My blog is called “The Quest for an Entrepreneurial Voice in Gen-Y” where I talk about finding your voice among the millions of voices in Gen-Y and the true entrepreneurial spirit, a philosophy of taking 100% responsibility for yourself. Plus I say funny stuff and make lots of cultural references, sometimes too many to link up!

Tell me about your Blog?

What was your first blog?
This is my first blog!

What is the biggest tip you would give to a newbie blogger?
I think Nike says it best, “Just Do It!” Most newbies are scared. Just get started, you’ll catch the fever. I did, and fast too!

 What do advertisers do that you wish they wouldn’t?
Bother me! Haha. Well, the worst thing they do is assume that I want what they’re selling. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I don’t trust them because of the way they are trying to sell me. Relax people! Sometimes you just need to be friendly, helpful, and informative. Don’t underestimate the logical sell. Not everyone makes decisions on purely emotional grounds.

What do bloggers do that you wish they wouldn’t?
Rehash content. Be original!

Where do you see growth in the blogging field?
Everywhere! I think that it is growing by leaps and bounds. It is great to see. More voices mean more perspectives. That’s what really improves content.

What new ideas are advertisers coming up with to take advantage of new trends?
 Advertisers are getting smart about video content. Instead of whining about not getting their commercials seen on TV, they’ve gotten into online video, but in a less obtrusive way. They’ve figured out how to entice us without annoying us. A great example is the video site www.hulu.com that has great short ads. I get to watch the shows that I love, like The Daily Show, Heroes, Colbert Report and old reruns of anime – without getting ticked with the ads. I hope more sites catch on to that style.

What do you do to improve the world?
I work on myself a lot. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but really it is. If you think about it, 80% of the problems in the world are caused by humans. Since I’m human that means 80% of my problems are caused by me! To fix that, you fix yourself. Gandhi said it best, “be the change you want to see in the world.” Don’t you think if we were all less evil towards one another, the world would be a better place? And the largest control you have in this world is over you, right? So, fix you and you fix the main problem.

What do you do that is green?
I love to recycle! I’m also working on going paperless.

What is one thing about you that not many people know?
I can sing. I’ve actually got a pretty powerful voice, like opera singer powerful. I just haven’t worked on it much, except in the car or at church. Haha.

What’s your favorite book?
My favorite book is usually the one I’m reading at the time! Hehe. Right now I’m reading CrushIt! By Gary Veynerchuk. Hot off the press, and I’m lovin’ it.

What is on your iPod?
I don’t own one…yet. Haha. But, I’m listening to several things right now. The new Silversun Pickups’ album Swoon; Lady Gaga’s stuff is hot right now, especially the remixes; and the new Black Eyed Peas’ album The END is cool. I could go on and on, I’m a huge music fan.

What are your contact details (email, company, blog, Facebook, MySpace, forums, etc)?
E-mail: ryantbrowne@(nospam)gmail.com 
Blog: http://blog.ryantbrowne.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryantbrowne
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ryantbrowne

I’m an alumnus of the first Rock Star Business Series, so I’m in those forums and I’ll be helping the new class. Check out: http://rockstarbusinessseries.com

I’ll be launching my first company, hopefully sometime in 2010, so be on the lookout for that.
 Others: coming soon
.
What events do you go to?
I’ve only gotten started in blogging, so I haven’t gotten to go to any cool blogging conferences, but I’m excited to get started. I love conferences and seminars. Anything self-improvement. I also love concerts. Mostly classical music, but I want to get out to see some big name pop musicians. Just always got to save money for those, if you don’t want nosebleed seats! Haha.

How do you prefer to communicate?
In person, over coffee.
Via e-mail, or IM.
Tweet, or Facebook.

