Social media expertise combined with a passion for specialty coffee is the formula for Steve Rhinehart’s ‘Counter Talk’ blog.

The graduate student in the School of Information Studies carries coffee beans, containers of milk, latte cups and brewing equipment in a suitcase to provide students with free coffee. However, there is one catch.

‘You have to provide something that you are passionate about,’ said Rhinehart, who is studying information management at the iSchool, ‘so we can have a unique, genuine conversation that I can publish later on my website.’

Rhinehart, a former barista, originally thought about presenting his idea to use social media to talk only about specialty coffee, which he thinks is an underrepresented market.

But he said one of his professors at the iSchool who teaches a social media class encouraged him to use his love of coffee to do something more meaningful.

‘The idea got formed that I could use coffee as a means of attracting people to form a dialogue,’ Rhinehart said. ‘The people I’ve met have very good and very important ideas.’

Rhinehart will bring his ‘Counter Talk’ project, which he started Jan. 20, to the #140cuse Conference on April 19 in the Schine Student Center. The conference will address how social media and the real-time web have changed lives. Although he will not be speaking at this event, Rhinehart said he will be serving coffee.

So far, Rhinehart has only interviewed students for his blog, but they are they are pleased with his initiative.

Alyssa Henry, a graduate teaching assistant in the social media class that inspired Rhinehart, said he tweeted her about meeting to talk over coffee. Henry said she thought the idea was great and thinks what Rhinehart is doing is really smart.

‘A lot of the times when it comes to social media, you are making connections online, but you aren’t taking them offline,’ Henry said. ‘He’s taking his passion for coffee and sharing it with people online, but making sure he can also share it in real life.’

Henry said she thought the conversation would only last 20 minutes tops, but it lasted an hour.

‘He’s really crazy about coffee, but he’s very enthusiastic about people as well,’ said Isaac Budmen, a senior policy studies major who also met with Rhinehart for ‘Counter Talk.’ ‘He constantly redirects the conversation to the other person.’

Not only does Rhinehart make a great cup of coffee, Budmen said, but he is also a nice person who is really interested in showcasing other people.

‘I want to get the world’s creative juices flowing,’ said Rhinehart. ‘I think that my blog is a meager example of an outlet for people’s ideas to spread.’

smhazlit@syr.edu 

Published on March 6, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Shannon: smhazlit@syr.edu