interviews

A Jargon-Free Interview: John & Sherry Petersik of Young House Love

by Marian Schembari on January 13, 2011

Part of creating this new interview series has meant emailing lots and lots of hotshot bloggers who generally refuse to give me the time of day. Sherry Petersik, while one of the hottest shots I know, was not that blogger. When I emailed asking for an interview I almost wet myself when she responded the day next day with a “I’d love to help!”

And so a crush was born…

I stumbled across Young House Love through that weird web of blog reading and was immediately hooked. It’s a mix between home renovation and reality TV with a dash of effing adorable baby pictures. through in Plus, the blog has voice. And mistakes. And it’s probably the most successful home improvement blog out there.

See that? A husband and wife team that don’t blog about blogging. It’s like magic.

So on Tuesday I had a lovely chat with Sherry and we talked – gasp! – social media. She told me about how they landed a print column because of the site, crowdsourcing on Facebook and the ridiculously amount of time they spend working.

Check it…

What’s your impression of social media? When you think of the term, what springs to mind?

Both John and I were in advertising and to us it’s like a buzzword. It seems like the industry uses it to teach clients about things like The Power of Twitter. “Social networking” is a term that people who know about it explain it to people who don’t know about it.

How did you both get into social media outside of the blog?

The blog came first, Twitter later. Now everyone is using it and we’re finding Facebook to be the most powerful tool. We like to say that Twitter is “acquaintances” and Facebook is “old friends.”

In last year, our numbers have flipped and now we have way more Facebook followers [Marian's note: Dudes. YHH has over 17,000 fans.] It’s more of a community because people ask each other questions. They can post pictures and discussion continues more organically on Facebook. There’s not as much conversation on Twitter, especially since the character count holds you back. We like both sites though, one is a quick and easy way to bounce information around, the other is foster community.

You’ve had a lot of cool things happen because of the blog – what’s one cool thing that’s serendipitously happened and how did it come about?

We landed a regular column in Do It Yourself magazine, simply because someone found our blog. They out and said they liked the site and wanted to photograph our house for a series. One thing led to another and we offered to do a “John and Sherry” column and they said yes! It was very organic and we were more than happy to contribute. Since they’re incredibly flexible it’s sort of like an extension of the blog.

We even solicit questions on our Facebook page. We’ll post a question that says, “A new column will be coming out in 3 months and it’s all about kitchens, so ask us your kitchen questions!” We’ve been doing this from day one and it’s worked great!

With all the stuff you guys have going on, how do you find time for any of this stuff?

It’s impossible! A lot of other things have to be sacrificed: We eat at home, work while we’re with family and and even work while on vacation because the internet is 24/7.. We’re always on call, but we’ve built this with a lot of pride.

We’ve thought about hiring an intern, but can’t figure out how to make it work. It’s a double-edged sword, really. It’s amazing that so many people are asking questions, but it wouldn’t feel right to have someone answer as us. And we could never farm out the project part of our blog because that’s the fun part!

We do have to remind people on Facebook though that we can’t answer every single question. We wouldn’t be able to sustain it and couldn’t do any actual projects. We have to guard our time. But it’s great because people communicate with each other and don’t always seek our advice.

Favorite part about blogging?

All the amazing people you get to virtually meet. The world is so small when you have a blog! Every day I get a letter or comment that literally makes me cry: Someone who just had a baby or a divorcee finally making a home her own. I’m such a sap. We always have a hard time believing that others are being helped and when people remind us they are, it’s beyond amazing. And it’s just us sharing what we do in our house! It’s not a bible for home improvement. We’re not expert teachers. It’s sort of like reality TV in a way. We may not air a fight on the blog, but we keep it real and share things within the range of home improvement.

Thank you SOOOO much Sherry for sharing all this wisdom with us. Follow YHH on Twitter here and don’t forget to check out the blog and oooh and ahh at baby pictures. I mean, design stuff.

