What I want to be when I grow up.

Zoe Siskos, January 18 2008

Zoë Siskos, Social Media Analyst, makes it her business to read and get to know bloggers and other content producers, making sure they’re invited to client events and included in programs that are of interest to them. Her role is a perfect blend of her own blogging experience and her education and work in public relations.

Maggie Fox charged me with the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” My profoundly intelligent answer – “Truthfully Maggie? I don’t know.”

Okay, so she caught me a little off guard. It was after sitting in awe, listening to quick-witted banter between two Social Media experts, Maggie Fox and Collin Douma, that I was asked this question. Barely able to recover from the mass of information I took in, I really couldn’t come up with an answer. Now, after a few days of pondering…I still can’t.

You have to understand where I’m coming from. Not even two months ago I was in a job that I loved but working for an organization whose idea of communication meant “What does the President want to hear?” Social media, for me, was a hobby and not to be included in my profession in any way, shape or form. I was not able to delve into it as deeply as I wanted because of pressing deadlines and obligations that steered me far in an opposite direction.

Now, my job career IS social media. I have absorbed, read, written, analyzed and learned more in six weeks than I ever could have even imagined. My synapses are on fire with everything I have been learning. The opportunities are endless because social media is endless.

Okay, enough metaphors and clichés. Let’s get down to some social media fundamentals that I’ve picked up on:

  1. Social media is not a trend, fad, issue, style or business model. It is about getting back to the level of communication we once shared – only restructured to incorporate our modernized culture.
  2. Social media is a reflection of a cultural desire to (re)connect with one another.
  3. Social media is not static. It grows and changes as the people who embrace it grow and change.
  4. The only limitations of social media are that of your imagination.

So, to answer the question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” – How about the president of Social Media Group? ;)

Discussion

Collin on January 18th, 2008
That is a good plan. As long as you don't go after my job ;-) collin
zoe siskos on January 18th, 2008
I promise to keep you on the payroll. z
Maggie Fox on January 18th, 2008
Should I be concerned? Again, remember - I have candy.
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