Interview with Shel Israel: Author of Twitterville

When I asked Shel Israel about his own writing practice, he said “My blog is sort of my writing gymnasium.”

I love that.

Evident in his work, experience and even his insightful analogy, there’s no doubt that Israel was – and continues to be – ahead of the game.

A noted writer and expert speaker on social media, Israel authored Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers (John Wiley & Son) back in 2006. Just three years later, blogs have become a mainstream medium for both businesses and individuals alike.

Enter Twitter. In September, Israel will release his new book, Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods. No doubt Twitter is on the rise – but in today’s economic climate, Israel uses a market-relevant and compelling angle that is again, right in step with where technology and communication is headed.

Personally, I can’t wait for Twitterville. For me, Twitter is a like a classroom where I’m in kindergarten and hope I pass so I can get into first grade. I’m doing my homework, so I’ll let you know when I graduate.

Israel also authors his own blog “Global Neighbourhoods,” where he showcases not only his own expertise, but other companies’ testimonials on how social media is changing their business landscape and customer relationships.

It’s amazing to me that just ten years ago, I would not have been able to create a blog / community forum to share my and others’ thoughts and opinions on reading, writing, whatever. There was not the opportunity – or most important, the education, for us to have the types of global conversation we have today.

That being said, I sought out Israel because of his expertise and had the pleasure of interviewing him about his pioneering views as well as his own writing experience.

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Laura Cococcia: When did you know you wanted to be a writer? Was there an “aha” moment?

Shel Israel: I was a mediocre student growing up–except when it came to English and history. I had a passion for writing even in elementary school. I also loved reading–almost any form of English or American literature. There was no “aha” moment, but writing was something I felt passion about before I was 10 years old.

Laura Cococcia: Your book, Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers, was published in 2006, almost before the massive blogging trend took off. Has reader feedback changed from when it was originally published, given that today, more people are using the power of social media to promote their businesses and work?

Shel Israel: I’m not sure what you mean by “reader feedback,” but back in 2005, business thinkers saw blogging and social media as disruptions to best practices. They asked questions about ROI and negative comments. They worried about losing command and control and asked a lot about legal issues.

Some of that remains so today in 2009, but much less so. Now, business thinkers look to social media as more of an answer to practices that have become ineffective and obsolete, rather than a disruption. They have come to understand that communicating with unhappy customers makes more sense than ignoring or trying to discredit them.

They have come to understand that social media is measurable, once you understand the business purpose of a social media program. As for legal issues. most lawyers now acknowledge that more private venues such as the telephone or email pose greater legal liabilities.

Laura Cococcia: Your new book, Twitterville, will be released later this year. Can you give us a preview of some of the book’s highlights?

Shel Israel: Twitterville mostly shows how the platform lets people behave online more like they do in real life. Most of our business conversations begin in light conversation, then develop into the business at hand.

Twitterville talks with a lot of people, in global enterprises and home offices; in business to consumer as well as business to business; in government, non profits in traditional and citizen journalism. I let people talk about how Twitter has helped them succeed in ways that are sometimes dramatic and almost always applicable to other people in business.

My hope is that people will read these stories and get ideas for how they can use Twitter and social media in their own businesses and lives.

Laura Cococcia: Given your expertise and experience as a writer, what advice can you give to writers looking to keep up their writing practice or get their work published?

Shel Israel: Writing takes exercise. My blog is sort of my writing gymnasium. Like just about everything else you do, the more practice you invest in it, the better you get at it. I try to write almost every day. I write a great deal of really awful stuff before I write content that I think is good enough to put in books.

I took a 25 year sidetrack in my career as a writer. I was a journalist who got tired of the vow of poverty, so I went into PR, where most of the content I produced were press kit materials. When I decided to get serious again as a writer, I turned to social media, particularly blogs. I used blogging to get in shape as a writer, to try out new styles and to get candid, constructive and occasionally painful feedback.

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Many thanks to Shel Israel – not only for his writing advice, but also for pioneering thought leadership on the technology that affects each one of us in our daily lives. Whether you’re a business or individual, it’s
impossible to ignore the power of social media in today’s interconnected world.

I encourage you to visit Shel’s blog: globalneighbourhoods.net (I learn something new from him every day). And, of course, you can find him on Twitter at @shelisrael.

Twitterville is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com: Twitterville.

Do you have your own story about how social media has changed your business?

Tagged as: Interviews, Laura Cococcia, Technology