Rohit Bhargava's Big Day - "Personality Not Included " launched

I first met Rohit at the launch of Vox and we continued to meet usually at conferences where he was always on a panel and I was asking questions from the audience :).

I am happy that the big day has come for him and I am proud of a fellow blogger from the DC area achieving his dream. here is a link to a preview of his book www.personalitynotincluded.com/introduction.pdf
As part of the launch he took a unique approach by asking Bloggers for questions which I mentioned in my previous post.

Here is my Personality Not Included launch interview with Rohit Bhargava


a) The new media is so new, is this the right time for a book? Are the results and methods still evolving?

I think it's actually the perfect time for a book like this, because my theory goes far beyond just social media. I think that social media (or new media) is certainly evolving and companies are trying to figure out the best ways to measure it, but when it comes to the benefits of having a real personality ... the clearest benefit is customer loyalty. The premise of PNI is that social media is just one ingredient in having a personality and the real secret to delighting your customers is to make it a core part of how you interact.


b) When we say brands are we referring to large companies ?

Not at all, I use brands to define large and small companies, as well as individuals who have built up their own platforms - like Dooce (Heather Armstrong) or Gaping Void (Hugh Macleod). In fact, I have lots of case studies in the book about different types of "brands" that portray the word at every end of its spectrum.


c) What happens when a employees personality overshadows the company?

This is a brilliant question, and one that many organizations are rapidly facing when they have a superstar blogger on staff. In fact, a large part of Chapter 2 is all about this idea and what do to as an employee or as a company when faced with this situation. I called these people "accidental spokespeople" and talk about how best to let them tell their story while still getting a brand value for it.


d) How long did you take to write the book?


It took me about five full months to write and maybe another month of editing to write the whole book. I got the contract with my publisher last May, and the book is coming out in March (today). From what I understand, that is a pretty fast turnaround for a book.


e) DID you ever think of writing fiction?

Definitely, I love writing. I don't think I would write a novel though. I could imagine writing a children's book and have written lots of poetry and even a play in the past. If it wasn't obvious, I love writing.