About
Email: patrick@ifroggy.com
Profiles: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and SlideShare
Short, Third Person Bio
Patrick O’Keefe is the founder of the iFroggy Network, a publisher of websites. He has been managing online communities since 2000 and is the author of “Managing Online Forums,” a practical guide to managing online social spaces.
He has been responsible for the cultivation of communities like KarateForums.com. phpBBHacks.com and PhotoshopForums.com. He blogs about online community at ManagingCommunities.com, his favorite record label at BadBoyBlog.com and more at patrickokeefe.com. On Twitter, he’s @iFroggy.
About Me
I began developing websites for clients in 1998 and, eventually, moved to developing and managing my own network of sites, the iFroggy Network, founded in 2000. I have been managing online communities since 2000 and have been responsible for the launch and cultivation of communities like KarateForums.com, phpBBHacks.com and PhotoshopForums.com.
Online community has become my profession and my passion – I regularly write and speak to groups on the topic and how the power of online community and social media can be harnessed for personal and professional benefit.
Since I was a kid, I have always had the entrepreneurial spirit. I have been watching the stock market since I was 10, have held stock since I was 11, launched my own paid subscription stock market newsletter when I was 14 and led my little league in candy selling two separate years, netting myself a $50 check and a bicycle.
I am based out of Harbinger, North Carolina.
Writing
I wrote the book “Managing Online Forums,” published by the American Management Association. It’s a practical guide to managing online forums, communities and social spaces, recounting my experience managing online communities and sharing real life, battle tested solutions. I’m honored to say that the book has been praised by many people I respect, including Ryan Leslie, Chris Brogan, Zack Urlocker, Jeremy Wright, Lee LeFever, Jason Falls, Jay Baer and more.
Besides writing content and copy for the entire iFroggy Network, including lead writer and editor responsibilities at ManagingCommunities.com and Bad Boy Blog, my writing has also appeared on ProBlogger, SitePoint, SmartBlog On Social Media and Ask Dave Taylor. I maintain a personal blog at patrickokeefe.com.
I wrote the foreword for “Building Online Communities with phpBB 2″ (Packt Publishing), the first phpBB book ever published and served as a technical reviewer for the book and it’s short form version, “phpBB: A User Guide.” I worked as an expert reviewer for “Online Marketing Inside Out” (SitePoint) and a reviewer for “The PHP Anthology: Volume I: Foundations” and “Volume II: Applications” (SitePoint) and “Blog Marketing” (McGraw-Hill).
Speaking
I speak at conferences and events in solo and panel formats in person and via webcast, discussing various aspects of online community and social media. Past sessions have included “Avoiding Disaster: How Not to Use Social Media,” “Creating a Positive Environment on Your Forums,” “How to Deal with Trolls, Spammers and Sock Puppets” and “The Art of Responding to Feedback on Your Community.”
Previous engagements include South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi), Blog World & New Media Expo, Social Media Club Louisville and more. For more information on my speaking style and testimonials from those that have seen me speak, please check out my speaking page.
Podcasts and Hosting
I co-host the .net Magazine Award winning SitePoint Podcast (pilot episode to present), a web development, business and webmaster podcast and the Copyright 2.0 Show (episode 84 to present), a plagiarism and copyright themed podcast. Formerly, I created and hosted The Community Admin Show (episode 1 to 27), which was focused on issues related to those who manage online communities.
I’ve also appeared as a guest on numerous podcasts, video, radio and television shows and stations, including WIBW-CBS, WITN-NBC, PepsiCo’s Digital Speak Easy, WebProNews, Tech Talk with Craig Peterson, The Rise to the Top, Boagworld, Social Media Explorer TV, WebDevRadio, The Tech Buzz, WordCast and more.
Selected Press
Social Media Explorer: “So You Want to Run an Online Forum?”
WebProNews: “Quora: What It Is and What It Is Not”
WIBW-CBS: “Podcamp Topeka 2010 Preview”
Slashdot: “‘Managing Online Forums’”
Boagworld: “Building and Running a Successful Community”
WebProNews: “Self-Promotion Done Right”
Chris Brogan: “Review – ‘Managing Online Forums’”
Convince & Convert: “Brand Community Managers Take Heed of ‘Managing Online Forums’”
WITN-NBC: “Local Author Publishes Book”
WebProNews: “Building Meaningful Relationships Online”
MarketingSherpa: “‘Managing Online Forums’ Review”
The Next Web: “BookList2.0: December 2008″
SitePoint: “Managing Online Communities with Patrick O’Keefe”
Website Magazine: “Who’s Who: Patrick O’Keefe, iFroggy Network”
Personal
Short story time: originally, when I was working on this bio, I did not have a personal section. I posted on Twitter, asking for feedback. Johanna Janhonen responded, suggesting that I add a personal section to talk about my education, hobbies, etc. I responded in a pair of tweets, saying: “Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. :) It did cross my mind, but I was concerned that it might make it appear less than professional and, to be honest, no one would care that, for example, I’m a HUGE @iamdiddy fan. :) What do you think?”
Ms. Janhonen said that she would care. Not only that, but @iamdiddy (better known as Sean “Diddy” Combs), with nearly 1.9 million followers at the time, responded to say thank you for being a fan. Well, let’s just say I am going to take that as an omen that I need a personal section.
I was homeschooled for grades K-12, which was great because it afforded me the time to do the things I loved and led me to do what I’m doing now.
I love music. I’m a fan of a lot of different artists but I collect music by Bad Boy Records, including vinyl, CDs, cassettes and digital tracks, along with other memorabilia. And, yes, I am a huge, huge fan of Mr. Combs, both musically and as an entrepreneur, where he is an inspiration to me. For more of my music tastes, please see my Last.fm profile.
I also enjoy writing, sports (I was born a New York Yankees and Miami Dolphins fan), gaming (as much as I can), spending time with my family, watching TV (“House,” “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” “American Dad,” “The Cleveland Show” and “Bob’s Burgers” being the current ones) and plenty of other things.
Disclosures and Relationships
I’m not on any advisory boards… but I’d like to be!
I adhere to the iFroggy Network Editorial Disclosure policy. In short, I sell advertising on my sites, use affiliate links wherever possible; including the use of services that automatically parse all links on a given page and accept free products, services, tickets, invitations, etc. If I review something that I received for free, I will do my very best to disclose that in the review. My opinion is still mine and I’ll provide it honestly.
For my sites, I work with various advertising networks and market places, including but not limited to Tribal Fusion, ValueClick Media, Casale Media, Burst Media, Google AdSense, Adtegrity.com, Underdog Media, BannerConnect, InfoLinks, Vibrant Media and BuySellAds.com.
My literary agent is Dr. Neil J. Salkind of the Salkind Agency/Studio B Productions.
The publisher of my first (and so far only) book was AMACOM, a division of the American Management Association.
I hold stock in Amazon.com, Microsoft, Tucows and Wal-Mart and some small companies that don’t need to be mentioned, unless I write about them (in which case, I will).
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