2010 is here tomorrow and it’s hard to believe that just 10 years ago I was preparing to move back to the Triangle after a three year stint in Charlotte. At that time I was newly married and without kids. Well a lot has changed in my life since then including the birth of my two children and maturing to the next phase of my life.
The first nine years of this millennium has been a roller coaster ride to say the least. When I moved back to the Triangle in 2000 the dot com bubble was starting to burst. Marketing and PR were dramatically changing as the Internet and Web were becoming more prevalent in our lives. Companies were beginning to change the way they communicated to their customers and we started learning how to do more with technology.
Now as I look back on 2009 there were many good and bad moments. The bad being more on a national level as we struggled with financial crisis, job loss, two wars, and other challenges we face as a nation. But there was a lot of good in 2009 also. This year marked the year that more of us connected using social networks and got online in a whole new way. I started using social media in 2008 but 2009 marks the year that it took off. I was amazed at how many people I connected with and reconnected with old friends that I had not seen or talked to in many years.
I am constantly amazed at the level of talent and passion that is right here in the Triangle. Social networks allow us to find other like minded people that we normally may not have met. Groups like Social Media Club and SEO Meetup provide excellent free forums for learning and sharing this new technology and best practices. Local entrepreneurs and startups are able to rapidly connect and communicate with potential clients and partners. Events like Ignite Raleigh and Social Media Business Forum allow us to share our passion and meet others face to face after having online conversations.
Going into 2010 I expect to see more of the same and continual evolution of these tools and networks. I hope to meet more people that share the same passion in their work and social life. Also I will be doing some new and exciting projects in 2010 that I cannot wait to start and will keep blogging about during the year.
This also marks the last post I will be doing on Blogger. I have finally broken down and started using WordPress and will take the next few weeks to migrate this blog to my own domain. I will also try and write more frequently about marketing and local events of interest and hope you join me in the discussion.
To everyone that I met for the first time this year as well as old friends I want to wish a safe and Happy New Years and toast to a great 2010!
