HungryPeople

An Interview With VIRAL LOOP Author Adam Penenberg

Adam Penenberg is one of the most prolific non-fiction writers of our age. His insights into the inner workings of the world are priceless. In his latest book Viral Loop, he discusses what has changed since the emergence of the Internet and social media. He also posits its now easier to put a price on your social network.

YOU write for magazines and papers like Fast Company, the New York Times, Forbes, Wired News and Playboy, where do YOU get the ideas to be able to write for such a diverse field?

A: Ideas come from everywhere. As a freelance writer, you don't eat if you don't publish, so that's a tremendous incentive to come up with salable ideas. When I was first breaking in--in the mid 90s--I'd research a topic I found fascinating: Human cloning, music piracy gangs, criminal subcultures on the Internet, hackers, what would happen to the world economy if an earthquake shattered Tokyo. Then I'd break it into different pieces for different pitches to magazines and newspapers. Nowadays I read a lot, and talk to as many smart people as possible. Usually somewhere in there is a great idea for a story. It's just a matter of identifying it.

What's the key to being a great investigative reporter?

A: Curiosity and a willingness to keep looking even when you think there may not be anything there.

Tell us more about YOUR latest book, Viral Loop. What was YOUR original motivation in writing the book?

A: It sprang from a cover story I wrote for Fast Company magazine. I was interviewing Marc Andreessen, the guy who created Mosaic, the first mass-use web browser and a co-founder of Netscape. We were discussing his latest venture, Ning, and he used the term "viral loop" in explaining how it was growing so fast. He explained that virality had been etched into the business plans of some of the most iconic companies of our time--Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, eBay, PayPal, Hotmail, Skype, and many more. I'd never heard of a viral loop before, but Andreessen assured me that in Silicon Valley, many venture capitalists were not only hip to it, they were investing gobs of money into viral companies. When I returned to NY I asked a number of colleagues and people into technology, and none of them had heard of it either. When the cover story came out I put together a book proposal. My agent sent it out on a Tuesday and five publishers began bidding on it the very next day. So I knew I was on to something very special.

In your research, what's the best way for a company to build a brand today?

Create a product so useful and good that consumers will happily spread it for you.

How can each of us maximize social media to build better lives?

Social networking is something we humans have always done. The difference is that the broadband-infused Web makes it faster and more efficient than ever before. Studies show that people who have friends live longer than those who don't. They also get fewer colds and flu than those who are lonely. The surprising thing is that these friends, according to the studies, need not be in the same room. They can be friends you talk to over the telephone, or through letters, email or social networks. The upshot of that is that social networking is a biological need. It doesn't replace face-to-face communication, but can be a wonderful addition. So don't be shy: Express yourself.

What can we expect from YOU next?

For the next many months I'll be pimping by book and building my business based on the book. There's the Viral Loop Facebook application (apps.facebook.com/viralloop) that tells you what you're worth to Facebook, based on your level of engagement, the number of friends and their level of activity, and your influence, which is defined, in part, by how well you spread the widget. The idea behind it is that social network users have value. By adding friends, sharing photos and video links, chatting, messaging, posting to the newsfeed, etc. we increase Facebook's value. Look at it this way: If Facebook only had 3 million users, would it have a valuation of $6.5 billion? I'm worth about $116 to Facebook, according to the app. We are about to announce partnerships with companies so that Viral Loop app users could redeem their money for real things. Discounts on rental cars and movie tickets, or appliances. I think when people can actually spend their Viral loop currency on real things the app will go totally viral.

What is the future of book publishing?

My personal belief is that many books will become multimedia experiences in the years to come. For example, say you have a biography of Amelia Earhart. Not only would you have the text, you'd have video of newsreel footage from the 1930s, schematics of her plane, maps of her routes, interviews with aviation historians. Publishers could also re-release their entire catalogs of books in this new form, and profit mightily. It could be like it was for the music industry when it transitioned from records to compact discs. People restocked their entire collections. I think the book industry could experience the same bonanza if it plays its cards right. After all, publishers and authors own the content.

What's YOUR favorite book?

