5 Questions With John McElhenny- https://twitter.com/JMcElhenny

What are your duties at your job and do you use twitter as a tool for your job?

I work at InkHouse, a public relations and social content agency. My job is to help companies tell their stories and connect with consumers and other businesses. Twitter’s a big part of my job. We help companies use Twitter to tell their stories and build their audiences. But I’ve also used Twitter to identify and bring in new clients, start up conversations with reporters and interest them in writing about my clients, recruit promising candidates to work at my company, and keep on top of what’s happening in PR and journalism. I also have Twitter to thank for my job since it’s where I started up a conversation with the co-founder of InkHouse, who eventually hired me. So Twitter’s been an extremely valuable tool for me, kind of like Paul Morrison and his Korkers.

Why do you think you are follow worthy on Twitter?

I try and tweet about things that other people will find useful, interesting or funny. I tweet a lot about public relations, journalism and Gloucester, since I’m a PR guy and former news reporter who lives in Gloucester. So I guess people interested in those areas might find more of interest in what I post. But in reality, I’m pretty sure most people who follow me are just hoping I’ll retweet some of the funny tweets from @Joey_C and @SteveDuJour. Those are the real Twitter rainmakers.

What types of tweets or twitter user drive you up a wall?

– “Good morning, Twitterverse!”

– Twitter users who don’t use their photo. I think the value of Twitter is in making connections with people. For me, it’s difficult to connect with somebody whose Twitter icon is a cartoon pirate or their cat.

– Too many hashtags and @ signs. It makes a tweet difficult to read.

– Constant one-way tweets about you or your company that don’t engage others. People will tune those out really fast.

Who are some of your favorite twitter users?

– @PeteAbe is the Red Sox beat reporter for the Globe. He’s smart and funny and I’m a big Sox fan.

– @ScottMonty is the Ford Motor Company’s social media guru. He’s the model for how a big company can use Twitter really well – down-to-earth, authentic and informative.

– @NotBillWalton is a funny parody account that’s mostly about basketball, my favorite sport. Most of my Twitter feed is serious stuff about PR, journalism and current events so it’s nice to sprinkle some humor in.

– @Joey_C is one of the best that I’ve seen anywhere at engaging with others on Twitter. Also if I give him a shout-out he’s more likely to run this on his blog.

Do you have a website you would like to promote?

That’d be www.InkHouse.com, the PR and social content agency where I work.

Also www.nextstepnet.org, the website for Next Step, the nonprofit where my wife works. They do great work helping teens with cancer, HIV and other serious illnesses. 

Thanks for asking me to chime in, Joey. This was fun.

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John Just took a new job as Vice President at Inkhouse where they are really lucky to have him.

Look at what Tina cassidy had to say about him-

Today, InkHouse is thrilled to welcome John McElhenny as a vice president. I came to know and respect John many years ago when we covered politics together. He was at the Associated Press at the time. Not only did he always ask sharp questions but he always made his fellow reporters – and sometimes elected officials — crack up from the dry application of his wit.

While InkHouse does not have a “sense of humor test” akin to Google’s famous hiring process, we do screen for likability, brains, innate curiosity and the ability to write well while applying AP style. (A recent piece that he ghost-wrote for a client in a major outlet included references to Magnum, P.I.; Ron Burgundy and Smokey & The Bandit in the same breath.)

John checks all of those boxes, and a few more. In addition to his years of writing for the AP and the Boston Globe, he has worked for Schwartz Communications and Matter Communications, so he brings to InkHouse a deep understanding of both journalism and PR as they relate to technology, the start-up world, and client and media relations. John also has won awards as a journalist and as a PR professional.

And, well, we think he’s a winner, too! In short, he’s a great fit for a place where personalities and intelligence run deep.

Read more from Tina Cassidy