@JoelECarlson – Welcome to Twitterview #2 for today. Our guest is @petebocken, so lets get to geek’n, I mean Tweet’n. :)

@petebocken – Thanks for having me Joel!

Q – #1    So @petebocken, where did you grow up and what were some of the life steps that you’ve taken to get you where you are today?

A:    Grew up in La Crosse, WI. Always lived and breathed tech! Started with keyboarding class back in Kindergarten…

Took a bunch of photography, art, tech classes in HS.

Just couldn’t escape computers. They were a good way to express myself.

Did some IT here and there, but I really took to web design.

Q – #2    So what kind of work do you do now, and what kind of clients do you have?

A:    Help out @westwords_paula at Westwords Consulting, web dev/design for the most part. IT support, the techy geeky stuff.

We pride ourselves on having a personal work relationship with people at all levels of experience and business size

Clients range from single individuals to large corps.

Q – #3    So how quick of an adapter were you to Social Media, and which ones have you used?

A:    MySpace first, left that quick! Then Facebook for friends, family. Twitter more for work networking, new relationships

LinkedIn for …. i don’t know, haven’t had much use for that yet. But I’ve connected to everyone i’ve worked with.

Q – #4    I see. Have you used any of the geolocation tools like Foursquare, Gowalla or Facebooks new one called Places?

A:    I knew you would ask! ;) No! Not for me. Don’t like the idea. Plus everyone would know I don’t leave the house much!

Q – #5    Hahaha! That’s okay. Do you have some people that you feel you’ve benefited from following on Twitter?

A:    I’ll plug @SocialNicole cause she’s been trying to get me to use Twitter for some time now. Think I finally stuck

Follow everything @chriscoyier does for web dev, design, css, wordpress

I use TweetDeck, so I’ll just use searches a lot for stuff i’m watching to keep an eye on

Q – #6    Ah. Any new technologies, hardware, apps or software on the horizon that you think will be a “game changer” soon?

A:    Mobile has obviously skyrocketed the last few years. That will continue.

Hopefully standardization on social networks continues as well as data liberation.

I see casual computing not needing a typical computer, we are seeing that with what Google is doing

Q – #7   Now for your FAVS: Favorite – restaurant, store, gadget and summer activity.

A:    I don’t eat out that much, but fav restaurant is either Chipotle or Dave & Buster’s (Chuck E Cheese for adults!)

Fav store is amazon.com, brick and mortar is Target

fav gadget is my iPhone of course

Fav summer activity, can’t say i have one. pastey white dudes & sun don’t get along

Q – #8    That’s okay. Are you a @MinnStateFair kind of guy, or do you skip that?

A:    Yup, we always go. My wife & I have our tradition of the photo booth every year. This will be our tenth year in a row.

Q – #9    That’s sweet! :) So to end today and Twitterviews for this week, what thought or mantra would you like to share?

A:    Was told a long time ago. “Don’t be a leader or a follower, just be yourself.

@JoelECarlson – Thanks @petebocken for that final comment! Have a great weekend and thanks for your thoughts!

@petebocken – Thank you Joel!

@JoelECarlson – Hello everyone and welcome to Twitterview No.2 of the day. Today’s guest is @asquibb of @CaringBridge, so let Tweet with care.

@asquibb – “Tweet w/ care” Nice! @CaringBridge IS a very caring place – awesome culture :)

Q – #1    So @asquibb, tell us, where did you grow up and what were some of the life steps that you took to get where you are today?

A:    I’m a born & raised MN-girl! I’ve taken a lot of steps, a few tumbles and a lot of ‘gettin back up’ to get to today.

My professional experience started in PR. Then online mktg at a few large corporations. Today, I’m loving work @CaringBridge

Q – #2    Not giving up is a good attribute to have! So where did you get your schooling, and what did you major in?

A:    I attended MSU – Moorhead, major in Mass Comm (Adv/PR) minor in marketing. We didn’t have email my first year! #IAmOld

@JoelECarlson – Hi everybody. Lets get rolling with @asquibb. We will start with where we last left off before the #FailWhale appeared.

@asquibb – Good morning! Let’s not break Twitter this time ;)

Q – #3    If you didn’t have email at MSU, then you definitely didn’t have Social Media tools. How have you come to learn about them?

A:    I monitored msg boards 4 a client. It was a niche community of biz ppl who met offline 1st & cont. the convo online.

I’m no #SM guru. I’m learning like everyone else – trying out the new, fun #SM tools, asking questions…

Learning abt different #SM behaviors & trends thru observation. Makes my work fun, always something new in #SM!

Q – #4    I see. So do you use Foursquare, Gowalla or the new FB Places?

A:    I @foursquare’d for awhile, but it’s not for ‘me’ personally :) I still check-in at #SM events thou.

I don’t plan on using fb Places personally either. FB has lost it’s luster for me (for now).

I <3 #SM, but FB is just ONE way to connect. Sorta like the mktg mix – right audience, right msg…

clearly, my number is off! that last msg was 3/3. Sheesh! :)

Q – #5    No problem! :) So who are 5-15 people that you follow on Twitter that you’ve benefited from connecting with?

A:    A few ppl/orgs: @socialnicole connects ppl/NPOs & brings great perspective; she’s generous w/knowledge!

@JMU612 & the crew who helps connect #SM ppl and ideas (@ericamayer @maikelvdm et al) #

Really enjoy @sarahkayhoffman’s positive Twitter energy #

Of course, YOU! There are so many ppl I’ve benefited from connecting w/ & would like to meet IRL :)

Q – #6    I would have to agree with you on that point. Now for FAVS – Favorite: restaurant, store, color, summer activity & gadget.

A:    Picking FAVs is hard 4 me! Restaurants: @BarLaGrassa & @SanctuaryRest. Store: @ideeli Color: Blue-Green. #indecisive!

Summer activities: hiking, biking, golf, lake time. Gadget: DYMO label maker

Q – #7    (*GASP!*) Why are you breaking up with your iPhone? Never calls back? :)

A:    Ha ha! It’s a love/hate relationship w/my iPhone aka: limb extension. It’s old, unreliable & needs to be upgraded. :)

Q – #8    I see. Well to end today – what thought or mantra would you like to share with everyone?

A:    Okay. I have 2: “Life is a series of EXPERIENCES. They’re not all good – they’re not all bad.” -mi madre :)

“A bend in the road isn’t the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn.”

Thanks Joel! This was fun :) Have a great Friday!

@JoelECarlson – Thanks very much @asquibb for your time, your comments and your patience with Twitter! Have a fabulous Friday!