The country’s most venerated journalistic institution recently appointed Jennifer Preston as Social Media Editor — the first at The New York Times. For traditional news, this is a big deal and the introductory step in acknowledging that social media is changing the media landscape.
The craze of Twitter and the steady acceptance of Facebook are providing new opportunities and exciting advances for a range of industries. There’s no escaping it. The question is how do you get a head of it all? Like the Times, organizations are creating new positions or evolving current ones to meet their social media needs.
From my own experience, I’ve seen my role as a writer greatly changed by the surge of social media awareness by our clients and customers. I’m no longer just a copywriter, but also a content strategist, conversationalist, media trend spotter, listener, hostess, friend and follower. The best way to describe it is like taking Michael Phelps, Martha Stewart and Paris Hilton and rolling them up into one person — I’m hyping up a brand, entertaining guests and working the room.
The job of social chair is still big and ill defined for now, but it’s definitely exhilarating to be in the center of it all.
