As I mentioned in my previous post, Austin is a hot bed for social media. Therefore, I have decided to highlight several professionals that are well versed in social media over the course of the semester. This “Social Media: Peer Perspectives” column will feature interviews from local companies, entrepeneurs, and freelancers. 

Cullen Wilson is a tech entreprenuer who was born and raised right here in Austin, Texas. He has worked for multiple web development studios and is currently the co-founder of a local web development and design company.

What role do you see Social Media play in business on an everyday basis?

Social media plays a huge role for both small and large businesses and this growth will only continue. From the smallest businesses to freelancers trying to find new partners and clientele to corporate conglomerates attempting to curb their images and appeal to a wider audience or even fix a failing image, social media is paramount to the success of your business. You are either behind in the game or simply losing out on a potential market by not using all of the resources social media provides- especially the free ones!

How does social media affect your business and how do you use it to portray your company and yourself in a positive light?

One of the great things (or in some cases the worst) about social media is that it gives the general public a ground level view of how you operate your business and how you interact with potential customers. For example, anyone who follows my Twitter stream will know intimate details about my day to day duties which you would otherwise never know. This gives a business the opportunity to let a potential client or partner know exactly who they are going to be working with.

Would you say that social media use has changed over recent years, and if so, how?

Definitely. I think it’s become easier to use, much more accepted, and just generally more important in day to day operations. A few years ago the Washington Post did not have “Digg This!” buttons under all of it’s articles and political figures didn’t use Twitter to update supporters on their day to day lives.

How do you see social media being used here in Austin specifically?

Austin is pretty unique in that we are ahead of the crowd when it comes to the use of technology-specifically social media. We have social media companies headquartered here who are developing new tools, a huge community of freelancers and small business owners who use services like Twitter to connect and expand on a daily basis, and of course all of your standard larger companies who would be in any “tech city.”

As a professional in the web development industry, what would you recommend to students that are beginning to use social media tools in both their personal and professional lives?

Pick one tool and master it, then move onto another tool. Far too often I see students and even professionals who have been in their respective industry for years attempt to jump into using social media tools but become overwhelmed because they sign up for every service available to them. The nature of many social media tools requires you to constantly update them and because of this, it can quickly become a full time job just to let others know what you are up to. Many of these tools can also take a while to master, or fully understand, so jumping from using nothing to a full suite can be very daunting unless you have absolutely nothing else to do.

What are your favorite social media tools-both professional and personal?

I use various tools every day to stay connected with friends, peers, and even clients. Many of the websites I have developed, including my own blog, are all run by Wordpress, which is the best platform out there when it comes to hosting a blog or simple site. I’m an avid Twitter user- although when I am swamped with work I make it a point to stay away from it as much as possible (it can suck your time away pretty fast). I also use a few tools that are a bit more unique to my industry but are quickly gaining traction elsewhere like Basecamp for project management and collaboration within a team and your clients. Last but not least are all of the standard social networks like Linkedin, Facebook, etc.