So it’s the end of another year. As such, I wanted to take a minute and put my plans & goals for 2008 out there. I’ve not done this one before, but thought I give it a go this year. Much has changed and I have some directions that I want to follow in 2009 that I neglected in years past.
Writing – Blogging
I’m planning on making a return to a regular blogging schedule after a bit more than a year of a more random approach. The reason for this was partially work related, but also from a lack of direction in the Fall/Winter of 2007/2008. This will include the review of a couple other blogs I have – see if I still have the passion & interest to continue those, or if I should end up selling them off.
Writing – eBooks, Newsletters
Ah… yes, there were two aspects to the writing bug this time around. I also am planning to move forward with some eBook projects and a possible Newsletter in 2009. I’m not sure when exactly this will take place, but will be working on the planning in January. The eBook topics will relate to personal branding, the social web, information technology (& social media), and probably how many of these relate to the enterprise. I’m thinking hard on these lately.
Events
Social Media Breakfast – Twin Cities (@SMBMSP on Twitter) has been a great success here in the Minneapolis & St. Paul area, and I plan to continue evolving our local version. It will remain a low or no-cost event. In addition to this fun monthly event, I’m planning on working some one-off special events and possibly an annual event. Whether those are a summit, retreat, or un-conference style I’m not sure yet, but I do have a few concept ideas that I want to expand on. I’ve found that I really enjoy helping people connect, and thereby connecting their business or career needs with resources in the local community.
Online Income
2009 is the year I get serious about increasing online income. By focusing energies on new ideas and business models for my consulting services I plan to make the transition this year from a senior technologist role to a business & customer communications role. The end result will probably be something different, but that’s the fun of a dynamic, fast-paced industry… it’s constantly changing.
Direction
The next few weeks of this year is also the time I’m going to be taking to reassess my career direction. Am I really pursuing the dream, or have allowed myself to get sidetracked and mired in the mechanics of the mundane, again? This is a crucial piece of the puzzle, as it feeds into everything else. Without direction, none of has have a clue as to where we’re going.
I’ve been working in the technology field for a long time and the thing that really keeps me engaged is the fact that it’s always changing. Technology evolves and there is a constant need to be upgrading or planning on upgrading. It’s made a great career for myself with a number of great projects and experiences that I can look back on with fond memories.
"IT" as it’s called has also enabled me to push boundaries that were uncomfortable for me, allowing me to grow and continue to learn about things that I needed to but was uninterested in. To my mind, this is what a career should deliver; experiences, personal growth, team participation, leadership, and providing a decent living for a family. This is something that a technology career has rewarded me with for my investment.
So with that knowledge, experience and expectation, I wonder just how big the social media market is for it’s practitioners. As every site integrates more social media and "web 2.0" technologies and methods, how will social media professionals remain in demand? Ensuing generations will be even more well versed in the concepts, tools, technologies than even the much celebrated millennials today.
As the online world continues to circle around and pick up the once-forgotten "human face" that it lacked in the .com boom/bust, it becomes harder to distinguish just what a social media professional is. I fear that most of them will simply be absorbed into the existing professions as Marketing and Public Relations – already, the social media sphere is mostly made up of this demographic.
Am I off base here or is there really a career path for social media specialists or professionals as we know them today? Or will it just become another skill listed by bullet point on the resume of future marketing professionals? What do you think?
Hi everyone! I thought I’d let you know about the upcoming Social Media Breakfast – Twin Cities on December 19th. It’s a Holiday version of the event, meant to be fun and unstructured.
We will be meeting at the Lake Elmo Inn Event Center, where we’ll have a full breakfast buffet with all your breakfast favorites (including bacon!), served during the entire event. The Lake Elmo Inn has great food, and is a consistent reader’s choice winner in Mpls./St. Paul Magazine, with great facilities and excellent food.
This is a pay event and costs $20 per person. Registration will be open through Dec. 16th and there are only 60 seats available, so don’t wait! Click Here to Register
We’ll be having a great morning with the story of Ratchet, related by Katie Konrath. If you didn’t hear the story, it’s one of community, social media, and compassion coming together to make something happen. One of the great examples of our interest and commitment to social media on a personal level.
Also, we will have an “open mic†for you to share your stories from past events, or to talk about things that Social Media Breakfast has enabled for you. Tell folks what exciting new ideas you’re working on or what you do.