Too many to name. I read a lot, everything from novels to non-fiction business and tech books.

What does curiosity seeker mean?

What do you think it means?

Who are YOUR personal heroes? Why?

The people who take care of their families and make the world a better place.

What are YOU hungry for?

A more peaceful, less dyspeptic political culture.

About Adam Penenberg

Adam L. Penenberg is a journalism professor and assistant director of the Business and Economic Program at New York University. A contributing writer to Fast Company, he has also written for Inc., Forbes, The New York Times, Slate, Wired, Economist, Playboy and Mother Jones. A former senior editor at Forbes and reporter for Forbes.com, Penenberg garnered national attention in 1998 for unmasking serial fabricator Stephen Glass of The New Republic.

His latest book is Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves (Hyperion, 2009) has been excerpted in Fast Company and TechCrunch in the U.S. and in Wired magazine in the UK.

In addition to the Today Show, he has appeared on CNN's "American Morning" and "Money Line," ABC World News and News Now, FoxNews, MSNBC, CNBC, and NPR and been quoted about media and technology in the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Wired News, Ad Age, Marketwatch, Politico, etc.

YOU can follow him on twitter @ http://twitter.com/Penenberg.

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An Interview With The Art of Non-Conformity Founder Chris Guillebeau

Probably the most interesting “career renegade” today is Chris Guillebeau. His mission is not to change the world but to dominate it by traveling to every country on the globe in 5 years. He has shown that you don't have to be filthy rich to be able to travel the world. He has lived in Africa and has in many ocassions changed our view of who we really are.

Who is Chris Guillebeau? What is he up to?

I'm a writer, entrepreneur, and world traveler. My goal is to visit every country in the world and help people live unconventional lives.

What's the best country that YOU visited?

I don't have a favorite. I especially like Holland, South Africa, Ghana, Thailand, and the list goes on...

How did the Art of Conformity manifesto come about? What was YOUR original motivation in starting it?

There is a lot of info on the About page, so be sure to check that out.  

The Art of Non-Conformity (AONC) project chronicles my writing on how to change the world by achieving significant, personal goals while helping others at the same time. In the battle against conventional beliefs, I focus on three areas: Life, Work, and Travel.

Basically, I felt like I had been privileged to have a lot of different life and work experiences, and I wanted to start a new career as a writer where I shared them with people.

Were YOU ever scared?

It's not past tense; I'm frequently scared. I don't think the goal is to become fearless, but to find a way to overcome the fear.

What's the best experience YOU had while traveling?

I have so many! Last week I took a 15-hour train from Azerbaijan to Georgia. Earlier this year I finished visiting every country in South America. It's hard to pick just one.

If YOU had a magic carpet that can fly, where would YOU go?

I go to about 25 countries a year, so I don't really need a magic carpet. Cathay Pacific works fairly well. :)

How can a non-conformist thrive inside a conformist community?

Where you live is somewhat irrelevant. I know many people from the Philippines who have made different choices and escaped the status quo. I don't mean to pretend that it's easy, but I also don't want someone to feel like there is no hope to achieve the life they really want.

Who are YOUR personal heroes? Why?

On a "hero" level, I think of people who have overcome considerable opposition to achieve something bigger than themselves -- people like Martin Luther King, Jr., for example. On a more personal level, I appreciate all of the people who care about what I have to say. I enjoy learning from them every day.

What are YOU hungry for?

Change and growth.

If YOU can work with Seth Godin on something game-changing, disruptive or non-conformist, what will it be?

I worked with Seth in June when I got the chance to visit his Alternative MBA class. It was an honor and I look continually learning from him. I read Seth's blog everywhere I go.

Tell us more about the time that YOU lived in the Philippines. What city did YOU live in?

I was a child and lived in Angeles near the former Clark Air Force base. It was a very good experience for me in that I learned a lot about being cross-cultural at a young age.

About me (Chris Guillebeau, taken from his website)

I served as a volunteer executive for a medical charity in West Africa from 2002-2006. It was thrilling, challenging, and exhausting – all good qualities to have in an adventure. I gave keynote speeches to presidents, hung out with warlords, and learned far more in those four years than anything I learned in college.

