In this interview with SMC’s Jennifer Cabala, Horvath describes how he manages to grow Invisiblepeople.tv and raise awareness about poverty using social media, by himself, with zero budget.   He also explains how fans can come from some very unexpected places, and his key to using social media successfully.

When did you first start using social media and why?
In 2003, I accepted a job in Ohio and drove by myself from Los Angeles to Ohio. I said I would never drive cross-country ever again. I also said I would never twitter. Last year I was living in St. Louis, and I was interviewing for a job in Los Angeles. My prospective new boss twittered, and was twittering about the interview process, so of course, I looked, and looked, and looked! Yup, I started an account! I also drove to back Los Angeles!

Being a TV producer by trade, I started a twitter experiment. As I drove to Los Angeles, I told the story and used a few tricks to engage people. To my shock it worked. People started to email me, “where you going?” The light bulb started to glow and I saw the worth of twitter as a storytelling tool. Good marketing is simply telling a good story.

When I started Invisiblepeople.tv, I never ever said, “I’m going to use social media because….” I used twitter because – IT’S FREE! I’m your typical front page USA Today recession story. I’ve lost everything. Layoff, after layoff, after layoff, house lost to foreclosure. I did not, and still do not, have an operating budget. I use what I can afford and will give me real-time storytelling ability.

Which social media tools do you use?
I’m a twitter addict. @hardlynormal is my primary. I call @invisiblepeople “hardly normal light” if @hardlynormal is too whacked for you just follow @invisiblepeople.

Of course, the nature of social media demands I be where YOU are. I wish I could pick where I am. Unlike a normal brand who has a specific demographic to reach I am after everyone’s perceptions of homelessness and poverty. I said I would never be on Myspace. MySpace Impact Channel approached me so next thing you know I’m creating a profile. I like Vimeo over YouTube but ignoring Youtube would be dumb. I fought uploading the videos to the Facebook page as long as I could. Last thing I needed was more video upload time. But people want it their way, so if I am going to have any real affect I need to not do it my way! I’m everywhere I can be, which is not easy for a one man band!

Which social media tools are most effective for you and why?
Hard to measure for what I do.  One day, I looked at the stats and I was getting serious traffic from America’s Next Top Model forum. You don’t have to be an SEO expert to know models and homelessness don’t usually connect. I followed the link to this post – I don’t know how she connected with Invisiblepeople.tv. But I can tell you this is exactly why I do what I do, and why I need to be everywhere!

I use twitter the most. It fits my storytelling style. When I am actually on the front lines of poverty doing my thing I have a bag of socks, a camera and iPhone all working hard while keeping an eye on my surroundings for safety. I still don’t know how I do what I do! So much all going down all at once in a very unpredictable and often volatile environment. Yes, I question my sanity often

Twitter is great at helping to engage new connections! The InvisiblePeople.tv Road Trip is almost 100% the result of connections made via twitter.

What social media lessons have you learned that you could share?
Tell a good story and the rest will take care of itself.
Be yourself – always!
No twitter drama! NONE! EVER!

If a non-profit or advocacy group came to you about the best way to get their message out there what would you recommend?
A complete marketing and media strategy. Social media without strategy is a toy, not a tool. I may differ with many opinions, but some brands may not benefit from social media, so they should not buy into the hype. It all depends on who you are, your story, your audience and desired result!

Mark will be presenting “A Conversation about Social Change through Social Media” at Gnomedex 9.0- Beginning July 15th, 2009, Mark is taking the show on the road using social media and bringing us along for the ride as he visits the homeless throughout the nation. Formerly homeless himself, Mark brings personal experience and compassion as he aims to bring understanding and knowledge to the growing homeless crisis. He will visit 25 cities across the nation including rural areas, larger cities, shelters and youth facilities.

SMC is excited to be a Gnomedex 9.0 partner and SMC members get a 10% discount!!

Here’s where you register: http://gnomedex.eventbrite.com/?discount=smcseattle10

This event is limited to just 35 people, so register soon!

Did you know non-profit organizations are the fastest adopting market segment for social media? Do you know about how non-profits in the Puget Sound Region have been using social media? Do you want to learn about how you can take these lessons and apply them to your organization?

Come and  learn from a great set of people who have been immersed in the world of non-profits and social media.

We are excited to present an introductory talk by Jeris JC Miller (aka @dakini_3).  She’ll cover the latest study on social media usage by charities and talk about best practices from NPO social media thought leaders.  The talk will be followed by a panel of interesting and very experienced people from various backgrounds in Social Media and non-profit work. In keeping with the Seattle social media community’s “Summer of Love and Social Good” theme, the education program on August 10th will focus on social media for social good.  It will showcase Commerce-Cojoining-Compassion initiatives (#3Cs), NPO foundations, and businesses that actively incorporate new media, Web 2.0, and social media channels into their organizations.

Special thanks to The EDGE Group for sponsoring the space for the event!

Here is a quick introduction to the experts that will lead the discussion and the panel on August 10th.

Jeris JC Miller’s background includes working with Dr. Jerome Kagan, a developmental psychology pioneer and Principal Investigator of the Harvard Infant Study & Director of the New England Node of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Network on Human Development. Her technology background includes work at Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN Technologies; BBN Communications Group) which installed the first network node between UCLA , UC Santa Cruz and the University of Utah (DARPA, ARPANET project); acting as a Program Manager for Rapid Deployment Web Development projects at Intel, and as a Business Analyst for Microsoft.  She writes the Heart of Matter Blog for Seattle Social Media Profiles which focuses on NPO initiatives with ties to the Seattle and Puget Sound Region.

Shauna Causey Shauna Causey is as the Communications Director for Social Media Club Seattle (SMC Seattle) and Comcast. She also serves on four non-profit boards and started Voluntweetup events where social media enthusiasts organize events to train non-profits on effective uses of social media. In her spare time, she interviews Seattle-area startups for Seattle 2.0 TV and is helping to plan Gnomedex and Twestival Seattle.

Adnan Azfar Mahmud is the founder of Jolkona Foundation. Jolkona Foundation uses social media to effectively reach out to its supporters and to keep them abreast of what’s happening in the organization. As a non-profit startup, Jolkona Foundation has scarce “advertising” dollars. Instead they extensively use social media to engage their user base.

We will also have a number of non-profits and consultants from companies represented at the event. Come prepared with your thoughts and questions!

If you want to send questions for the panel in advance, please do so in the comments section below or email them to education@smcseattle.com

Register early, this event is limited to just 35 people.

Please park on the street. The facility closes before the event ends!