The Daily Blagica

Continuing on with featuring folks who've been in Chicago tech for some time, I'd like to introduce you to Dave Van de Walle...

Who are you?

Dave Van de Walle. Pronounced "van duh wall ee." Managing Principal of Area 224 -- which has morphed from a brand consultancy to a social media marketing consultancy/product development shop. We're right now launching a Realtor product called Real SMM. More on that later.

How did you get started in the Chicago tech scene? How long have you been here?

Been here in Chicago since 19-ought-93. Was actually the Sports Information Director at Chicago State University, then was the spokesperson and PR guy for TransUnion. Those two gigs got me more notoriety than anything I've done since -- TransUnion let me have the reins of consumer credit report tips long before those guys from FreeCreditReport.com were singing on TV.

I eventually landed at Aon in 1999 -- took the reins of PR for their Consulting unit and was there for 4 1/2 years before being asked to be VP of Global Public Relations in 2004. It was a great experience -- though most of my job was a combination of global relationship building and keeping us out of bad news.

I left Aon with one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities: run a startup. Specifically, U Sphere (www.usphere.com) a web portal that focused on making higher education connections (between all the parties involved in the "college search" process: parents, students, counselors and the college and university recruiters).

So that was my tech baptism by fire. Great experience. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

What are some of the most interesting projects you've worked on?

Gotta mention the one we're working on right now: Real SMM. (http://realsmm.com.) Social Media Marketing for Real Estate. There are real estate trainers, and there are social media marketing firms. We combine the elements of both. And, because people learn a variety of different ways, we provide training in a variety of formats. Already getting tremendous buzz (and not just the casual Ron May mention).

What I love about it is the chance to demystify technology -- in this case, for real estate agents and brokers, the most important thing is NOT that the tool is in the cloud or written in PHP. It is that they make actual, real, human connections with people. That they build their personal brand. That they engage, interact, build.

What is the difference between working in the space during the 90s compared to now? Did you experience any of the dot com bust?

When I was at TransUnion, in 1997 or so, I remember the firm waiting to get the "online credit report" thing just right. So I got to watch the competitors do the "ready fire aim" thing. But safeguarding consumer data was vital, and they didn't want to upset their customers (the banks and credit card companies). Smart approach.

I also remember joining Aon Consulting and watching the hustle to take the human resources function online. Again: watch competitors do silly things, learn from them, get your offering right.

What are you up to now? Tell me about it.

See above; Real SMM is a blast to work on.

I'm also part of an integrated campaign that O'Malley Hansen put together for Sara Lee Deli. What began as a project that would end up getting Moms to engage around their busy lives ended up as a viral video with 850,000 unique views -- driving viewers to the brand's Facebook page and getting them talking about the brand.

Any misconceptions you think Chicago has when it comes to digital media and tech?

This area does more innovating than we get credit for, but, because we're not New York or the Silicon Valley, we're an afterthought in a lot of people's minds.

I think there is still a great deal of bureaucracy, though -- I'd love to see more action from some of the quasi-governmental groups whose inaction is perpetuating the myth that there's not much going on here. The old adage: "Those who say, don't know and those who don't say, know..."

Tell me something I don't know about you

I'm a recovering sportscaster.

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Next up in my weekly profiles is Araceli (aka Celi) Arroyo. Celi and I met through the local tech scene, but got to know one another really well during the infamous social media experiment, Sleepover 2.0. Yes, this is indeed the night that MC Hammer called me and I briefly turned into a 13 year old again (yes, one day I will meet him in person:) ). Chicago has more women in tech than you may think.  And now, on to the interview!

Araceli Arroyo - 

AVP Digital Marketing, HSBC Credit Card & Retail Services

Blogger /Photographer of http://chicagophotos.blogspot.com

How did you get started in the Chicago digital scene? How long have you been here?

I've been immersed in the Chicago digital scene for over ten years now. 

My introduction came in early working for a commercial print artist wanting to expand his business to the online channel, while I also worked on finishing my BS in Information Systems from DePaul University.  I was titled then with the ever-popular webmaster role, which encompassed taking responsibility with everything that had to do with the internet. (setting up networks, designing web pages, creating databases, consulting with customers).  

Shortly after graduating I went to work for Classified Ventures where I worked for over seven years, primarily under the Apartments.com family. There I worked under the product development department as an web producer, senior producer and later product manager.  

Throughout my employment in various companies I've done freelance assignments and created different websites, ranging from insurance, real estate, music, non-profit as well as personal websites and blogs.

What are some of the most interesting projects you've worked on?

There have been so many interesting projects I've been fortunate enough to lead, especially due to the ever changing technology techniques and opportunities.  I was responsible for SEO strategy at Apartments.com from the early boom of SEO and dealt directly with national and local initiatives for about three years until I changed companies where I am at now.  With HSBC I've had the pleasure of learning and guiding several digital initiatives from fraud, payments and improved online customer experience.

What is the difference between working in the space during the 90s compared to now? Did you experience any of the dot com bust?

For my personal experience it feels somewhat similar working in the digital space today as it did working in the 90s.  I believe this is the case because of my personal choice of where I work and what projects I decide to take on, whether they are for my employer or my own freelance company.  I survived the dot com bust of the 90s.  During that time I was working with Apartments.com and saw many friends and colleagues swooped into the vacuum, but also witnessed many start-ups become stronger cost-effective businesses.  Due to the economy I think we are witnessing a similar cycle today. The experience for me though is not being part of a start-up but go through the same fears and focus with a larger company.  Earlier this year I again witnessed many friends and colleagues lose their jobs and seen other start-ups and larger companies fail.  I am confident though that once again the stronger businesses will survive and new business ventures will continue to rise. 

What are you up to now? Tell me about it.

I focused mostly on the credit industry, optimizing online customer experience and new legislation changes that impact our sites.  I am now involved with email marketing and that is another different world I am learning.  I've scaled back from my freelance work at Exceli Web. That said I've tested a few open source CMS platforms and moved a few of my domains from static pages to wordpress, drupal and joomla.  I have a few ideas I'm trying to launch but have been on hold for months. I'm in search of a developer to partner with - any recommendations? I also need to make some changes to my ChicagoPhotos blog, which probably entails finally moving domains.  I fear a big dip in seo traffic but the time has come, especially for the changes I will be making that blogger is just not scaleable enough to support. Visitors can expect better organization and improved search.

Any misconceptions you think Chicago has when it comes to digital media and tech?

I'm not sure if it's a misconception or simply lack of understanding for the immense amount of talent and opportunity the Chicago has.  What amazes me is the close sense of community that the Chicago digital space has towards each other.  I'd say some of the most interesting projects/leads have come via my blog and social media networking.  I've been invited to cover many fun events as a speaker, photographer and/or blogger. In doing so, I have met many smart and talented people that make me love and appreciate Chicago every day.

Tell me something I don't know about you

I share way too much on twitter, I don't know what people know of me or not anymore.  I don't mind being an open book, my digital life is pretty safe - just Google me ;)

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