Viralogy

Contact: stuart.foster [at] thelostjacket.com
Twitter: @StuartcFoster
Websites: http://thelostjacket.com/
Career: Principal at The Lost Jacket
Passions: “Not sleeping, Diet Coke, Integrated Communications and the Red Sox”
Me favorite post that he has written: Beards+Social Media=Win

Stuart is such an all-around cool guy.  I met him on the blogosphere when I ranked him as one of the top ten Gen Y marketing blogs, and we’ve stayed in touch since.  With so many social media marketing blogs out there, I feel it’s Stuart’s personality and work ethic that help him stand out.

Stuart is the first social bookmarking expert that we’ve interviewed on the show, so he shares some of his secrets with us and also debunks some myths about the social bookmarking world.

He’s so deeply passionate about social media, that he promised his girlfriend 20 romantic comedies if she joined Twitter!  20!  He recently had to sit through Ghosts of Girlfriends Past which looked like the worst movie ever!  That’s the kind of love he has for social media.

Enjoy the interview.

Conversation Breakdown

1:23 - There are tons of social media blogs out there, what makes yours different?

Stuart comes from a social bookmarking background and really understands how sites like Digg and Stumble work.  He was actually kicked off of Digg twice!

3:16 - What can people expect from the hardcore users in the social bookmarking world?

The top 200-300 users in the social bookmarking world are some of the smartest people Stuart has ever run into.  You will however run into your occasional weirdo in the social bookmarking world that could ruin the experience for you.

3:58 - If I’m a blogger, how would I get to the front page of Digg?

Your primary goal should not be to get on the front page.  As a new blogger, you need to establish yourself with good content and get to know the top diggers.

4:56 - In Digg what’s more important: the content or the people you know who can Digg you?

Content.  If you have two equal stories of equal quality content, then knowing people will help you stand out.

5:26 - For young bloggers, what should be the first social bookmarking platform that they jump into?

Stuart suggest using Stumbleupon because it’s the most intuitive and easiest to build traffic from.

6:51 - How long did it take you to get on Ad Age 150?

It took Stuart 7 months.  He was able to do it in a short amount of time because he leveraged social bookmarking and constantly pushing his name through comments and guest posts.

8:00 - What are you doing outside of work?

Stuart loves to run, watches the Red Sox, and hangs out with his girlfriend.  He finally got her to join Twitter, but had to watch 20 romantic comedies to do it.

9:26 - As a social media consultant, do you get companies to the front page of Digg?

No, Stuart focuses on the overall social media strategy, and never makes promises that are impossible to keep.

10:37 - What are the biggest mistakes companies are doing with social media?

Companies have no idea what to do once they get into social media.  They focus too much on the hard sell and don’t take the time to build a relationship with their customers/clients.

11:14 - How do you get old, wrinkly, marketing directors to pay you money when you look so young?

Stuart aims to demonstrate his knowledge before even approaching the company.  He’s also thinking about hiring an out-of-work, 55-year old man to go into meetings with him to just sit their and add the perception of credibility.

13:02 - Where does the name “The Lost Jacket” come from?

Pretty cool story