After my time in West Africa came to an end in 2006, I came to Seattle for a graduate program in International Studies at the University of Washington. I enjoyed my studies, but I enjoyed travel even more – during every break between quarters, I traveled independently to countries like Burma, Uganda, Jordan, Macedonia, and 20 more.

So far I’ve been to more than 100 countries, but there’s a long list of places I haven’t made it to yet. It’s going to take a while, so I’ve given myself four more years until I’m 35 years old. (Any good goal has a deadline.)

I have been self-employed for my entire adult life, having successfully avoided the dreaded “real job” for more than a decade. My entrepreneurial history has ranged from importing coffee from Jamaica, search engine optimization in its early days, Google Adwords and Adsense arbitrage, and building a small publishing company while volunteering in Africa. I now write on this site and sell Unconventional Products.

I live with my wife Jolie, an artist and teacher who has been to more than 40 countries of her own. Jolie is nice about letting me travel the world whenever I want as long as I promise to keep coming back. We live in our adopted city of Portland, Oregon.

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One MORE reason to Read HungryPeople

After our exclusive interview with Chinkee Tan last month, he sent The HungryPeople Team five copies of his new book “For Richer, For Poorer: Why The Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Poorer” as a gesture of thanks for us to give to family and friends.

In HungryPeople tradition, we decided to give it away for free to our blog's readers who are based in the Philippines (sorry for our overseas readers, we're working to open this to all readers later on but YOU can still join in on the conversations).

The contest is simple:

1. Write what YOU like (or love) the most about the HungryPeople blog.

2. YOU can submit as many entries as YOU like.

3. YOU can submit YOUR entry in two ways:

   1. Post a comment in this blog post itself (see comments section below);

   2. Post a comment in our Facebook fanpage at http://www.facebook.com/hungrypeople.

4. If YOU are submitting YOUR entry through our blog post, please be sure to check out the blog post back in December 5 when we post the winners. We will still need to get YOUR mailing address after this.

5. The best five (5) entries will win one book each. Our criteria for this is deceptively simple – it should be the most thought-provoking, most disturbing, funniest and craziest rave about the blog that we'll ever read about.

6. The contest runs from November 29 to December 4, 2009 (Philippine time).

7. HungryPeople will shoulder shipping costs.

8. On December 5, 2009, we will pick the five best entries and send YOU the book as our Christmas gift.

If YOU have any questions, email us at people.hungry [at] gmail.com.

Thank YOU!

Happy Reading!

A Christmas Message from The HungryPeople Team

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This is a shot of the part where I was mentioned in Ernie Cecilia's book - Life's Big Lies.  (see earlier post here).

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Barely 3 days is left before November is out.  After which, we have only one month to go before we say goodbye to 2009.  It has been an amazing year for me and 2009 marked the birth of HungryPeople.  Over the last few weeks, I have attended two game-changing seminars locally that are driving positive changes in the market.

The first is Josiah Go's Market Driving Strategy seminar.  Part original content, part fusion of some marketing principles from across the globe, it is Filipino-inspired but truly world-class.  The concept of driving the market and shaping the market instead of being driven by the market is nothing new but only Josiah Go has created a game-changing marketing concept that is an improvement over Blue Ocean Strategy and other models by Kotler, Ries and even Seth Godin.  It is my personal belief that this should be taught in all business schools around the country.  It will give our students superior knowledge and skills on Marketing and Business Strategy when they graduate to take on our country's businesses to greater heights.  Next session will be in January already.  YOU can also follow Josiah Go's marketing advice at http://twitter.com/josiahgo.  

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An Interview With APO HIKING SOCIETY'S Jim Paredes

If there is one person (together with his group) who has greatly influenced the music scene in the Philippines in the last 40 years – it is Jim Paredes (and the Apo Hiking Society). Not only is he a great singer but he is also an amazing creative writer. In this highly insightful interview, he shares with us key lessons he learned along the way.

What is the state of the APO HIKING SOCIETY?

