Are you a Social Media Specialist?

So I'm at my desk.  It's my first day as a "blogger".  I can say that now because I no longer have a day job, and therefore can't hide behind the excuse that it's just for fun;  therapeutic.


One of my biggest dreams as a kid was to be a writer and/or an ad man like Darrin Stephens in Bewitched. (Pardon me, my age is slipping)

While I did some creative  writing for theatre and copy writing during my years in arts administration, life, work and cowardice provided ample diversions from realizing my dream.

Although I've been blogging for just over a year (mostly on my personal site: arayinthelife) I have now decided to make blogging and social media my life.

In preparation for this momentous milestone, I have been immersing myself in all things BLOG and SOCIAL MEDIA.  I just completed my first online social media summit: Social Media Success Summit 2010 or #smss10 as we tweetheads refer to it.  I scan my Google Reader each morning and pray at the altar of Seth Godin and Chris Brogan.  I figure I should be all set to go.  But no!


It's not enough that I'm committed to engagement and building trust, I must chose a specialty so that those with whom I wish to build relationships can find me.  I must pepper my blog with keywords and Google friendly phrases; I must become an expert on one thing and my blog posts shouldn't deviate from it.

Well, if I had known that at sixteen, it would have saved me a lot of grief.  Blessed are those who know exactly what they want for they shall inherit followers.

In this blog, I write about social media; how it relates to my life, how my journey of discovery is progressing and reasons why I believe social media will change how we connect and communicate in every facet of life.

I am not a marketer, nor have I worked in e-commerce or multimedia organizations. I don't have marketing expertise to give but what I do have is the wisdom that comes from a history of communicating with fellow artists, audiences, restaurant customers, employees and corporate and government bureaucracies.

So am I a specialist? No.  We have too many specialist. Ever try to find a GP in your area?

What's your story?

These days I tend to start my day with cereal, coffee and a perusal through blog postings courtesy of my trusty Google Reader.

I can count on, Mitch Joel's blog: Six Pixels of Separation to provide me with enough brain food that, along with my breakfast, gets me off to an inspired and healthy start to the day.

This morning was no exception. Like many of the articles he posts, I related with this one very much: it addressed the idea that we create our own stories.

In particular, he was presenting Donald Miller's new book: A million Miles in a Thousand Years.

I'm not familiar with Donald Miller -a little more now at the time of writing this - but let's say it was a great marketing job complete with a video of Chris Brogan giving the book a review.


The book evidently refers a lot to making our own stories.

Writing your own story means you have to know the protagonist very well and as Donald Miller says, we tend to identify ourselves by how others perceive us.   I'm not sure if I agree; but I look forward to reading the book to understand better what he meant by that as another day and another page of my new story is completed.

Book Notes | Donald Miller Interview, Part 1

Donald Miller Interview, Part 2

Donald Miller Interview, Part 3