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A Jargon-Free Interview: Erica Reitman of Effed in Park Slope

by Marian Schembari on November 30, 2010

Do you know what I’m bored of? Social media bogs that interview people who are in social media. Not that they’re not useful, but I find the information just teaches us out to blog about blogging.

What if you write a blog about bird watching? Or hula hooping? Or cupcakes?

What if you write a blog about, say, Brooklyn?

Then this is the interview for you.

(Well, it’s for you if you want advice from real people using social media and not boring “experts” like yours truly…)

Fucked in Park Slope is a ridiculously popular blog that features laugh-out-loud posts and the kind of snark that makes Mama proud. The second I saw it I knew I had to harass talk to editor Erica Reitman for my brand-new series interviewing folks who ROCK at blogging. And guess what? They don’t blog about blogging.

So without further ado, my new internet bestie Erica gives you insight into FIPS, Twitter, managing more than one blog and the benefits of not blogging for a living…

The Basics

First of all, who are you?

I’m just some 30-something, smart aleck-y chick who tells it like it is [my kind of girl!]. I never really believed I could be a writer (and if I’m being really honest, I’m *still* surprised by the fact that anyone actually cares about what I have to say), but I discovered through blogging that I CAN ACTUALLY DO THIS SHIT. Well kinda… it’s still pretty friggin’ hard. I’m married to a cool dude and we have a cool Basset Hound named Oliver.

How did you get into blogging? What prompted FIPS and Design Blahg?

I started FIPS two years ago with a friend who also lives in our leafy, Brooklyn neighborhood. Not sure if your readers have ever heard of Park Slope, but some crazy-ass stuff goes on down here: People bring their babies to bars, everyone works in this big Food Coop and parents get into days long fights over the assumption that a navy blue hat might belong to a boy. We felt like the opportunity was ripe to start our blog that took on the neighborhood in a more bad ass way. Four hours after we posted our first blog entry, we had been picked up by all of the big NYC blogs and the rest is history.

I started Design Blahg this March because I’m obsessed with interior design, and felt like there was, again, a void in that world that I needed to fill with a snarky, curse-y, funny blog that also happened to be about design. That one has been slower in terms of traffic and popularity, but it was a good reminder that stuff ain’t always so easy when you’re starting out.

Why two blogs? How do you function by keeping them both up? AND three Twitter accounts?

While I love FIPS, I can’t exactly convince you with a straight face that I’m passionate about Park Slope news, or ranting about the Stroller Nazi. I love design and read all of the blogs out there, but just felt no one was quite doing it like I’d do it. So, voila, Design Blahg.

The audiences for both sites are so completely different, I needed separate Twitter accounts. And believe it or not, I actually have FIVE (though one is not active anymore and I barely use the fourth one).

Are these sites your full-time work?

BWHHAHHHHHAAAAHHHHHA. Um, no.

I’m a Marketing Director at Squarespace, which is a rad web publishing platform that you should all sign up for (use code ERICA for 10% off!). Really, its all sorts of fab. And I can say that because I came to the company AFTER becoming a gigantic fan . Plus, they pay me way better than blogging.

How do you monetize the blogs?

In version 2.0 of FIPS we’re thinking more about monetizing. We’ve always had a steady stream of advertisers, so I’m excited to see what’s gonna go down! I’ve also started some side gigs, like doing singles events (check out BK Hookup for more on that). On Design Blahg I starting working with Carbonads, and so far so good!

Do you have staff or is it just you? Contributors?

I’m lucky enough to have a bunch of great writers who help me run both blogs. Thing are getting so busy with FIPS though, I might be at the point where I actually need to hire an editor. Its amazing to have the extra help and our writers all rule my face EXTREMELY hard.

Some “Rapid Fire” Qs Y’all Should Read Because You Can Learn Things

Favorite social media site:

Twitter, twitter and more Twitter. I’m not sure I’d have any friends without it. I’ve gotten soooooo much from my involvement with Twitter, if nothing good ever happened again, I’d still be ahead of the game.

