Social Media Portal interview with John Yembrick from NASA

Social Media Portal (SMP) profiled interview with John Yembrick NASA's social media manager and agency spokesperson

Social Media Portal (SMP) What is your name and what do you do there at NASA?

John Yembrick (JY):  My name is John Yembrick. I?m NASA?s social media manager and an agency spokesperson. I?ve been working in government communications, media relations, marketing and public outreach for over 15 years. Since the beginning of NASA?s venture into the social media world, I?ve been a huge advocate for incorporating emerging communications technologies into the agency's outreach activities, which led me to my current position as NASA?s social media manager. While I oversee some of the agency?s accounts, such as @NASA on Twitter, I?m really focused on progressing NASA forward on existing platforms and future ones.

SMP: Briefly, tell us about NASA (for those that don?t know, who knows, there may be a few!), what is it and what does the organisation do?

JY: NASA is a U.S. government agency responsible for the nation?s space program, aeronautics and aerospace research. That?s the technical answer, of course. But there?s a deeper meaning to NASA. Through cutting edge research, science and engineering, we?re about exploration and discovery to better understand our place in the universe.

SMP: What was the most challenging part of building on the brands presence in digital environments (including social media)?

JY: NASA is a very well known brand, but the challenge was showing that we?re relevant to a new audience and then getting them engaged.

SMP: Who are your target audience and why (particularly for social media)?

JY: I know this sounds lofty, but our audience is everyone. We?re not selling a product. We?re communicating NASA?s work that is benefitting all of us. Now, a lot of people following us on social media are space geeks, the true believers. The challenge is connecting with a new audience. What we do is awesome. We just want people to know about.

SMP: How did you initially attract users to your social media channels, and how do you do it now?

JY: Honestly, we have a cool story. Not every federal agency is going to see the same level of success we had. It?s not that the NASA social media team is so brilliant, but the work of the agency is, and ultimately social media is about content. One thing I think we do particularly well is participating in the conversation. A lot of organizations simply post content, we discuss it. That helps drive people to our channels.

SMP: What are the low moments of what you have been doing so far?

JY: For me, it?s still trying to convince some folks in NASA that this is important. There is an element that?s stuck on just issuing news releases to tell our story. While that?s important, I?m not so sure it?s the most effective way to reach the public anymore. The world has changed, and people are quickly learning that. A few years ago a few folks at NASA got reprimanded for tweeting during work. Today, some of the same people who were against it are now posting content themselves. We still have a ways to go, though.

SMP: What are the high moments of what you have been doing so far?

JY: That?s easy. Social media has taught me that people really, really care about the work we?re doing. It was tough seeing that before we were reaching folks directly. As you may know, we periodically host in-person social media events called NASA Socials, previously known as NASA Tweetups, where we invite folks that follow us to get insight access into the work we?re doing. We often host them at NASA facilities, present subject matter experts and provide a behind the scenes tour. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and these people often become ambassadors for the agency. It?s the single best way to engage an audience, while they also go off and spread our news to all their friends and followers.

The NASA social media team has just won a bright and new shiny award; The Space Foundation Award ? what won the team this prestigious award? I?m glad it was a team award, because that?s the answer to your question. There are so many people involved with NASA?s social media efforts. Our success ultimately comes from NASA employees? passion for their work and desire to talk about it on social media. All I have to do it get out of the way.

SMP: What do you see as your biggest challenges and opportunities, and in particular for social media?

JY: From my perspective, the biggest challenge was, and to a large extent still is, managing a vast amount of content created by teams of people working across 10 NASA field centers and headquarters. For example, it?s tough being strategic when there are over 200 known NASA Twitter accounts. That?s also an opportunity for us. NASA does a lot of cool stuff, and the key is to not try and control all the noise, but to make it harmonize and sing. We have a long way to go, but we?re getting there.

SMP: What are the next moves for NASA in terms of social media?

JY: We have a powerful brand that is known for being cutting edge. As a NASA communicator, I just want to reach as many people as possible. That?s my goal. So, we need to stay hungry. We need to embrace new communications technologies and new platforms. I love the work we?re doing, but it?s only the beginning. We want the whole world to love us, or at least have a level of understanding about what we do.

SMP: What?s the next big step for social media and networks?

JY: My personal feeling is that there are still a lot of people not sold on using technology to network. Until privacy concerns are mitigated, I think there are road blocks ahead to convincing those folks that it?s OK to be engaged on a public platform. I get it.

SMP: What?s going to be the most interesting aspect regarding social media / technology throughout 2012?

JY: I think recently we?re beginning to question the sustainability of social media over time. It?s an interesting thing to think about, but in the end, it?s impossible to predict where technology will lead us.

SMP: What were some of the most interesting things you saw happen in 2012?

JY: I?m not sure I want to make specific predictions. I will say that I?m amazed at all the new tools popping up every day... some catch, others don?t. My only prediction is that we won?t be able to predict. I didn?t see Pinterest coming, but suddenly it?s a force, especially with a certain demographic. It?s fun to just sit back and watch the social media world evolve around us.

SMP: What are your top social media tips?

• Engage with your followers. Otherwise, what?s the point? People on social media want to know there?s a human being behind the curtain.
  
  
• Adapt to change. Don?t get too caught up in any one platform. It may seem like the craze today, but tomorrow it may be something totally new and different.
  
  
• Don?t try and control content. The spirit of social media is the freedom to express ideas and interests. You may not like everything an employee is posting, for example, but that?s OK. Unless you feel like it?s hurting your brand, a little open dialogue and debate is a good thing.
  
  
• Think about new ways to use social media. Inviting followers into your world, like we did with NASA Tweetups and NASA Socials, had a bonus result of building life-long ambassadors for the agency. Even if you?re a bakery, bring people in to see how you make your cupcakes. You?ll be amazed at the interest.
  
  
• Take social media seriously. For a lot of people, that the only place where they get their news.

SMP: Best way to contact you and NASA? 

JY replies with: I?m @yembrick on Twitter, but the agency accounts are @NASA on Twitter and:

Facebook
Flickr
Google+
YouTube


SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?

JY: Pizza for both answers. I had a lot of leftovers.

SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?

JY: I recognized one of my best employees. I think it?s important to encourage those who do great work.

SMP: How many hours do you work a week?

JY: It?s tough to quantify, but let?s just say that I?m always working. I love what I do and constantly talk about the agency and its place in people?s lives.

SMP: If you weren?t running NASA?s social media efforts what would you be doing?

JY: Something else at NASA. I feel fortunately to be part of such an excellent team of people. If I weren?t at NASA, I?d like to try farming. Seriously, I think it would be fun to do something totally different with my life.

SMP: When and where did you go on your last holiday?

JY: I went to the Netherlands last year to visit friends who now live there. I did very little site seeing. It was just fun catching up with people that I love.

SMP: What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?

JY: I read NASA news reports. It?s enjoyable, but also necessary for doing my job well.

SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?

JY: I?d want to have the ability to teleport. Although airline travel is fast, it would be great to go to NY to watch a Mets game and then be home in San Francisco immediately after.

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