Our Klout Stars series highlights top influencers and how they got to where they are today.
About: Jessica Gottlieb is an award winning mom blogger in Los Angeles. You may have read about Jessica in the New York Times, LA Times, or the Wall Street Journal. You might have heard Jessica on NPR or seen her on The Daily Show. She is a featured panelist on the web series Momversation and a YouTube partner. Jessica has a robust following on Twitter and Google Plus.
1. How did you get started in social media?
I’m not sure that I ever “started” in social media. When I was in college (and dinosaurs roamed the earth) we had an intranet with some pretty fun usergroups. I suppose that’s the baby pool for social media.
Before moving to professional blogging I was an eBay Powerseller. In order to make the most of my time on eBay I had created communities both within eBay’s walled garden (eBay groups) and outside (email marketing and forum participation). I’m not convinced that Social Media is a recent trend so much as that it’s a recent name.
2. What does influence mean to you? Who influences you the most online?
Influence can be positive or negative. For instance, this week a Girl Scout video influenced me to buy Girl Scout Cookies. I HATE girl scout cookies, but I hate the message of the proposed boycott more. Influence is an unwieldy sword and trying to manage it could be a full-time job. It’s probably best to respect the fact that we all influence someone and trying to not be a jerk is a good start.
My mother is my biggest online influence. She’s a voracious reader and before I wake up in the morning, she’s already found the best news stories of the day and delivered them to my inbox.
3. What advice do you have for someone who wants to take their online presence to the next level?
I’d advise you to think about WHY you want to have more online influence. Do you have something to sell? Do you have a political agenda? Is it just feeding your ego? There’s got to be an endgame to all of this, and if you don’t have a goal in mind it’s easy to spin out of control. Spend your energy wisely.
Connect with Jessica on Twitter at @JessicaGottlieb
Why do you want to increase your online influence?
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