During a Skype interview, Martti Lindholm of MTV in Finland and David Hall of TV4 in Sweden talked about Twitter, gaining new perspectives on your job and trading places under Bonnier’s GROW program.
What are you working on, and is it similar to what you usually work with?
David Hall: Just now, I’ve been looking at some things we’ve been doing on Instagram and analyzing the statistics. But mostly I’ve been working on a new mobile responsive site that’s being launched by MTV.
Martti Lindholm: Right now, I’m working on a Twitter strategy for TV4 – what should or shouldn’t be done during live broadcasts, how TV4 should present itself, etc.
DH: I applied for GROW because I was interested in social media and this seemed like a natural fit for me. I normally work with system development but this was a chance to work with something different that I’m very interested in.
ML: I’m doing pretty similar stuff to what I do in Finland – how people use social media. And here in Sweden, there are a lot of similarities, but some differences as well. At MTV we have more of a policy that everyone working there should all use social media to talk about their work to increase the transparency, and we have lots of ways to do it. For instance, a tool we use called SmarpShare has a feed with important topics available for sharing that we can then post.
The structure at TV4 is different and the focus is more on TV4’s intranet.
Have you had regular contact with each other?
DH: Not so much, just a couple of times-
ML: On Twitter!
DH: Before I applied for the GROW position, I read Martti’s blog entries so I had a good hunch of what the job would be like.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
MH: Probably the biggest insight I’ve had is that with the distance I have from my usual co-workers and my employer, I’m getting a new perspective on my job. When you’re in your small everyday circle, you’re too close to really see, you’re worried whether what you’re doing is enough or is good, with social media for example. But with a bit of distance, I can see that we are doing good things. Plus I get to see how things are at TV4, like with Facebook for example, they do it so differently and it’s a great opportunity to discuss with colleagues and bring it home - and I hope that I’m giving them something as well.
DH: I totally agree about getting a new perspective. I think what I’ve seen especially is how the organization really colors our daily work, and it impacts the services we provide. It’s interesting with the differences, and they’re important. For me, it also gave me the chance to do something other than programming and prove to myself that I could be interested in and work with it.
What is best about the experience – on or off the job?
DH: I like being able to walk through central Helsinki every morning on my way to work. You can really feel the city pulse.
ML: Yeah, it’s easy to get to the office here. I like walking through the city, too, there are lots of beautiful buildings and great restaurants with great food. But what I like most is the feeling that I’ve been given the freedom to develop myself.
DH: I agree, the chance to work on something in a more concentrated way is a great opportunity.
Any big surprises?
ML: Well, I already knew before I came that Swedes like to discuss everything a lot in making decisions, compared to the more silent and hierarchical Finnish style [editor’s note: Lindholm used a Swedish expression involving a Finnish profanity that we won’t publish here] – it’s a culture of consensus and discussion – and it can really lead to the right path. Still, it amazed me how much it was true, for good and bad.
DH: We Swedes do really have a culture of discussing things and sometimes get accused of no one taking responsibility. And definitely, here in Finland it’s more hierarchical. But really, I would say that even if it’s similar, it’s still dissimilar enough to be interesting.
ML: But my colleagues haven’t been silent, they’ve been talking to you, haven’t they?
DH: Yes, of course, they’ve been really nice (laughing).
Any last words of advice to each other?
DH: I hope Martti will leave all his great ideas with TV4 and help us revitalize what we’re doing in social media.
ML: And I hope that you enjoy your time there, David. Get to know as many people as possible because I think we’ll be working more together in the future.
DH: You’re right, there’s been a lot of talking about more cooperation here, working on more products together and discussing ways we could work together.
ML: Exactly, and there are lots of ways we can work together.