We all do our own thing and get together during gigs!

What's the key to unlocking our creative potential?

Have a curious mind and do not be attached to your opinions. Show up, pay attention and come from your true self. Also, be as fearless as you can be.

In a nutshell, how can we tap the creative universe?

By awakening to it. By that, I mean awaken that you're bigger than you think you are. In fact, you ARE the universe. YOU just don't realize it all the time.

How can musicians/bands/singers/composers out there help change the world?

YOU change the world by being yourself and being true to your art.

Who is the APO HIKING SOCIETY of today?

To some, icons of music. To us, it's a friendship and a musical journey of 40 years. To others, 3 old men.

If YOU were stuck with Paulo Coelho for one hour in an elevator, what would YOU tell him?

I would ask him all about the Characters in his books. I once asked him via email who he based one character in Valkyries on. He implied she was an ex lover.

Who are YOUR personal heroes? Why?

Rizal--What a worldview he had. Truly, the first global Filipino. Ninoy--he died for his convictions. Einstein-- he had a mind of science and mysticism. Cory--A decent human being. Gautama Buddha--Truly enlightened.

What are YOU hungry for?

Life and all its aspects, its fears, joys, good times and bad times. Art, music, gigs, workshops, soulful discussions, vacations alone on an ashram.

What's a key lesson that YOU'VE learned along the way?

1. To love something or someone is to know as much as you can about them. When you love something or someone, they will love you back.

2. Love is a commitment.

3. Love in the end is the ONLY real thing that will outlive you.

What scares YOU?

To be condemned to a life of boredom and lack of challenges.

About Me (Jim Paredes)

I am an artist, musician, writer, photographer, teacher, environmentalist, husband, parent, father, friend, migrant, Filipino and a conduit of the Big Mind of Full Consciousness.  You can read more about him at http://haringliwanag.pansitan.net/.

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An Interview With Social Media's Chris Brogan

The web has many celebrities. Chris Brogan is not just one of them, he is one of the pioneers of this new band of celebrities. His insights into the social media world and the web in general has captivated almost everyone. Some argue that he is the most influential blogger out there. In this interview, he shares with us his take on web developments past and present.

YOU seem to be everywhere, what is it exactly that YOU do?

I'm president of an online channel development company, a professional speaker, and a bestselling author.

Take us back to when YOU were just starting as a blogger, what were the major differences compared to today?

Blogs when they started were much more manual. I used a WYSIWYG website editing software. No comments. No RSS.

What's the fastest way to build a community on the web?

Care more about them than you do your own stuff. Comment on their posts. Learn what you can about others and share that, too.

How do YOU find the HungryPeople blog? How can we improve it?

Equip people. As often as possible, equip people with what they need to take on the world. Beyond that, keep posts a mix of brief and occasionally deep.

If YOU were the inventor of the World Wide Web, what's a key feature that YOU would have added?

I'd invent a much more modular web, one that doesn't use "page" as the main element of reference.

Can YOU share with us a program or social networking site that YOU want to see created?

I want to see more mobile networks. You saw the NIN application that lets fans promote proximity-based networking? I want that.

How important is LISTENING today?

It's everything. Without listening, why bother using the social web?

How did YOU end up writing the book Trust Agents with Julien Smith? What was the original motivation in writing the book?

We'd written an ebook called Trust Economies. When we were through, we both realized we had much more to talk about.

Who are YOUR personal heroes? Why?

My hero is Dr. Stephen Covey who gave me the tools I used to succeed.

What are YOU hungry for?

I'm hungry to help humans realize that they can drive their own lives. I want to give everyone keys.

We know that YOU want to be inclusionary, but we can't help asking this, who's YOUR favorite blogger/s? Why?

My favorite blogger is Jon Swanson (http://levite.wordpress.com) . He makes me think on many levels EVERY post.

About Chris Brogan

Chris Brogan is President of New Marketing Labs, a new media marketing agency, and home of the Inbound Marketing Summit conferences and Inbound Marketing Bootcamp educational events. He works with large and mid-sized companies to improve online business communications like marketing and PR through the use of social software, community platforms, and other emerging web and mobile technologies. For more information on this, please contact Chris directly.

