doing it?

Comments

I'm lucky to not only have met this dude, but worked alongside him for a number of months. Happy to see him highlighted in your blog!

Posted by: Kristen Gregory | October 07, 2009 at 10:36 AM

This profile rocks, Valeria! I think your "About You" section is one of the most unique and outstanding parts of this blog because it shows how dedicated you are to shining the spotlight on others. Look at me, shining the spotlight back on you. ;)

DJ is a supremely awesome guy who truly loves what he does, which, honestly, is about inspiring as it gets. In a world where so many people just trudge through their jobs each day, it's refreshing to meet a guy who made his life and work his own and is excited to get up everyday and connect with others.

Posted by: Teresa Basich | October 07, 2009 at 11:42 AM

Okay. Just checked the Social Butterfly Guy site and read the whole pumped-awesome-love-dude post.

Dude. 33, married, job, pregnant, house, 3 cats, 1 dog?

I'm like right behind you, there chief.

32, married, waiting-on-background-check-clearance-on-awesome-job, planning a baby around my wife having to be pregnant during the brutal Phoenix heat next year, a house, 3 cats, and 1 dog.

Connecting people and ideas? Love giving more than receiving in social media?

Awesome. Subscribed.

Posted by: Brian Driggs | October 07, 2009 at 12:53 PM