Along with that, we’ll have much more time to talk and trade stories on a more intimate setting, with smaller groups and less pressure to adhere to an agenda. Bring your ideas or stories and share with the folks at your table or the one next to you.
So come enjoy our most exciting event, our 10th event in Minneapolis & St. Paul, our first full breakfast, and probably the best chance to simply connect with more of the SMBMSP crowd than you’ve had a chance to previously.
I look forward to seeing everyone who can make it! If you want to make it, but don’t have a ride lined up, direct message or “@” smbmsp on Twitter and we’ll do our best to connect a some folks together
When: Friday, December 19th, 2008 from 8am to 10am
Guess what, my social media friends in Minneapolis & St. Paul? Jeff Pulver is going to be hosting a Breakfast with Jeff Pulver and Friends here in the Twin Cities on Nov. 20th, courtesy of Best Buy.
In place of our regular Social Media Breakfast – Twin Cities, everyone is invited to join Jeff Pulver for breakfast at the Best Buy headquarters campus in Richfield, MN. We’ve booked space in the large atrium dining & conference area at Best Buy called “Sandy’s Place†and will have room for quite a few more folks than we’ve had in the past.
I’m glad to be able to work with Jeff and Best Buy to bring this opportunity to MSP – our social media community is quite active and has gotten a bit of notice these last few months. Jeff’s version of a social media breakfast will include a number of fun differences from our previous events such as live social tagging, and the personal social networking toolkit.
Registration
Registration for this event is through Facebook, which is probably the easiest way to keep up with Jeff Pulver in any case. This will require a registration process on Facebook if you don’t already have one, but if you’re at all interested in learning more about social media and social networking, you should have one anyway.
There are some great things that Jeff does at each of his breakfasts, and has a video primer that will get up up to speed on Facebook, here.
There will be a social networking toolkit for each attendee, so be sure to check out the video above on how it all works.
While this is really Jeff’s breakfast, we’ll chalk this one up as SMB – Twin Cities 9, since this was the original timeframe for our event in November. We’ll have the same opportunities for networking and sharing ideas, and trust me, Jeff is looking forward to meeting folks from Minneapolis & St. Paul and building relationships with the community here.
You can find Jeff Pulver on Facebook and his blog.
How have you positioned yourself? Have you been building your brand? How are you prepared to take advantage of opportunities in a down economy?
While you listen to the gloom and doom of the mainstream media, naysayers, and general pessimists, remember that only you have control of your career. Just like leaving your financial future in someone else’s hands, doing so with your career is a recipe for disappointment or worse.
Perhaps your position at your company is secure, and you don’t have to worry much. Perhaps it’s anything but secure. Either way, the realities of today dictate that one takes a more proactive approach to staying relevant to your industry, and maintaining visibility in your market.
The great part is that both these things are quite easily accessible to everyone. All you have to do is take the initiative and begin. Sure true training courses by “certified†learning facilities cost real dollars and take up real business hours. However there are other alternatives – search them out on the web. You may already be doing this on a daily basis online or through RSS feeds.
The bigger part, though, is to be making sure to gain visibility in your market. To do that, you’ll need to explore the avenues of “web 2.0†and social media. The tools are plentiful, easy to use, and low to no cost. Most of the ones that give you the most value are going to be the no-cost options, with only your time as an investment.
The time investment is creating and maintaining your presence. It could be one site or network, or it could me many. The more involved you are in sharing information and ideas, the more likely you’ll be to gain both mindshare and authority within your market and industry.
The important thing about working towards this goal, is to make yourself more marketable, more appealing to potential employers and clients. So it’s important that you give examples of your expertise as much as possible. Don’t worry about giving away shared knowledge, every industry has a shared knowledge pool at every level of experience. You need to demonstrate that base knowledge and build upon it. Showing what makes you stand out in the process.
The demand for quality, well-rounded, experienced people never diminishes. The more polished your skills are, and the more people know about them, the more valuable & desirable you become to any organization. And you need to have those qualities visible to the public to take advantage of that next opportunity.
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Yup, taxes are criminal and we need serious reforms. I've always said that if you want to see a tax revolt, make withholdings illegal and have Americans write a tax check every payday. They'll revolt for sure. You don't miss what you never had.
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So it’s the end of another year. As such, I wanted to take a minute and put my plans & goals for 2008 out there. I’ve not done this one before, but thought I give it a go this year. Much has changed and I have some directions that I want to follow in 2009 that I neglected in years past.
