Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive: My 2009 Highlights

I’ve been reflecting upon the positive things that happened to me this year, despite being in the job market twice this year due to the economic times and nature of the advertising industry. I’ve managed to be pretty productive, even between jobs. I am thankful for the successes I’ve had and the friendships I’ve made through networking in 2009. Here’s a recap of my year:

- Received American Advertising Federation (AAF) Nashville’s President’s award for my contribution in rebranding the ad club’s website, email newsletter, and creating social networking sites for the organization. I’ve had my eye on that trophy for a couple of years…so it was a personal victory to have my name etched on it!

- Co-Founded Social Media Club Nashville with Jessica Murray, who I met at Dave Delaney’s Geek Breakfast. We had several successful, well attended meetings of SMC Nashville, including topics on Social Media’s use for non-profits, healthcare, and Nashville Predators. I’ve met so many people with the same interest in social media and marketing!

Networking when Networking wasn’t Cool

I was networking when social networking wasn’t cool. (To the tune of “I was Country When Wasn’t Cool”) - hey, I live in Nashville- what do you expect?!

I came to Nashville in 2002 with one goal -to work in advertising- and no clue how to make it happen. I read a few career books about networking and working in the advertising field. They all said to set up informational interviews to get to know the companies and the people who run them.

There were no social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter (if they existed, I didn’t know about them). At the time, I didn’t even have a computer or the internet. All I had was a phone, a phone book, and a determined attitude.