Chris is co-author of the book Trust Agents, with Julien Smith.

Chris Brogan is a ten year veteran of using social media and both web and mobile technologies to build digital relationships for businesses, organizations, and individuals. Chris speaks, blogs, writes articles, and makes media of all kinds at [chrisbrogan.com], a blog in the top 10 of the Advertising Age Power150, and in the top 100 on Technorati.

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An Interview With Asia's Maven Secrets Founder Anton Diaz

Anton Diaz has changed his game. After working for more than 40 hours per week for over a decade, he decided that a new lifestyle was needed. Enter Tim Ferriss' lifestyle design where YOU only work for four hours per week (YES, that's the NUMBER 4) while maintaining YOUR current income (or even more). In this interview, he shares with us some secrets and lifestyle design habits that has freed him to do more of the things that he loves. Who doesn't want to work for just four hours per week? Read on.

What's YOUR job like?

It is the best JOB in the world to do what you love doing --- traveling, eating, and discovering awesome places in the world. :)

Tell us how YOU became an expert on Internet Marketing. What key lessons did YOU learn?

I learned through close to 13 years experience in working for P&G Multinational Company, 5 years of actual blogging in Our Awesome Planet, and close to 3 years learning from Internet Marketing Gurus.

Tell us more about how Our Awesome Planet came about. What fascinates YOU about our country?

Our Awesome Planet Story – http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/about.html.

Our Country has the best Natural Wonders, and the Warmest People.

What is the current state of blogging in the country? Problogging?

Only the Top Bloggers really earn a living from the blogs. Most people just earn "lifestyle money" that they can use to eat out, travel or buy the latest gadgets. Blogging is maturing and a lot of people are interested with how to leverage the internet.

What's Maven Secrets about? How can we benefit from it?

Maven Secrets is a 90-day Coaching Program to develop the next Internet Mavens in the Philippines. It is the best Internet Marketing and Professional Blogging Training in the Philippines.

How can Filipinos maximize social media to effect change in the country?

If each Filipino can just start a positive blog to promote the Philippines, then we can help build the image of the Philippines online.

What's it like leaving P&G to build a Four-Hour Work Week like Tim Ferriss?

Scary, and infact when I made the decision I was shivering with the thought of leaving the job I love for close to 13 years.

It was fun once you get past the Entrepreneurial hump where your back is against the wall. I cried once after a few months from resigning and questioned myself if I did the right decision. But after that emotional incident, there was no looking back. :)

How can we use social media to help the poor? How can we expect the poor to benefit from it when they struggle to have food to eat every meal time?

Social Media is not used to earn Money. Social Media is used to introduce and educate the online crowd to a product, service or advocacy. Having the right mindsets is the key to win on the Internet. If the poor would have a product that they can sell online, social media can help introduce them to the right people who would help them.

Who are YOUR personal heroes? Why?

The Paypal Mafia and Jesus' Disciples.

What are YOU hungry for?

I'm hungry for gourmet food that will blow my mind away. I'm hungry for meeting awesome and inspiring Filipinos. I'm hungry for seeing the day my kids will blog as well. :)

How can we improve the HungryPeople blog?

Interviews are inspiring but it does not empower people. A good question to ponder upon would be: "How can you empower people to change?" (HungryPeople's Note: Thank YOU. We'll surely take note of this.)

About Anton Diaz

Anton worked for the biggest multinational company in the Philippines for almost 13 years, straight out of college, before becoming a full time Online Entrepreneur. He was the Chief Information Officer of Procter & Gamble Philippines when he finally quit his day job and decided to take his blog, Our Awesome Planet, to the next level.

Our Awesome Planet, which he started in 2005, is a respected food and travel blog in the Philippines with over 12,000 hits per day and 5,500 readers, and is still growing. His advocacy is to promote Philippine tourism by sharing his "Food and Travel Secrets in the Philippines" and to inspire Filipinos to realize that living in the Philippines is truly awesome! At present, he also teaches Professional Blogging and Internet Marketing at the Asian Institute of Management and conducts a 90-day coaching program called Maven Secrets.

