Internet Geek Girl

Back in January when I wrote Re-design 2009, I never imagined that my redesign would include an executive position with a leading global public relations firm. In fact, I didn’t even realize that over the last few years I had become a “PR person.”  I just wanted more flexibility in my project choices and changed my business model accordingly. Today, I’m very proud to announce that I have become the EVP and Global Director of Digital Strategy and Social Media for Porter Novelli.

As someone that has been in online marketing for 15 years, I view the changes going on in the marketplace through a holistic lens. I don’t see these shifts as merely “social media phenomena.” I think about digital broadly, understanding all aspects of the evolution we’ve been experiencing for two decades now. Back in the 90′s I participated in the “e-commerce revolution” and worked for companies like Barnes & Noble.com to figure out how online consumer sales would change the world of retail. Guess what – it did! Media, publishing and communications are now experiencing these same cataclysmic shifts. My latest career choice is a symbol of this change and I’m excited to continue to push the envelope of this industry – now as part of the Porter Novelli team.

This was truly a kismet kind of situation (yes that is meant to be geek double entendre). Serving on a panel for @pepsico, I got to meet Marian Salzman and was blown away by her brilliance and spirit. For those who wonder why I’d want to give up working for myself in a very entrepreneurial way, I’ll quote my dear friend  Tara Hunt in her recent post describing her decision to leave San Francisco, “because it is time.”

Yes, large companies bring security and money. Honestly though, talented and experienced independents that know how to execute (and sell) do very well in this business.  I could have easily continued working for myself and had a very lush life.  This choice is about the opportunity and the team.  I’m ready to take on bigger challenges and play in a global pond. I am excited to work with an array of blue-chip clients and be backed by an organization with resources and a commitment to transforming their business through digital marketing. I am also excited to spend more time writing and thinking about trends in this business (when you work for yourself you spend a lot of time on sales and operations and the writing gets put by the wayside).

The Porter Novelli family stole my heart with their passion and smarts. The Executive Team (shout out to Gary, Anthony, Marian, Julie, Michael, Lisa R.) and Brad McCormick (who I will work with hand-in-glove) are total rock stars. Aaron DeLucia and the team in Austin are amazing (and I cannot wait to go visit them soon and have some BBQ and start plotting SXSW 2010). Together, we will cross-pollinate our ideas and experience and innovate in a way that differentiates us from the pack.

Stephanie Agresta Consulting, InternetGeekGirl, Affiliate-Karma and my other burgeoning ventures (TechSet and UltimateRaceDay), will continue in some form and fashion. I’d like to think of myself now as “Powered by Porter Novelli.”

You can find the “official press release” on the site.  As my good friend Jeremiah Owyang pointed out: “It screams so “PR;” I do hope you have a heart felt social way of telling the story too.”

Well I do.  My story is much deeper and more complicated than everything I can put in this post, but it’s a start. I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming months as I head out on the road to meet PN staffers. As I told Jeremiah – I don’t believe in throwing out the baby with the bath water. There is still a place for a collection of words and quotes and background information. How it gets delivered and to who is evolving. But ultimately, there are many ways to tell a story.

I want to give a shout out to the many people who I consult when I think about my life choices.  @chrismccaffrey, my family and non-industry friends make up the foundation of life. Plus my colleagues that I rely on for guidance and support and laughter:  Brian Solis, Tara Hunt, Chris Brogan, Howard Greenstein, Rick Calvert, Cindy L’Esperance, Hugh MacLeod, Steve Rosenbaum and so many more I can’t fit them in here. THANK YOU ALL!!

Tara Hunt has so much whuffie, it exudes from her online and off. And that’s why she is one of my favorite people.  She brings her generosity and creativity to all that she does.  Tara and I have been working together in this industry for awhile now. I’ve gotten to know her as a friend and colleague. A true geek girl, with a girly girl spirit and an intellect that let’s her navigate diverse topics with easy. From co-working to developer platforms and APIs, to identity politics – Tara always adds value and ideas that shine.  Check out her vision for a fantasy application that frees you from “house arrest” and let us know what you think!

It would have been better to get this blog post up on January 1st. What can I say, it’s been a very busy first 2 weeks of the New Year. Today, one of the most important days of our nation’s history, I am thinking about new beginnings and ushering in a new way of doing business. So the timing still feels right to share this.

I’m a fan of every New Year. This is the time of year when individuals and companies think about goals and establish plans for action. It’s a time of rebirth. It is the perfect time to clean the slate, appreciate how far you have come and imagine how far you will go. I don’t call these resolutions, I just know that if I put my desires out to the universe and I will achieve them.

The biggest change this year relates to one specific area of business I have added value in for a long time: The OPM business (Outsourced Program Management) for you non-affiliate folks. For the past almost 5 years I have led agencies focused on helping companies run their LinkShare, Commission Junction and ShareASale programs. OPMs are affiliate marketing experts with established contact bases that help merchants form affiliate partnerships, acquire new affiliates, optimize existing relationships, merchandise products through the sales channel, activate this virtual sales force and drive revenue.

It has been an amazing experience and I have worked with some many people and great companies, including: Acorn Online, Costume Super Center, Constant Contact, Gourmet Monthly Clubs, Avenue, and many more. In the last year, I launched Affiliate Karma, an affiliate marketing brand focused on providing this important service. In 2009, Affiliate Karma joins forces with Schaaf Consulting to deliver the most premier OPM service in the business. Scaling a service business is no easy task. My partnership with Schaaf allows me to continue to be a thought leader and force in the affiliate industry while also pursuing my interests in the area of publishing, social media and events. There is only so much time in a day. More details on this coming soon!