Who would you recommend, and why?
 Jun Loayza (http://junloayza.com )
He’s a great inspirational young entrepreneur who first introduced me to the online community that I now hangout with. His video interviews are what hooked me in. He has this great way of humanizing business, showing real-time struggles and successes. I know people are going to be hearing more about him in the coming years.
Yu-kai Chou (http://yukaichou.com)
He’s the CEO of Future Delivery, LLC, a young fresh startup that is kicking butt and taking names. He started Future Delivery TV with his college friend, Jun Loayza, and they really work well together. Jun did the interviews and Yu-kai ran the show. I’ve really grown to respect him and his leadership style. He does a great job of explaining concepts and has this great quiet leader presence. I’m excited about his latest project, Viralogy, a new way to look at online influence. You can check it out here: http://viralogy.com .
Cody McKibben (http://thrillingheroics.com )
Cody is great because he has really taken on what I think is a great lifestyle, traveling, location-independent (last time I checked he was hanging out in Thailand), helping people and having fun at the same time. He’s got a nice minimalist style that I really admire.
Greg Rollett (http://gregrollett.blogspot.com )
Greg is a great young internet marketer who was of all things a rapper! You really have to love the diversity in the world, and Greg is very diverse. He’s been a rapper, he’s an internet marketer, a music promoter, and also a real advocate for the homeless. I really love his Rock for Hunger organization. You can check them out here: http://rockforhunger.org
Jared O’Toole (http://mindfrenzy.com )
Jared is just plain awesome! He’s a really nice guy, who is super social media smart. I learned a lot about blogging from him. He’s really good at reminding you to balance your passion and common sense. I love one of his recent posts about not letting your emotions carry you away. I’m so glad he did that one, because a few days later I almost lost it when I read an article and I really wanted to blast someone hardcore. But, then I remembered what Jared said, and I thought, “man, I better not do this, I’m too mad right now.” Best advice ever. He probably saved me a lawsuit. Haha.
Matt Wilson (http://mattwilson.tv )
 Matt is a ball of energy! He’s so enthusiastic you can’t help but like him. He’s sort of like a mini-me of Gary Veynerchuk, with a New York accent. He’s really good at pushing you to achieve more. That’s what’s so great about him, he demands more of you. Matt and Jared O’Toole started a great resource for young entrepreneurs called Under30CEO. Check it out here: http://under30ceo.com .
Jeremiah Cohick (http://jeremiahlee.com )
He’s a complete and total geek. And he’s awesome! He’s a great designer out of Southern California that I met in my Rock Star Business Series class. He’s young, but he’s very experienced with technology and has a definite viewpoint. I respect his candor and like his style. He’s the kind of person you meet online that you just want to hang out with all day talking about everything because you know he’s going to say something funny and you’re going to leave crying tears of joy. Never met him, but feels like I have. That’s why social media rocks!
Jonathan Jarvis (http://jonathanjarvis.com )
Jonathan is another guy I haven’t met yet. Heck, I haven’t even spoken to him yet! (Got to get on that, haha.) Anyway, he is an incredibly talented young interaction and media designer who made an awesome video about the credit crisis that I absolutely love. You can check it out here: http://crisisofcredit.com . If I had money to invest in technology, his would be the first on my list. Hands down. Visualization is the future, and I’m excited to see where the work Jonathan does takes us next.
Gary Veynerchuk (http://tv.winelibrary.com )
Gary is just, plain, fearless! His spirit is intoxicating, just like his wine. His new book is awesome and everyone should check it out. Here’s the link: http://crushitbook.com. He has so much passion for what he does and it shows. Everyone knows how down-to-earth Gary is, even me! I found that out when I said something about Gary’s enthusiasm on Twitter and he took the time to tweet me back. I was shocked. Here’s this big name guy that all my social media friends love who took time out to talk to me, a newbie he never met. That’s commitment. That’s why everyone loves him.
j. Monica O’Brien (http://blog.monicaobrien.com )
i. Monica is a wonderfully thoughtful person who really takes the time to create valuable content and builds community. I really enjoyed her interview with Jun Loayza and that got me started thinking that I could do this entrepreneur thing too. She has success written all over her. Look for big things in the future from this rising star.
17. What is one thing people can do for you?
a. Stop by my blog, comment, subscribe, or tweet me!