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An Interview With Customer Hero Joseph Michelli

In this interview with Joseph Michelli, author of best-selling books on customer service (The Starbucks Experience and The New Gold Standard), he shares with us amazing insights in the art of living the life that counts. His books have set the tone for what customer service should be. And he continues to deliver valuable insights to us through the Michelli Experience. He is only one of the few people in the world who uses experience after their last name – something that we should all aspire to in how we manage our relationships. Because after all, our memories are all experiences in day-to-day living.

What's the best thing about being an author of a best-selling book? Why?

The opportunity to positively influence people. I have accepted that influence – is effort multiplied by scope. That means that if I maximized my effort the platform I have been given as an author/speaker significantly magnifies my ability to potentially influence greatness in others.

What's the Michelli Experience like?

It’s like a playground of opportunities and ideas. We are given the chance to meet and work with amazing speakers, leaders, and frontline workers. My team and I learn something powerful and new every day.

Where do YOU get the inspiration to write really cool stuff?

I am surrounded by terrific people. Often I have to slow down enough to simply listen to the stories of each person I encounter.

If there's ONLY ONE KEY to leadership, what is it?

Serve other’s first. Listen, Connect, Discover, Respond.

Define WOW for us? How can our (HungryPeople) blog be a WOW?

I define WOW as “how did they do that” or “how did they care so effectively?” Listen to your readership, meet their expectations and occasionally take the risk to do something wildly different that you believe/hope will engage, surprise and delight your readers.

Looking back at your childhood, would they have said, "Joseph, he's going to become a best-selling author/writer?"

I am not sure what people would have said about me back then. I am not even sure what people say about me now. I just hope I will leave a legacy of being a person who served those who cared about serving others.

What's a key lesson you learned along the way?

Life is only worth living when we stop thinking so much about ourselves.

What's the key to excellence to being a great writer?

I am not sure, since I don’t consider myself one. I am a successful writer but not a great one – Thoreau was a great writer. Unfortunately, he is unavailable to answer your question.

Who are YOUR personal heroes? Why?

My wife Nora for her patience, forgiving nature, and ability to nurture people through her own adversity. My SVP of operations, Lynn, for her amazing competence and undying friendship and my parents for all the sacrifices they’ve made on my behalf.

What are YOU hungry for?

Integrity, deeper relationships with people closest to me.

About Joseph Michelli

Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., is an internationally sought-after speaker, author, and organizational consultant who has been described as “catching what is right in the world and playfully sparking people and businesses to grow toward the extraordinary.” In addition to writing best-selling books about enduring business principles, he hosted an award-winning daily radio program in Colorado Springs, Colorado for over a decade.

Dr. Michelli's book, The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary, published by McGraw-Hill, regularly achieved bestseller status on the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek Magazine, and USA Today lists. He has been featured on television programs such as The Glenn Beck Show and CNBC’s “On the Money” and has conducted hundreds of radio and print interviews.

Dr. Michelli’s other books include The New Gold Standard about service excellence at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and When Fish Fly: Lessons for Creating a Vital and Energized Workplace which was co-authored with the owner of the "World Famous" Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle. He is currently working on a new book about enhancing the healthcare experience the UCLA Medical Center way.

Dr. Michelli believes his greatest accomplishment is his ability to learn from the laughter and humor of his children, Andrew and Fiona.

Information about Dr. Michelli can be found:

www.themichelliexperience.com - Joseph's main website about his speaking and other services

www.yournewgoldstandard.com - Book website - The New Gold Standard

www.starbucksexperience.net - Book website - The Starbucks Experience

http://drjosephm.podbean.com - Joseph's weekly 3 - 5 minute award-winning podcasts

http://businessweek.com/managing/joseph_michelli_customer_experience/ - customer service educational video series (8 segments of 4 -5 minutes each) produced by BusinessWeek On Line outlining principles included in The New Gold Standard and The Starbucks Experience

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