MG Siegler of Techcrunch talks productivity and techniques.

Posted: November 26th, 2009 | No Comments »

Remember how a favourite productivity guru of mine, Steve Rubel, had previously shared his thoughts on how to be more productive with tools like Twitter and the iPhone? Well here’s another awesome interview from one of my favourite authors of all time at Techcrunch, MG Siegler. For reference sake i’ll call him MG. MG’s been writing at Techcrunch for quite some time and most of his works are sharp, witty and opinionated.  He started with timely posts on technology and quickly became one of the productivity experts that caught the attention of TechCrunch. The rest they say is history.

Pic courtesy: Flickr

It tickles my pickles (just saying..) to have his thoughts on how he works throughout the day and give insights into his tech-journalism gig at Techcrunch. I haven’t kept this too long and he was gracious enough to be super fast in his responses too, but knowing about stuff like Yammer at Techcrunch and how to follow up on leads is indeed a cool thing. Everyone know whats to know what Batman’s gadgets are. Without further ado.

What is a typical day for you like?
The first thing I do when I wake up is check my iPhone at my bedside. I usually scan Twitter and Techmeme first to see what, if any, news is going on. I also check my email. If there is something I need to respond to right away, I’ll go over to my computer to do that. Otherwise I try to take a shower and get some coffee.

How do you compose a blog posts.
I typically find something to write about in the new in the mornings and afternoons and work on thought pieces later at night. For the news items I usually compose them in WordPress. For longest pieces I may use a word processor.

Do you write and link simultaneously? Do you write something first and insert link later?
I usually write first and then link later.

How much of your stuff is split between reporting and ideation?
Depends on the story. If it’s a breaking news item I’ll usually reach out to the company to try and get confirmation/comment. If it’s a story from a source, I’ll work on that with the source and the company. If it’s a thought piece, I’ll usually just sit quietly or go for a walk and think about what I want to write before I write it.

How do you track conversations and what is being said about you (or something interesting)
FriendFeed used to be one of my best sources, but since usage has been declining on it, I find it less useful. I stick with Twitter and Google Reader now for most items. And check Techmeme to see if there is something interesting I’m missing. In terms of what is being said about me, that’s almost all Twitter.

How important is twitter to you and your business? What tools do you use?
It’s pretty important from both an information gathering and sending perspective. I typically use both Twitter.com and Brizzly. Sometimes I use Tweetie for Mac. On the iPhone I use Tweetie and Birdfeed.

If not twitter what is your most important social “outpost”?
Mainly Twitter, but I use Facebook a bit too. And have my own personal blog to post things on.

Do you maintain a To Do device? What is it?
The iPhone.

How do you keep track of your duties and things you need to finish?
Usually in my head, but also Google Tasks.

Do you have any tips/advice you can give based on what you think are best practices to stay on top of everything?
I wish I did! I try to tell people to attempt to get in touch with me different ways. I get too many emails to be able to respond to them all.

When you delegate something to someone? How often do you followup? How/What tool do you follow up?
We usually do that over Yammer, internally within TechCrunch. I also follow-up on Yammer or Skype.

When you started blogging (and now lifestreaming!), what was your intent?
I suppose just to get my thoughts on topics out there.

You break a lot of news, do you have someone writing a particular topic and assign tracking to them? or do you keep track of the topics and developments?
Writers tend to have their own things that they follow, but if something is breaking, anyone who is around can jump on it.

Do you get news from other websites? Personal contacts in companies you write to? or readership submission?
Usually contacts and tips sent to TechCrunch. Sometimes we write on bigger issues that are already being talked about too.

How do you cherry pick from the stuff you have to write?
Whatever I find most interesting or most important.

What do you think good writing includes? Any tips on what you should focus on as a writer?
I’m a big fan of good headlines. But in terms of the writing itself, it’s important to have a strong opening, and not bury the lede. I tend to have a more personal style of writing which some people like, but some people hate.

How did you grow your readership?
TechCrunch was big long before me. I think we continue to grow by breaking news, and being fast on news items.

Your lesson to yourself 5 years back on things to focus on?
I’d like to be better at getting back to some emails, but I can be overwhelming.

Top people you recommend reading up on?
All the big blogs are good. VentureBeat, SiliconAlleyInsider, ReadWriteWeb, etc. Some of my favorite blogging though is done on more personal sites like Fake Steve and Daring Fireball.

If you had one line (or 140 characters) to describe yourself, what would it be?
Sleep is a huge waste of time. It gets in the way of blogging.– I’d like to be better at getting back to some emails, but I can be overwhelming.

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