Marketing Interview: The Move Toward Fluid Content
Have your personal Web projects like 52projects.com been helpful in providing a practical application for the “would I do it myself?” test?
Yamaguchi: They have been immensely helpful. My side projects often [involve] … talking with other people, writing about other people and the cool stuff they’re doing. [I’ve learned] how important tags and categories [that organize content] are. To use that stuff goes a long way in understanding how momentum can pick up and build when something’s really hitting.
Would you recommend that people in your field use their own personal projects to their advantage in the industry?
Yamaguchi: Absolutely. You may have a Facebook page, you may have a MySpace page, but that is not enough. You should have your own site, a WordPress account … built around a personal interest. You’ll start to see how people come to your site, where traffic comes from, how to get people there, what people respond to. Lead by example: It goes a long way.
Carolyn Huckabay is arts editor and copy chief at the Philadelphia City Paper. She also was a copy editor and book critic for The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Va.