Any cool things that have cropped up because of social media?

Here’s a short list:

A freelance writing gig for MTV
A real job at Squarespace
A real job teaching blogging at Mediabistro here in NYC
A million billion cool friends
Countless biz opportunities and connections
Another side biz
MONEY
Speaking opportunities at conferences
Getting free shit (from people who love/read my blog)
Connections with people I would have been terrified to connect with on my own (politicians, journalists, and even some pseudo celebs).

Best Twitter tip (generic, bull-shit, jargon advice is greatly discouraged):

When starting off, build up a week or so’s worth of tweets BEFORE you follow anyone. Yes, you will feel like you are talking to yourself, but tweet like you have thousands of followers and drop all sorts of juicy twittage. Then you can let loose and start following people. Cause if you follow me, and I go back to your profile and there’s nothing there, I’m just Audi 5000.

Best Facebook tip:

Ditch it for Twitter.

Best blogging tip:

Take a half a day on the weekend and schedule some posts so you can lighten your load during the week. Also use Link Within or Outbrain. Since I added that to my blog I’ve increased page views by a kajillion.

How do you learn about social media?

I follow 200+ blogs in my RSS reader and I work Twitter like its my job.

Worst part about blogging:

Think of your available spare time as the water that comes out of the kitchen sink and your blog as the drain. All the water in your kitchen sink eventually goes into the drain, right? Any questions?

Best part about blogging:

The fact that I can go back and look at TWO SOLID YEARS of posting every single day. That’s proof I actually am a writer. BOOYAH.

So there you have it, folks. Erica is my new internet love and you should follow her on Twitter here. And here. And here. Enjoy!

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LinkedIn Mondays: Top 3 Career Superpowers

by Marian Schembari on May 24, 2010

While I’m not sure about the wording of this question, I think it’s always important to look at how your skills can help other people. (And of course know what those skills are exactly.)

Question

What are your three strongest career superpowers? I’m looking to see how reframing our strengths as superpowers actually makes career development more fun and less frustrating.

~ Karl Staib

You gotta love Flickr, man. How amazing is this photo?

My Answer

I’m actually just putting together an article on the traits employers find irresistible. I interviewed about 10 different HR consultants/employees/whatever and their 3 most interesting answers were:

1. Make OTHER people – whether interviewers or coworkers – feel important and special. Stop trying to be impressive, stop trying to make yourself feel important. Instead, spend time making the people around you feel special and it will all come back to you.

2. Use social media to highlight and/or reinvent yourself. Stop freaking out about your blog or Facebook page. Instead, use it to really market yourself as a potential employee or highlight your expertise as an important part of your industry.

3. Eye contact. Seriously. It’s that simple.

Other traits the HR managers mentioned:

“Thank you notes can ruin everything if they are long and complicated or if you are trying to make up for your bad performance during the interview. Don’t use thank you notes to offer better answers after the interview is over.” ~ Berit Brogaard
“Bring a 90-day plan to the initial interview. One candidate brought in a complete customized plant turnaround plan for an Operations Manager role. He got the job.” ~ Kendra Schultz

And my favorite…

“Usually applicants are ashamed to list restaurant experience when entering the corporate world, but my best performing employees have come with a restaurant background. If you have ever waited and served the hungry general public, you can multi-task, handle stress under pressure, possess a sense of urgency, understand the importance of deadlines, possess excellent customer service skills and, most importantly, no sense of entitlement.” ~ Patty Sharkey

Gonna keep it short and sweet today, but I’ve never hired anyone. For those of you who have, what “superpowers” do find most important?

