Thursday, February 2, 2012

Experiences with Social Media

My first salient experience with social media was in 2007. I was employed by Magic Hat Brewing Company in Burlington, VT as The Voice of Magic Hat. Yes, The Voice was my official title. Among many of my responsibilities, I was tasked with creating compelling online postings – we called them Impending Incidents – that gave interesting and engaging details about upcoming bar promotions and events. I also created and posted blog entries about a wide variety of topics – some beer related, some not. I distinctly remember my friend Susan had a Facebook page at this time (I wasn’t impressed) but she told me it was a great way to “keep in touch.”


About a year later, my boyfriend and I left our comfy little burg in Vermont and headed out to the Western Slope of Colorado. No man’s land. Bored, and frustrated by my surroundings, and looking for an outlet, I started an online journal of sorts called Arid Artesian Junction. The posts were pretty far and few between, and mostly musings (read: thinly veiled criticisms) about my new home. I think I also signed up for Facebook around this time, remembering what Susan said, as it was a great way to “keep in touch.” Fortunately, this new home quickly became my old home after I embarked on another westward venture at the end of 2008: Seattle.


Social Media has had two direct impacts on my life since moving to Seattle: 1. It has now become the main form of communication with my friends and family, and 2. It has become an ever more persistent medium of communication within my job. The first (friend/family) point of impact is somewhat self-explanatory (although my dependence on it is starting to become scary – eek!). The second (work-related) point of impact is always evolving – a newly developed Facebook landing page, QR codes on all promotional materials, subject line testing for email blasts.


Even though it’s been in-and-around my life for a while now, I’m still feel I’m at the beginning of my Social Media adventure.

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