Listed as one of Forbes’ Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers, Kristi Hines is a social media guru. Her blog has been featured as one of the top social media blogs to follow by Social Media Examiner, ProBlogger, Cision and was also named as one of the Most Influential Small Business People by D&B Insights.
1. In 140 characters, tell us about you.
I am a freelance writer, professional blogger, and social media enthusiast who enjoys photography, camping, and tennis.
2. Who influences you most online as a role model and why?
I’m influenced by many people online – probably too many to list for different reasons and I’d hate to leave someone out once I get started. I’ve never been one to look up to just one person – I think if you have several role models for different areas of your life, you’ll learn so much more.
3. When has social media helped you achieve something great?
Social media and blogging opened the door for me to leave my job in 2011 and become a freelance writer. It was a scary yet exciting transition and I have been successful with it ever since. I know the dream is to make money online on autopilot, but I’m completely satisfied with working. Working on my own terms, deciding who to work with or not, and having the freedom to focus on what I want when I want is my bliss.
4. What makes you unfollow or unlike somebody?
On Facebook lately it’s been people who share graphic photos. I understand that some people feel you have to be shocked into caring about a particular cause, but there are just some things that shouldn’t be flashed to everyone publicly. What if my child was in the room, looking over my shoulder to see some of the gruesome things people were publishing? It’s something I have to think about now.
5. If you could have a topic trend on twitter what would it be and why?
I don’t know if I would want it to be a trending topic since those can get pretty out of hand with just anyone using the hashtags to get recognition, but I would love to see popular chats for blogging and freelance writing always going so people could ask others questions. Preferably ones that couldn’t be spammed.
6. How would you differentiate impact vs influence
In my mind, impact is something major that people notice has affected them. Influence is something more subtle – people don’t realize something has affected them when it has.
7. Three links you recommend highly are:
Postsecret – If you ever feel like you’ve been alone in dealing with something, you’ll be surprised by what others reveal through anonymous postcards. And you probably won’t feel as alone anymore.
Remember the Milk – Great, free service to keep up with personal and professional tasks, appointments, etc. Works with mobile and integrates into Gmail.
Zinio – Love magazines but hate the space they take up on your desk or the waste they create? Subscribe to just about anything digitally – even international magazines – and read them on your computer, iPad, tablet, or other device.
8. If you were an animal, what would you be?
I would want to be a cat. They can be lazy and aloof, yet still get lots of love. People struggle to win the affection of cats, not the other way around. Plus they are so coordinated for the most part – you rarely see klutzy cats.