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Mediabistro’s Definition of a “Dream Job” and Why I’ve Never Been Happier

by Marian Schembari on January 14, 2010

Rachel Kaufman of Mediabistro’s Media Jobs Daily recently wrote a post on the Facebook ads I ran this past August. While flattered that Mediabistro (Mediabistro bitches!) finds the story awesome enough to write about, I took issue with the general tone of the article. The title itself reads: “Woman Buys A Facebook Job Ad And Sort Of Gets Her Wish” and Kaufman writes, “But isn’t this story kind of like wanting to be a basketball star and ending up as a sportswriter or coach? Or wanting to be a chef and ending up doing PR campaigns for other chefs?” Maybe, I guess. But if Kaufman read even a little of my blog she would know that I no longer work at Jane Wesman PR. Plus, that is just like the media world to look down at a boutique firm because it’s not a big-corporate-conglomerate-that-puts-out-hundreds-of-books-and-makes-butt-tons-of-money-and-has-a-fancy-slash-prestigious-name.

Now, I can’t argue with what she says. My dream was to work for a big publisher, but only because I didn’t really know what else was out there for someone who wanted to go into publishing. In my limited (but enthusiastic) view, a job as an editorial assistant was the Be All and End All of publishing jobs. I hadn’t even considered book publicity until my Rodale buddy suggested it. Was I dissapointed I didn’t land a “sweet” gig at a fancy publishing house? Of course. Do I regret it? Not even a little bit.

In my cockiness, I’m pretty sure that if I spent a little longer looking I would have gotten my “dream job”. But after my interview at JWPR I realized that going outside the major houses would a) paysmore and b) give me better experience. Instead of being somebody’s “publicity assistant” I was actually a publicist. That being said, after three months I realized that I actually rock out more effectively on my own. And there was that little issue with enrolling in culinary school. So maybe the job I spent $150 getting wasn’t perfect for me, but I now have first-hand experience with book publicity, met some amazing people, work for myself, make more money and have clients that include major publishers, newspapers and authors.

So take that, Mediabistro.

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The Worst Job Search Advice

by Marian Schembari on January 12, 2010

Answer the interview question, “what’s your weakness?” with a positive spin (ex: “I’m a perfectionist” or “I work too hard”). Ummm…. I’m pretty sure interviewers can see through that. The best answer I ever gave? “I’m young”. I think it pointed out (the obvious) that because of my age I wasn’t as experienced as the next guy, but also highlighted that I would have a different perspective. But at the end of the day you’re not being honest if you say something like “perfectionist” – it doesn’t highlight your uniqueness and sounds like you’re reading something from a book. Be honest, show how you overcame that weakness and for God’s sake, stand out.

Follow a template. For the longest time I wrote cover letters with this general outline:

State the position for which you’re applying
Mention two qualifications and what you know about the company
Refer to enclosed resume and state when you’ll be following up

None of those cover letters got a reply. I’ve said this a million times already, but be honest, write well, try not to be boring and switch it up so your letter doesn’t get lost in the pile.

Don’t quit your day job. Unless you’re unemployed you a) wont be pressured to get the work done, b) wont have the time to really find another job you love and c) will find a million excuses to stay in your comfortable cubicle. There are a million ways to make money during “unemployment” while you find the perfect full time job. One you actually want.

Spend a lot of time on your resume and cover letter. I don’t know how many times I need to say this, but no one reads that shit. You get a job by knowing people and the perfect resume wont help you with that. This is where your winning personality and go-getter attitude comes in. Spend that new-found time on LinkedIn, making contacts and researching your field.

This is a phone.

Check job boards and company HR sites daily. By the time these jobs are posted, the opening has been there for a while. People would rather hire a recommendation from a colleague than a stranger from a site. Get the inside scoop and don’t waste time applying via button click.

Be careful with your web image. Maybe don’t put naked photos of yourself online, but try not to let HR/Facebook horror stories wreck your groove. Make sure that when companies Google you, you’re all over the place rather than hiding under the proverbial rock.

Cold call. It’s annoying, doesn’t work and it’s better to make a few, but great, connections than a lot of random and insincere ones.