Sep
2011
Today, we will learn how one of NYC’s most recognizable, up-and-coming entrepreneurs uses Hashable to make a killer 2nd impression (hint-hint: by consistently following up). Read on to see how Mr. Middleton makes it happen in the city that never sleeps.
Meet A Home-Grown Hashable All-Star From NYC: Jesse Middleton
Before we get to the interview, here’s the lowdown on Jesse:
- Follow Jesse on Twitter here
- Hash with Jesse here
- Check out Jesse’s blog here
- By day: CEO/Co-Founder of @guyhaus, @GetMinders and @WeWorkLabs.
- City of Jesse: New York, NY
- A short bio: “In addition to being a founder, I’m a mentor with @bphealth and used to be a restauranteur.“
1. Can you give us a sample of the type of music on your favorite playlist, and the kind of beer you stock your fridge with?
Well, I grew up with 70s rock and roll. I know I’m young, but my father and mother only listened to that stuff and it grew on me. Billy Joel, Elton John, The Eagles and other artists from that time seem to calm me down the most. I really get into it and usually sing along (which my business partners probably don’t appreciate). As far as beers go, I’ll drink anything but I try to stay gluten free – so I keep my eye on wine, cider and certain hard liquors to relax.
2. Can you a describe a typical day in the life of Jesse Middleton?
Every day is a new adventure. My mornings begin anywhere between 7am and 9am, or when I get to the gym. Recently, I began swimming and it’s probably the most relaxing part of my day. After that, I spend a lot of my day on the phone with business partners (or potential business partners); tackling bits of code with my co-founder, Mike [Oliver]; or planning our next move. The other part of my day includes chatting with customers, mingling with investors and helping run WeWork Labs (the shared office space for entrepreneurs that I co-founded with Matt Shampine and Adam Neumann).
3. If you don’t mind playing ‘the favorites game’, can you share your favorite Hashable feature with us?
Reminders for sure. I set calendar reminders all the time after connections. Following up with people in the future is super important. Sure, first impressions are great – but when you reach back out to someone to see how they’re doing a month later, they really appreciate it. Plus, you never know what might come of that newfound-friendship.
4. How do you describe Hashable?
It’s a super easy way to make introductions and keep track of your real life connections. It’s simple, fast and efficient and it’s available almost anywhere you are (including while offline).
BONUS QUESTION: What is one feature that you would love for Hashable to build?
Well, I’m still waiting on the ‘sync with my calendar’ feature. I want Hashable to recognize that I had a meeting with someone and ask me if I’d like to track it or setup a reminder. During a busy day it’s easy to forget to tag that awesome meeting you had.
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Have any questions you’d like to ask Jesse? Well, go right ahead! Ask away in the comments below.
Aug
2011
We’ve discovered something: the passionate users that together form Hashable’s community of connectors are quite the incredible bunch (eh hem, just sayin’). So, we have decided to start a weekly interview series with particularly interesting hashers who just get it. Every other Friday, take a stroll by the Hashable blog and you can see what (and who!) keeps the Hashable community growing and connecting.
Meet Hashable’s MidWest All-Star: Jabril Faraj
Today, we will go inside the mind of one of the biggest #hashvangelists out there – and along the way, discover some insider tips and tricks on using Hashable powerfully. Ladies and gents, we’re pleased to pass the mic on over to a most interesting of gentlemen, Mr. Jabril Faraj…
But first, the lowdown:
- Follow Jabril on Twitter here
- Hash with Jabril here
- By day: Communications at Sōsh
- City of Jabril: Milwaukee, WI
- A short bio: “Medill alum. I love beer. I love people. I have strong opinions. I talk music, politics, tech. I believe in being a good friend. I’m also over at @ja_sosh.“
1. In your ideal ‘it’s time-to-have-fun-situation’, what music are you listening to and what beer are you drinking?
Ideally, I’d be sitting around a table talking with a few insanely interesting people, listening to The National or Bon Iver — both are making great music right now — and drinking a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
2. What is a day in the work-life of Jabril Faraj look like?
You’re asking the wrong guy. What I do is so hectic — writing copy, managing client account, doing client and in-house research and basically anything else I’m thrown — that it’s almost hard for me to tell you what I worked on in a given day. It’s multi-tasking at its best.
3. What is your favorite Hashable feature/function?
I know this might sound simple but my absolute favorite thing about Hashable is how it has significantly changed that first interaction (or maybe more appropriately, the following interactions) with someone I’m meeting for the first time.
You used to exchange business cards, then maybe send a follow up email and, after that, maybe have lunch or coffee with that person. What happens after this meeting? You either do business together immediately or you don’t. Unfortunately, that’s not often how things actually work. It’s much more valuable to begin to build a genuine relationship and Hashable helps you cross the first hurdle to doing that: actually connecting with that person somehow.
With Hashable, I can get your Twitter handle right when we meet for the first time. It goes straight into my address book and then — in the time following our initial introduction — I can get an idea of what your interests and hobbies are, what you’re talking about on a daily basis, maybe we even exchange a few kind words. And, now, when we meet again, we have something to talk about right away.
Before I had Hashable, often times that initial connection is lost; you lose the business card, forget which face goes with which name. Not anymore. In the first two weeks I started seriously using Hashable I gained about 70 or so Twitter followers, many of which I know 120 times better than I did when we met. I’m pretty sure that speaks for itself.
4. How do you describe Hashable to your friends and colleagues?
I think the easiest way to describe it, especially to the younger generation, is to compare it to Foursquare. Most people are familiar with the goelocation-based game where you “check in” to places. I just tell them it’s like that but, instead of checking into places, you’re checking into people. It’s really a pretty simple concept when you think about it.
Hashable is that “relationship tracker” we all wish we had. With everyone being so busy these days and maintaining a ton of relationships — both business and personal — we could all use something to add a little context to our interactions and Hashable does just that.
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Have any questions you’d like to ask Jabril? Well, go right ahead! Ask away in the comments below.