In the About You page, Ryan Stephens wrote he was
interested in opportunities that dealt with social media, interactive
strategy and community evangelism, and generally passionate about
and interested in anything marketing related.
His philosophy on leadership is one that might remind you of some things we've discussed here. To lead, you've got to be part of the team, he says. Let's see what else he shared when we talked about his experience online and what he's looking to do with connections.
Why are you online?
I suspect I could write a 10,000 word blog post answering this question, but it boils down to connecting with people, and with ideas as well. I have an insatiable desire to learn more about myself and the things I’m passionate about, and this space affords me the opportunity to do just that.
Everyday there’s more than I could ever begin to read and digest. I try to read everything I can from my personal trusted sources that will invariably help me think critically about many of the things I’m passionate about – connecting people, spreading ideas, marketing, lifestyle management, etc.
But it would be boring if I sat at my desk and read all day, and that’s where the people aspect comes into play. I absolutely love meeting and connecting with new people who can help me learn and grow, and hopefully our relationship is one that is reciprocal in that I can help them accomplish their goals as well.
Social media tools give me an avenue to consistently reach
out and talk with people that I might not get the opportunity to meet in
person, and I say that with a caveat of you should try to connect offline as
well.
What prompted to post in "About You" at Conversation Agent?
I think it was because I knew your goal for the section was about so much more than a back link. I know your passion for connecting (both people and ideas) and your approach was very genuine. I also know from reading the comments from many of your blog posts that you have a very insightful base of readers, people that go beyond the surface and really cultivate thought-provoking conversations.
I guess it just seemed like a good foray into connecting
with you and your readers that were passionate about this space in which we’ve
all become so deeply embedded.
What are you working on that you feel will connect ideas and people?
I’m working hard to cultivate and create conversations about relationship marketing, which is partially (as far as I’m concerned) is a big component of the architecture that connects ideas and people.
From my experience, I think it’s a discipline that gets glossed over a lot in traditional literature and in academic journal articles. It ends up being a segue into networking or customer service, but rarely stands on its own, and I want to help change that fact.
I want to define what I’m calling the pillars of
relationship marketing, explore a lot of the gaps in traditional literature,
and really define the constructs of it, and how that applies to the way we do
business with one another, internally, etc. I don’t want people to take it for
granted as common sense anymore.
Who would you like to connect with?
Anyone and everyone who can teach me something, challenge me to push myself, and/or is passionate about cultivating conversations, connecting, and the spread of ideas - especially relating to how we use new media as a platform to engage and achieve these things.
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It sounds like you might have come to the right place, Ryan.