Steve, posing with his book "Get Seen," via his Flickr Gallery. For more, click the image above.
Steve Garfield is the type of guy that had a vision and stuck to it, for no reason other than it’s what he enjoyed doing. Entrepreneur may not even be the appropriate word, but I’m sure that’s the label most will slap on him.
He stopped by Northeastern yesterday to explain his approach to video blogging, which is where he’s found much of his individual success. As he described it, he’s been doing it since 2004, before YouTube. He said he was afraid to get popular at the time, because it would mean huge hosting costs, and credits YouTube for keeping it free.
Most of Steve’s “greatest hits” have come in the form of citizen journalism, for either Rocketboom.com or Steve’s own site. They’ve been posted all over the world on news sites like CNN and BBC, and all the videos follow a formula that characterizes the unique nature of his style: an unpretentious and an open look at where ever he finds himself.
His understanding of what video blogging is inherently about has led him all over: earning speaking engagements, a book deal, and various consulting opportunities.
After listening to Steve talk about all the things he’s involved in, you never feel overwhelmed by what he does. This is largely a credit to how he structures all his online ventures. Everything is directed to Steve Garfield.com, which essentially serves as a portal to everything else. Knowing this about him made it easier for me to wrap my mind around everything he does.
That’s exactly what he intended, as he explained. “Own your name online.”
Like a true social media connoisseur, Steve caught us on Flickr during his lecture. That's me, front and center.
