What do you like most about Social Media/Networking?

I really enjoy that sites like Twitter provide real-time conversations. I've been able to grow some valuable contacts so quickly and that has been especially helpful because I don't live in a major urban area like Toronto where it would be easier to accomplish that. Through Twitter, I've been able to connect with like-minded people who I now collaborate with on projects. I've also built some awesome connections where I've evolved from Twitter to phone conversations to skype calls and personal meetings. That's where social media has been terrific; it's the evolving of relationships to the point where people can share, help and collaborate beyond Twitter. I love it.        

How do you use it in your daily life - personal and professional?

On a personal level I use social media to stay connected with friends. On a professional level, I use it to grow my network. Yes, I will use it to help promote my companies, but the majority of it is more about letting people know  about me. Anybody can know a company's brand name, but I think when people get the opportunity to know about the people behind a company name, it builds more genuine relationships with a brand. To me, it's really important that people see the side of me that loves the environment. That's why I tweet about the conservation work I do in my forest, volunteering at conservation-related events to educate the public, and other cool eco stuff. When you use social media to talk about this stuff, you build a really authentic network of like-minded people.    

What is the biggest thing you've learned so far about Social Media and how have you implemented it?

The two biggest keys are 1) Be social; and 2) Be a person. If you can avoid using a robot to produce your feed, do it. I don't like to follow robots because there's zero chance of building a relationship. I use social media to build relationships and have conversations. Just being yourself is the best approach because you want to build your network around your interests. I've also learned that having a sense of humour is very good too. I can't tell you how often a fun little quip gets circulated and generates positive feedback. When somebody says you've made their day, well, that's special.

Where do you see this medium going in terms of your profession?

Twitter and Facebook are changing so fast that it's hard to predict where they will go next but it's certainly interesting to see the changes and work them in to your networking. I really do see more people using social media as unique content extensions of their websites, rather than just being used to recycle content from websites. On a personal professional level, I also see social media helping to further develop connections that lead to even more collaborations.

How can people find or friend you?

People can find me on Twitter @workcabin @workcabincomm or on Facebook.