Richard W. Robinson Jr.
 
Reston, VA
sonicrick@aol.com
 

Pioneering creative leader with 18 years experience developing novel approaches to online / mobile content, products and interactive experiences engaging consumers with ferocity.

Innovative and unique consumer experience work with online content, programming and products have led traffic well into the scores of billions, driving millions in revenue over the years. Success achieved through leading teams by example; anticipating future technology trends and mastering current ones; drawing out excellence in
entrepreneurial teams in both small and matrixed environments.

Particular areas of response include:

• Web Content / Product Innovation
• Mobile Content / Product Innovation
• Online-offline Customer Experience
• Online Community / Social Media Development
• Interactive Online Products / Applications and Services
• Editorial Operations Leadership
• New Business Strategy
• Online Technologies

       References via LinkedIn (click to pop up new window)
 

Professional Experience

YTL Communications 2009 - Present

Senior Vice President

Helped establish core product and content team as well as overall strategy for launching products across the world's first nationwide mobile broadband network (4G WiMAX) - being developed by multinational YTL. Managed the launch of YTL's $1mm mYprize Global Developer Competition prompting developers world wide to create applications and devices for the network; established the longer term engagement platform 'YTL Innovation Network' to foster relationships between the company and top-tier developers.

SonicGleek Productions (sonicgleek.com) Ongoing

Founder

Network of socially focused Websites aimed at both leveraging existing social networks, with creative add-ons, and creating new ones. Current projects of SonciGleek Productions include the popular Twitchamp.com and Officegossip.com as well as the coming Bullyfinders.com and Twteepie.com.

XOHM (Sprint/Clearwire) - Wireless WiMAX Broadband 2007-2009

Vice President, Access, Product and Content Services

Launched core elements of the first major WiMAX rollout in the country to extremely positive reviews from media and consumers. Managed conception, business planning, design and execution of all products and services supporting the XOHM mobile broadband business. Mobile and fixed products include destination Websites (portal, marketing site, sales, etc.); widget-driven services and consumer applications including novel, ad-based location-centric contextual services; all access services including activation and provisioning; site infrastructure including location-based services support, identity management; business products. Team manages product-level partnerships with Google, Symantec (digital locker), McAfee and several to-be-named location and content services partners. Work closely with device manufacturers including Nokia, Samsung and others.

Freewebs (Webs.com) 2006-2007

Vice President, Product and Programming

Responsible for plan and execution of transitioning a successful free hosting service into a broad consumer service supporting vibrant communities, state-of-art publishing methods and innovative widget-based advertising.

America Online (AOL & AOL Time Warner 1996-2005

Vice President, Member Experience Dulles, VA 2004-2005
Oversight responsibility for quality and performance of the AOL member experience (dial-up and broadband) including products, content and advertising across all points of entry, client software experience, holistic key products experiences and member view of AOL.com. Worked with executives across the company to gain empirical understanding of the needs of the subscription business, balanced against the needs of AOL's expanding media business, in order to achieve goals.

• Co-developed and successfully executed plan to refocus the company narrowly on key areas of safety & security, speed and quality of core clients (the AOL software). Made the case that spyware and other outside dangers were imminent and AOL needed to be ready with remedies. The plan was successfully executed and the fruits of the effort were seen with reduction of the churn curve.
• Maintained corporate focus on deployment of unique benefits for paying members, such as software ensuring optimal computer performance and online safety and security.
• Successfully mounted fact-based campaigns to make speed of the service a critical element of all products and programming; implemented policies and measurement methods.
• Delivered core elements of the online service that had proved to drive the “net promotion” metric and overall member retention.
• Oversaw member-facing elements of AOL.com relaunch, assuring the retention of paying member value and excellent benefits to members accessing from outside the "walled garden".
• Developed policies (and pressed for their execution) guarding against online advertising that unnecessarily depleted the member experience.
• Implemented a TQM process for the access side of the business.
• Created and implemented new measurement systems for rating page-load time - something found to be critical to members and advertisers
• Worked continuously on difficult, cross-company internal campaign to achieve buy-in to support the existing member base (primarily dialup) while not denigrating their experience with broadband applications.
  
  - Story about my staff (when the focus was Dialup) on the AOL Employee Channel is here.
  - Story with one of my staff members about the importance of the group's work is here
   

Vice President, Community Products 2002-2004
Led direct team of 18 product managers (and a matrix of hundreds in marketing and technology) to revitalize lagging community-oriented products, innovate significant new ones and invent various smaller consumer-facing interactive tools and widgets.

Led innovation and execution of numerous Web products aimed at driving member value and bolstering traffic and search revenue such as:

• AOL Journals (blogs) - AOL's first foray into blogging which was widely praised by bloggers and journalists.
• Photo-based Member Directory (over 20 million images uploaded in year following launch).
• "Expressions," including SuperBuddies (for AIM and AOL), Instant greetings, E-cards.
• Various visual and member-empowerment improvements to AOL Chat, Buddy Chat.
• AOL Journals remote publishing "bot" - allowing users to update their blog via Instant Messenger.
• Match Chat - a unique product auto-connecting members with similar interests and dynamically introducing them via chat rooms.
• People Connection Search, allowing members to get an instant snapshot of what other are talking about at that moment.
• AOL Message Boards empowerment tools and Hometown redesign (AOL's home pages).
• Social-networking applications.
• Photo-based live polling and national/local polling and ratings system.
• Co-created patent-pending “IM Catcher” product that promotes privacy and battles IM spam.
• Led planning and development of Love.com.
  
  Collectively these and other products under my care extended the reach of AOL Community areas to nearly 80% of the entire member base.
  
