Experts in the Industry: Kyle Flaherty (15 of 45)

Kyle Flaherty is the director of marketing at Breaking Point Systems here in Austin, TX. In a nutshell, there are three reasons why I pay close attention to what Kyle has to say:

1. He is laser focused on creating awareness and lead generation for his company through the use of social media/online community, etc.
2. This laser focus and experimentation is well-documented in Kyle's blog (and he's a good writer).
3. In spite of coming from a PR background, he understands that "social" isn't just about getting your message out there.

Oh, did I mention that he's from Boston and is every bit a Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics fan as I am? Just check out his comments in our group Big Papelbon blog. Enough about Kyle though, let's see how he answered the five questions from the Experts in the Industry: 45 Interviews in 45 Days post:

In one sentence, please describe what you do and why you're good at it.
I talk, write and engage about B2B technology, specifically network equipment performance and security testing; you can't do this if you aren't one part geek, one part communicator and all parts passionate.

How did you get into the world of online community, social media or social marketing?
Many years ago I was in a brainstorming session with a PR client in Houston who was looking to change the way they communicated with their audience about their 300+ products, I was reading Cluetrain at the time and shouted out "Why not a blog?" and spent the rest of the trip figuring out what that actually meant.

If you had $10 million to invest in one company and one company only based on their use of "social," which company would it be and why?
There is really only one answer for me to this question, BreakingPoint. BreakingPoint is proving how effective the use of social marketing is within the B2B technology space for community building and lead generation...oh, and we've proved it. I'm completely biased, of course, but I moved my entire family from Boston to Austin to work for this company, that truly represents how strongly I believe in this company and HOW we are marketing and communicating.

Which business leader, politician or public figure do you most respect?
A man who handles a tough press corp, critical community base, sometimes difficult employees and enormous pressure every day with grace and enormous success...Terry Francona. [HINT: for you non-Red Sox fans, Terry or "Tito" as he's called, is the manager of the Sox.]

Would you join a toothpaste community? Why?
No. I believe that the ADA is a government funded agency that is slipping nanotechnology into flouride to track our every move. Now Listerine...that community I'd head up!

Freeform – here's where you can riff on anyone or anything – good or bad. Or just share a pearl of wisdom.

• Laugh more.Don't take yourself so seriously.
• Don't believe numbers tell the entire story of success.
• Being on a list should never be a goal, it is only a result.
• Influence can never be measured by a software program.
• Keep your Facebook friends close, keep your real friends closer.