This is the first in a 3 part series of posts based on an interview with Phil Gerbyshak. Come back tomorrow for the next post in the series or subscribe to the blog. Read other posts from the interview»

I write a blog called Slacker Manager as well as “Make it Great with Phil Gerbyshak.”

I help people become known online. I help them with their social media and branding questions, either entrepreneurs or small businesses. I do professional speaking.

I didn’t start Slacker Manager. I’d love to take credit for that, but Bren Connelly started that about five years ago. A couple of years ago, though, he gave it up and now I am the Slacker Manager.

When you write for someone else, there’s always that concern that they’re going to want you to fit in their hole. To b5’s credit, they’re very comfortable with my writing style. My readership continues to be good and feedback on the blog is wonderful.

Twitter has brought a whole new dimension to blogging. If a blog is like an engagement, Twitter is like a speed date on crack.

Twitter has made me a lot quicker in my thinking. It’s helped me to share more and to connect with folks that I wouldn’t otherwise see.

Everybody talks about Twitter, but nobody really teaches you how to use it.

All the early adopters are so far past telling you how to use it, they just say, “Hey, yeah, it works. Go use Twitter.” They say, “I love Twitter.” Well, how? What? Why? When does it work? When are the best times?”

I’m working on a course that I’m calling “Social Media Saturdays,” where I’m going to teach entrepreneurs and small businesses how to leverage Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks to maximize their business.

Ultimately, it’s not about the medium, it’s about the conversation. Whether we did this on our phones, whether we did this face‑to‑face, whether we did a video chat – or whatever, it’s all about the conversation we’re having.

If I see one more, “Hey, buy my product,” I’m going to barf. Online even more than in person, it’s important to serve first and to sell last.

It is vitally important that we hyper personalize our message. If we create a following based on our interest in the Milwaukee Brewers and we talk about the Brewers and we have interesting information about the Brewers, when we come out with a product based on the Brewers, people are not going to be surprised.

But, if we’re talking about the Brewers and then we try to pitch them on why they should buy the latest Gecko watch, that’s such a disconnect. It’s definitely not okay to do this in person and it’s more than not okay to do this online. People have maybe 50 tabs at a time. It’s really easy to just close the tab and say “Smell you later” or “Go away, I don’t want to talk to you.”

Phil Gerbyshak has scaled the corporate mountains and is now chasing his dreams. Five words sum him up nicely: “Energetic, helpful, inspiring, enthusiastic, fun”. He blogs at Make it Great and The Slacker Manager at Bizzia. Follow him on Twitter.

Published Monday, August, 10, 2009