Alexander Koelpin is the Head of Business Unit Media, ICT & Creative Industries. For the past six years, Mr. Koelpin has led a team of consultants at Berlin Partner (the business development agency for the city of Berlin) that oversees the media, ICT and creative industries sector (including film, TV, radio, IT, web, software/hardware, telecom, print, design/fashion, etc.)
[Social Media Week]: Why is Social Media Week a significant event for the City of Berlin?
[Alexander Kolpin]: Social Media is one of the hottest topics worldwide and Berlin one of the most dynamic cities, it is a natural fit. It is also an international phenomenon and as such the connection to other vibrant cities like NY, San Francisco, London and others is a logical step. We are keen on being an attractive hotspot for new creative companies and international talent, who can find here the freedom and creative atmosphere to try out new ideas. The Social Media Week provides an opportunity to showcase that to the public, first and foremost to the early adopters of social media tools as well.
[SMW]: How does the City of Berlin currently utilize social platforms? Are citizens of Berlin clamoring for even more interaction with the city via social media?
[AK]: Berlin does encourage Social Media usage in many ways and platforms. Some examples: Berlins marketing and economic development agency Berlin Partner uses Twitter as does Berlin’s international marketing campaign “be Berlin”. There are more then 110.000 fans of Berlin in Facebook (more than London, which has 3 times as many inhabitants as Berlin) – this group is managed by Berlin as well. The city’s website Berlin.de is being continuously developed and of course there are more and more projects as the use of social media spreads among the people.
[SMW]: In your opinion, what is the biggest misconception about social media?
[AK]: The biggest misconception is that Social Media is mainly for teenagers or geeks, whereas a surprisingly high percentage of the users are well- educated people of a wide age- bracket who have an interest in participating in the city’s decision making processes, in cultural and political project and thus are opinion leaders and and social media is great way to connect with these people.
[SMW]: If you could only follow one person on Twitter, who would it be and why?
[AK]: If we could follow only one account it would be and is @TechCrunch, all the news of the digital world in a concise and entertaining format, always fast, not too serious and on to the point.
[SMW]: What’s one mistake beginners often make when entering social spaces, and how can it be remedied?
[AK]: Beginners often send out: they want to participate and join the choir of all the voices in the web. Our advice, and we follow it ourselves too, is to listen first. Listen to what others are saying, watch what they are doing and find your own unique way of dealing with the new possibilities of social media. It takes a lot of effort to listen, but the results are worth it, it usually pays off to think twice before hitting the “send” button. The second mistake some beginners make is to not change their thinking, sometimes they use the old concepts in the new world. This can cause difficulties since it needs time to get used to the new environment in Social Media, which is very fast, honest (sometimes brutally so), open and does work work very much two ways. It is not possible to control this kind of “medium”, to give up control is the risk which must be taken, but to earn credibility is the great possible reward.
