Week 9 : Brian K. McDaniel

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A free spirited, strong rhythm-heart-ed, rock and roll guy, who has strummed tunes for the opening acts for the likes of The Cult and The Spin Doctors. He likes to live free from down ties of the big honcho’s world. A proud business owner, a family man, who loves his family and works day and night for himself and for them. A design expert, by profession, he’s been there done that! And today, Tweetfeat.com is proud to present, this weeks featured spotlight - Brian K. McDaniel, a.k.a @bkmacdaddy.

Tell us more about yourself, who is Brian K. McDaniel? What do you do? Where you come from? Where are you headed?

I grew up in San Francisco, graduated high school in Honolulu, HI, and currently reside in northern Florida. I am a husband to my wife and best friend of 20 years and father to 3 amazing kids. I am a classically trained pianist, vocalist and songwriter who spent the mid-80s to early 90s playing in bands. The highlight of my musical career includes opening for The Cult and The Spin Doctors. After that I spent almost 10 years as a full time ordained Southern Baptist pastor while growing my freelance design business on the side. In 2006 my wife and I realized we no longer wanted to work within the confines of corporate religion, so we walked away and started our lives over. Since then I have built my design business into the main source of provision for my family and I love my freedom and my life more than ever!

More about bkmacdaddy.com?

bkmacdaddy.com is the online home of my web and graphic design business. I use it as a portfolio for my work, but it is growing into a place for social media and design resources through my blog and other pages I have in the works. Like most freelance web designers, bkmacdaddy.com gets my leftovers in the design department. I give my first time and attention to my clients.

Why Twitter.com?

I just started using Twitter in late March of this year. It has become my new obsession. I have made more connections, discovered more resources, associated and learned from more peers in the design community since I have been on Twitter than in my entire life!

Tell us more about your Twittering experience.

I started out thinking it was stupid. But I thought I should try some social media outlets to grow my business. Next thing I knew I was hooked. Everything that I set out to do on Twitter (which wasn’t much) has exploded into a daily tool that connects me with people all over the world. It has grown me as a person, as a designer, and as a contributor to society (online and off).

How often do you twitter and mostly what for?

I’m a little out of control. I have seen stats that say I average between 150-200 tweets a day. I have been on Twitter since March and currently have over 18,000 tweets! I have had a few people complain about the amount of tweets I put out, and I’m sure I have lost followers for it, but most of my almost 5,000 followers seem happy with the resources I provide. Probably 70% of what I tweet is links to design and social media resources and articles. I have the privilege of working on a computer all day long so as I discover things through my internet wanderings or on my RSS feeds that I believe others would benefit from, I tweet them. The rest of the time is engaging with people – interacting and building relationships and connections.

Any set goals with Twitter?

When I started out, I just opened a few social media accounts primarily for SEO for my website. That was the extent of my goals. But now I try to maintain and grow the network I have become a part of on Twitter. People from all walks of life, from all over the world and of various interests are now contributing to my growth as a participant in the global society and as a lifelong student of life, design, and humanity. It is truly amazing to me!

Is twitter helping you get your message out in the open?

Absolutely! Twitter has enabled me to migrate from a small circle of clients and friends numbering in double digits into a global circle of thousands. I don’t really have a message other than truth, integrity, kindness, peace and love. But I guess it’s getting out there because I am receiving it back in droves!

Do you use Facebook? If yes, which has been more effective towards your cause, Twitter or Facebook?

I use Facebook, but it has a significantly smaller impact on my business or my life. What I am beginning to see, though, is how Facebook is enabling me to better connect with people and clients I meet on Twitter. A few Twitter friends have made me a friend on Facebook too, and on occasion we are able to communicate there without the 140-character limit. But it is a small piece of the pie compared to Twitter.

Rate your experience on Twitter, on a scale of 1 to 10.

10. No question. No hesitation. As much as an online social network can impact your life, twitter completely has.

Any message to our readers?

Come check out my blog. Friend me on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter. Let’s get to know each other. I am quick to help and interact in any way I can. And if you need web or graphic design, let’s talk. But if you just need a friend, maybe I can be that for you too.

Your contact info on twitter, facebook and other social networking and connecting platforms.

Main website: http://www.bkmacdaddy.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/bkmacdaddy

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bkmacdaddy

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bkmacdaddy

Delicious: http://delicious.com/bkmacdaddydesigns

Digg: http://digg.com/users/bkmacdaddy

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bkmacdaddydesigns/

Last.fm: http://www.last.fm/user/bkmacdaddy

Some More Pictures of Brian

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Tags: #FollowFriday, bkmacdaddy, bkmacdaddy designs, bkmacdaddy.com, Brian K. McDaniel, Featured Twitter Profile, Twitter Spotlight, Week 9