An Interview With Social Media Mogul, Author, Amber Mac on “Power Friending”

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1)  Why did you decide to write this book?

There are so many individuals and businesses that struggle with how to build a brand and community online, so I wrote Power Friending as a practical guide to help navigate the ever-changing web world.

 

2)     Your personality comes through in the book, which is fantastic. Was that deliberate?

My writing style is fairly casual, so I wanted to reflect that in my book.  The last thing I wanted to do was to intimidate anyone, so I kept the tone very conversational.

 

3)     According to recent statistics, 82 million moms across the U.S. some with small businesses are now accessing the world of social media. 26 million of those are mommy bloggers, all with loyal followers who can change the trajectory of a brain. How can Power Friending help these women and did you have them in mind when you wrote the book?

I wrote Power Friending within the first six months of having my son.  The entire time I was working on the book I was thinking about how mothers now have the ability to stay at home with their kids and manage a business at the same time.

 

4)      What are some of the tips you offer in the book that might help moms looking for a voice in social media?

For mommy bloggers, the social media world is must-have marketing vehicle.  Not only can you use various social networks to reach out to sell products or services, we can’t forget how Twitter and Facebook can also help to build your voice.  Finally, one of the best things about social media is the ability for moms to reach out to other moms, making it easy to grow an extended family of sorts.

 

5)      There are a lot of misconceptions about social media as well. What are some of the mistakes business women/moms make when venturing out into social media? How can the book help these women from making these mistakes?

The most important thing about social media marketing for moms is to be consistent.  While sometimes it’s difficult to maintain various social networks, it’s important to maintain a regular voice in the community.  My book talks a lot about some easy ways to manage multiple accounts.

 

6)    What kind of experiences did you have in social media that you have learned from and is any of that reflected in the book?

The most important thing I’ve learned from working and living in the social media world is that you can’t feed the trolls.  There will always be people who are critical of what you do and say, so it’s key to be able to separate the individuals who have a valid point with those who simply want to be heard.

 

8)  As far as twitter/facebook/linkedin go, how can moms with small businesses use these to their benefit?

Once you set up a profile on the top social media sites, try to find other people in your community who are currently using these services.  These can include businesses that are in the same circle, so you’re able to leverage the communities those people have already built.

 

9)  Can you comment on where social media thrives the most in the world? Do you have any info on its prescence in South Asia?

Social media is increasingly prevalent in many parts of our wired world.  What I’ve noticed the most about this new way of communicating in areas such as South Asia is that mobile devices are routinely becoming the way users get information and connect with friends.

 

10)  Now that you’re a mother, what will you teach your son about social media?

I want my son to understand it’s critical to protect your privacy on social media sites, but you can still use them in a smart way to learn, explore, and most importantly, connect.

 

About Amber Mac:

Amber Mac is a technology host, journalist, and strategist, with experience both online and offline.  She writes a regular column for The Globe & Mail, Yahoo! Tech, American Express Open Forum, among other outlets.  She has worked as a technology TV host with tech guru Leo Laporte on G4TechTV, hosting/producing more than 500 episodes of a popular how- to call in show. She now hosts a live TV show called Webnation on Toronto’s number one news station (watch the show here).
While working at the most popular technology channel in the world, she launched and hosted/produced a weekly half- hour gadget show and a weekly one-hour viral video show. Amber has also worked as a daily technology TV news journalist at Citytv and CBC, both national TV stations.
In the online space, she has spearheaded two successful podcasts, net@night on the popular San Francisco TWiT.tv network and commandN.tv.  Both shows have been featured in Wired Magazine and have won a number of podcast awards (and are still in production, reaching approximately 100,000 viewers and listeners a week).
She maintains a popular blog (here) and speaks exclusively with The Lavin Agency at keynotes across North America about how to use social media to build community and customer loyalty online.  In June 2010, Amber launched her first book about how to use social media to grow your business.  Power Friending was published by Portfolio/Penguin in New York.
As the Miami Herald said in their review of the book, “Amber Mac is a virtual Swiss Army Knife of networking: she displays an endless amount of enthusiasm and energy that nearly crackles off the page. More importantly, she demonstrates a deep and practical understanding of the necessity of extending one’s personal and professional presence online.”
Amber currently manages a production and new media company called MGImedia.  Her clients include world- renowned speaker Tony Robbins, Rogers, Discovery Channel, Microsoft, Canada Goose, American Dental Association, among others.


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