How to Listen
An Interview With Content Maven Meryl Evans
She has been at it for the longest time. Meryl Evans is one of the pioneers of this sort of thing — blogging. She is one of the best resource persons out there regarding the birth and the growth of the Internet during a time where not everyone even knew what a blog means. In this interview, she shares with us her thoughts on social media and some coming changes on how we use the Internet.
What does a Content Maven do?
A content maven puts together words to create content that becomes meaningful to its readers. The boring description: I’m a writer and editor.
Tell us one thing about blogging that we don’t know about?
Gosh, I’ve run out of secrets to reveal or others have shared them many times over. Even though it’s your blog — it’s important to get out there and LISTEN. Listen on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.
What was it like joining the Internet pre-revolution back in 1992? How many people were there?
I used Internet in a Box to connect to the Internet for the first time. I remember meeting someone online who taught me how to create an HTML page. Every web page discovery was treasure because there weren’t so many sites then.
How has the Cluetrain Manifesto influenced our business world today?
It’s been ten years since it was published (Editor’s note: this interview was back in 2009); it amazes me how on target it was because we’ve arrived at a time when we have more conversations between humans and companies — one of the manifesto’s key points — thanks to social media. Businesses have changed how they operate because of the connections they can make online.
What’s so exciting about social media? How is it helping individuals?
Social media helps us connect to people that we would otherwise never have access to.
It provides a great place for building relationships and collecting knowledge. As a one-person business, I’ve benefited on a personal and professional level because social media lets me participate in conversations without barriers. (Editor’s note: Meryl was born profoundly deaf.)
What’s is the future of content consumption?
I have listened to many conversations on this and few people agree what will work. Free? Ebooks? Print? Self-publishing? ePublishing with a known publisher? Paid access? What works for one doesn’t work for another. Mike Sthazkin (http://www.idealog.com/blog/) provides valuable insight on the the future of digital publishing.
If YOU were head of strategy at Google, what would YOU do differently?
If pigs fly and I became head of strategy at Google, I would review the current projects to ensure we’re not spiraling out of control and trying to take on too many things. Better to be great at a few things, than so so at a lot of things. The company should continue to build upon social media as a key part of its strategy because it’s already a natural fit for the company and its products.
Who are YOUR personal heroes? Why?
My parents are my heroes for they made me into what I am today. They could’ve taken the easy way out when they found out I was deaf — instead they did all they could to ensure I had a normal life without special treatment. (Their only request was that I sit up front in the classroom so I could lipread.)
What are YOU hungry for?
I’m ALWAYS hungry for learning something new and bettering myself as a person in both of my personal and professional lives.
What’s YOUR take on Rupert Murdoch’s move to restrict his businesses’ content and exclusively offer it on Bing only?
I honestly think it’s more about getting attention and press than anything else.
About Meryl Evans
Meryl (www.meryl.net) is the author of “Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook.” The long-time blogger and gamer (www.thegamezen.com) has written and edited for a bunch of places online and off.
A native Texan, she lives a heartbeat north of Dallas in Plano, Texas with her husband and three kiddos. Though born in silence (www.meryl.net/ci), she tries to show that deaf people are just like everyone else. Follow Meryl on Twitter at @merylkevans.