  - Interview with me on community experience philosophy is here.
  - Story written for the AOL Employee Channel on a key product launch is here.

Vice President, Wireless Product/Programming Strategy 2000-2002
Managed startup team to develop AOL's foray into wireless content/products, building a complete portal with email, IM, local content, news, weather and sports, delivered in WAP format; assisted in carriage and marketing deals with most major wireless carriers.

• Developed unique bundling deals between Time Warner properties and carriers (e.g. created an interactive fixed-mobile site with ringtones, SMS content alerts and games around the Lord of the Rings film.)
• Led integration of wireless applications into the AOL (desktop) experience, tying together online and offline consumer behavior.
• Led creation of a dynamic, localized Website (for all major DMAs) to educate members about how to let AOL help make the most of their cell phones, and provide local sales opportunities.
• Passed 1 million wireless AIM users during tenure.

Executive Director, New Products (AOL Local Network) 2000
Led AOL Local to develop programming and products carried across wireless and handheld devices, creating the first complete local wireless product with content for all major cities.

• All city sites produced in WAP (wireless) format; developed components of Location-Based Services (LBS) such as "what's nearby".
• All city sites produced for Palm Pilot.

Director of Programming (AOL Local Network) 1998- 2000
Managed 13 city staffs/operations and corporate support (150 people).

Managing Editor, Digital City Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA 1996-1998
Led Digital City Philadelphia to become the most-trafficked in the Network by inventing techniques (in products and programming) to engage and entertain members with interactive, issues-oriented news programming and enticing features that took advantage of the medium and the community we developed.

Developed successful partnerships with and integrated content of local CBS affiliate, Philadelphia Magazine, Philly Weekly newspaper and numerous others.

• Co-created personality-driven “blogs” model using local celebrities as content providers.
• Created several original platforms for member self expression: comment boards, customized Instant Messenger feedback module, member connection via photo libraries.
• Created AOL’s popular Polling product, with five billion votes counted since 1997.
• Created a variety of member publishing tools.
• Created popular online "Trading Post" where members traded goods and services.
• Created early Graffiti Boards for free-form AOL member publishing.
• Created “I Saw You” service enabling serendipitous member meeting.

BBS Magazine
Editor-in-Chief, BBS Magazine Medford, NJ 1993-1996
Operated one of the first magazines to cover the online market, growing it into an internationally distributed consumer monthly covering electronic bulletin board systems, online services and the Internet. (Examples on request.)

Guest Speaking / Professional Panels

• "Cool Twitter Conference" - Speaker on Social Media Behaviors
• GigaOM's Mobilize - Location, Search and Context
• Digital Media Conference - Panel on Open Networks
• Berkeley >play conference speaker on Mobile Internet
• GEL – Good Experience Live – Presentation on online community building / effects
• New York New Media Association – Panel on Wireless Publishing
• CTIA annual conferences – Speech and Panels on Wireless Content / Business
• South By Southwest (SXSW) – Panel on Wireless Products
• Consumer Electronics Show (CES) – Panel on Wireless Content
• Internet World – Panel on Wireless
• PBS Internet Conference – Panel on Community Content

Interviews
Interviewed by many publications and broadcasts as expert in online communication, products and consumer behavior. Some include:

Board Seats

Vindigo (2002-2003)
Represented AOL on Vindigo’s Board of Directors. Helped offer direction for this developer of industry leading handheld software applications and products.

Generation Energy (2006)
Advisor position getting this alternative energy company launched into the business of capturing and selling the clean energy created via wind farms. 

Professional Groups

Founding member of the Good Experience Council
Founding member of the WMA (Wireless Marketing Association – 2001)

Patents

IM Catcher
Co-created a unique way to dynamically screen and alert Instant Message users of incoming instant messages from people they don’t know – this virtually eliminated “SPIM” (IM SPAM) on AOL.

Consultancies                                                                               

Community-building consultation for:

• Mobile Posse
• WebMD
• K12.com
• Notefish.com
• Clearwire
• YTL Communications
• Samepoint.com

Other Work Experience

Book

Edited “America Online for Windows 95” for Peachpit Press 1996

Camden County Board of Freeholders

Information Officer, NJ Freeholders Camden , NJ 1992-1993
Introduced desktop publishing, saving money on production of citizen materials; introduced online dissemination of information. Ghost-wrote newspaper columns, authored speeches, created newsletters and generated press releases.

Courier-Post Newspaper

Desk Editor, Reporter, Courier-Post Newspaper Cherry Hill , NJ 1990-1991
In addition to standard desk duties, introduced access of complementary information to fill out reports (mostly related to coverage the “Gulf War”); assisted with desktop graphics manipulation and online acquisition of assets; helped create a local BBS for reporters to deliver stories from the field, reducing reliance on dictation.

Freelance Writer / Reporter (Online and Print)

Freelance Writer Pennsauken , NJ 1990-1993
Wrote numerous pieces on the early development of software enabling online connectivity and graphical user interfaces, and the people / small companies developing them.

InterCounty Newspaper Group

Editor, Observer (weekly) Newspaper  Blackwood , NJ 1989-1990 

Performed all standard duties of editor (reporting, editing and assigning stories); also directly produced most photography, layout and design.

 

Education

Florida Southern College  Lakeland , FL 1989
Bachelor of Arts, Journalism

Associate Editor of college newspaper; founded still-publishing literary magazine Cantilevers; named Society of Professional Journalists College Journalist of the Year for Florida Southern.

• Spring internship at The Lakeland Ledger daily newspaper.
• Summer internship at Business View magazine.

icrosoft Word version of resume is here.

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