I first discovered Chris Guillebeau at a social media training earlier this year – I checked out his blog and really liked his messages. Very inspiring and against the grain, they grab your heart strings and give you hope to leap from the normal way of thinking and challenge yourself. His website has lots of goodies such as “279 Days to Overnight Success“. I was lucky enough to chat with him about his application of social media to share and explain his ideas.

What’s your business?

I help people live unconventional lives.

When did you start using social media and why?

I started right when I started my site, The Art of Non-Conformity. It seemed like a good idea to jump on the train.

Has social media changed your business?

I wouldn’t say it’s changed the business; I’d say it is the business. I write for free, but enough people are interested in my premium things that I can make a living. It’s all due to this thing we call the social web.

What are you looking forward to social media changing in the future?

Not sure on that… I’m pretty happy with the current status.

Have a social media story you’d like to share?
Air New Zealand sent me to the Cook Islands because of people who recommended me on Twitter. About half of my media coverage comes out of social web contacts. I meet people all over the world whenever I travel now, but I feel like I already know them because we’ve connected online first.

Other Posts I Recommend Reading!

• Chatting with one of the Wealthy Freelancers
• Spreading the word online about “being prepared” for natural disasters
• Building an audience with your blog: Dave Knows Portland