Shel Israel, Social Media Expert, Author, Twitterville

Since 2005, my overwhelming focus has been on how businesses use social media. To earn a living, I write books and articles; speak at conferences and to companies and advise businesses of all sizes on social media strategy.

Among the companies I've worked with or addressed are Wells Fargo Bank, Sun Microsystems, Dell Computer, CNET, Hewlett Packard, Intel and scores of startups.

I'm author of Twitterville, How Businesses can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods [Portfolio, Sept. 2009]; co-author, of Naked Conversations--how blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers [Wiley, 2006], and The Conversational Corporation, a Dow Jones eBook [May 2009]. I've contributed editorially to BusinessWeek and FastCompanyTV.

This blog, serves as my sandbox. I have interviewed and reported on more than 400 people in 40 countries about them and how social media impacts their work and lives. Some of that material is later used in my books, articles and talks.

For 25 years prior my social media involvement, I advised technology startups on communications and public relations. Much of that time was at the helm of SIPR, a consulting firm I started and ran. I worked with a great number of startups usually on launch strategy. I contributed to the successful introductions of Sun Microsystems, PowerPoint,and Filemaker and new tech categories that included PC sound and desktop mapping among others.

When the Worldwide Web emerged, my agency was the first to focus on internet startups. I worked with several memorable pioneers of that era including Virtual Vineyards, a wine merchant that posted a daily column and customer comments on its HTML static website. We did not know it at the time but this column was a prototype to the blog.

Now, I am interested in just about every aspect of social media including business, education, journalism, nonprofit organizations and in global personal communications. Israel has been covered by Forbes magazine, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the Los Angeles Times and many respected online and traditional publications.

I am a senior fellow to the Society for New Media Research (SNCR) and serve on the advisory boards to the Social Media Club and SmartBrief on Social Media.