Old School New Media

I am Matt Leonard, author of Old School New Media. Interested in learning more about me or Old School New Media? Here it is, in an overgrown nutshell.

Who am I?

I am an avid new media enthusiast and participant who came from the old school. Unlike most SEO or SEM professionals, which I am among, I don’t have the story of a shining light from the other side drawing me into the interactive marketing realm. There really was no defining moment. Rather, I was simply a very successful businessman that loved (and still loves) to build and create. At 23, I began working in the financial industry full time (I started at the age of 12 part time). I began with a small financial services company and turned it into a 38 location, multi million dollar enterprise. Pretty cool, but not my passion. So, I started anew and did it again. But…

This time I did it online. I used basic business fundamentals coupled with a still increasing knowledge of new media (although I don’t believe that cool name existed at the time). I began finding every scrap of new media information I could. I asked professionals and experts in every interactive field everything and anything. I learned through osmosis. I took in the good and threw out the bad. If things made sense, they usually were correct. Sometimes success really can be that simple. In many cases I actually hired experts just to learn from them. I knew how to succeed. I wanted to learn new areas to succeed in. And…

I talked to anyone that would listen. I talked to anyone that would listen.

Wait, I said that twice. Intentionally. One of my core educational beliefs….if you believe there is a human being alive that you can not learn something from, you clearly need to consider opening your mind. In some cases, you may just learn what NOT to do. Is that harsh? Possibly. But it goes directly to the core of Old School New Media and myself, Matt Leonard. The basic premises of yesterday remain true today. Ignore them and believe in a new paradigm at your peril. By the way, I have some old stock shares of JDS Uniphase or CMGI I’d be glad to sell you. If you know what that means, or who they are, you may be old school.

What is Old School New Media?

“Old School New Media” is Matt Leonard’s (my) blog about how core marketing fundamentals are still the backbone of new media. It is not a blog that is going to post things like “Google is doing this”. There are enough of them. This is the world of Mobile, Local, SEO, SEM, Social, Viral, WOM, offline marketing and more from a business perspective. It’s about how to combine the new media of today with the old school business rules of days past to drive traffic, analyze it and monetize it.

More About Matt Leonard (Still Me)

I also have extensive mobile experience and a functional, custom SMS Platform that you are welcome to check out.