Stephanie Agresta Consulting LLC is undergoing a re-design. You’ll see a new look-and-feel for my sites, exciting plans for the TechSet brand, and a lot more content flowing from these pages. My work will continue to include strategic consultation in online marketing and social media; producing events and experiences that leverage my contact base and online audience; and online promotion of the products and people I support. I will also be adding more advertising units to my blogs (in a tasteful and disclosed way).

InternetGeekGirl will continue to be the blog brand that covers the people, places and products that I love. You’ll see more interviews with my colleagues, more podcasts, and a regular series called, “Ask Internet GeekGirl.” Affiliate-Karma.com will now serve as a resource to anyone interested in securing OPM services for their affiliate program. You can pick my brain for free and I’ll let you know the solution that I think is right for you.TechSet.tv which is still in the works, will let you know the parties, events and conferences you should be attending each week. StephanieAgresta.com will serve as the central hub for it all and thanks to the talented people at ContentRobot and WeFixWP you will see that site changing soon!

I often look to my friends and colleagues in the industry to guide my way.  People like: Chris Brogan, Tara Hunt, Hugh MacLeod,  Jeremiah Owyang, Brian Solis, Shawn Collins, Gary Vaynerchuk, CopyBlogger, Jeremy Shoemaker, Loren Feldman, Sarah Lacy are great examples of people delivering quality content on a regular basis, in multiple formats to an interested audience. Inspired by these folks, I will get more prolific.

But the secret sauce is the combination of all that we do. And I’m a do-er. As much as I love writing, I love doing. Stay tuned for big announcements about SXSW, web2expo and Blog World Expo. I hope to see you in a city soon.

It’s 2009, and change is finally here!

I really love Austin, Texas. And it’s not just because I’m obsessed with Allen’s Boots and love to eat at Guero’s and drink margaritas and beer.  It is a town full of smart, driven, cool people and a tech community that has been growing steadily for years.  The music scene is of course one of the best in the nation. Hugh MacLeod visits regularly. And of course, LANCE lives there! P.S. – Lance is on Twitter so follow him! LiveStrong baby!

Next week, Brian Solis (my TechSet partner-in-crime) and I will head down to Austin to celebrate the launch of BizSpark with Microsoft and with our local partners, the Startup District. Please be sure to also follow us on Twitter for more details:

@techset

@bizspark

@startupdistrict

You are cordially invited to join us at The Speakeasy at 7 pm on Thursday, November 20th. The event is *free* but please RSVP here. There will be free drinks and appetizers, so come early.

(Please note these are the boots I bought in March at SXSW and I will be wearing these for sure!)

That’s right. My second trip to Vegas this year.  I’m super excited for the second annual Blog World Expo that starts this Friday. It’s not too late to make your plans (there are actually some really good hotel deals on Hotels.com). The speaker line up and the party list look fantastic. Don’t forget to use the code: GEEKGIRL!

Follow @blogworld on Twitter for all the latest updates!

The TechSet has earned a reputation for hosting some of the most glamorous and connected events around the country. We’d like to invite you to what just may be our most incredible event yet as we celebrate you and the other entrepreneurs defining the new Web landscape. At BlogWorld, we will gather poolside at the new Bare lounge at the Mirage Hotel.

(mt) Media Temple, our title sponsor, will be hosting blog super stars and super startups alike!  Check out the *cabana* sponsors, including: Canvas On Demand, Empressr, MindTouch, ShareThis and Tagga.

In addition to Sarah Lacy, Hugh MacLeod, and Loren Feldman, we’ll be welcoming — all of you – the people that are the TECHSET!

---

(mt) Media Temple Inc., (Twitter = @mediatemple) Inc. is an industry-leading, privately held web hosting and software services provider with headquarters in California. Since 1998, the company has provided businesses worldwide with reliable, high-capacity networks to host websites, email, business applications, video and other modern, rich-media content.

We are a friendly, accessible group of technology-agnostic managers, engineers and support professionals dedicated to making our customers happy. We are a true 24/7 company. Contact us anytime 24 hours a day at 877-578-4000. English is our primary language. We also speak Spanish, Japanese, Swedish, Korean, Polish, Russian, Romanian, Armenian and a few other languages.

---

ShareThis (Twitter = @sharethis) lets people easily share the things they find online, in the most convenient way possible. ShareThis consolidates address books and friend lists, so that anything can be shared immediately, without ever leaving a webpage.

---

Tagga (Twitter = @tagga) allows anyone to create text message campaigns instantly so that you can interact, sell to, or simply communicate with mobile users.  Promote your product or service to a targeted audience on their mobile.

You can target the audience you want, deliver the content you want and pay only on success.  Monetize your web or print content like blogs, websites, signage or print publications and expand your distribution channel.  Integrating with Tagga is fast and simple. In just a few minutes you can be on your way to extending your website’s functionality and earning additional revenue. www.tagga.com.

---

MindTouch, (Twitter = @mindtouch) recognized the world over for innovation beyond open source wiki collaboration and content management, is delivering a leading edge application integration and development platform. MindTouch Deki, built with a Web Oriented Architecture (WOA), enables users to connect teams, enterprise systems, Web services and Web 2.0 applications with IT governance. Users easily access and organize data and systems efficiently to achieve their business objectives.

MindTouch Deki is deployed by Fortune 500 companies, major media, research/education institutions, government agencies, and online businesses worldwide. Customers include Microsoft, Fujitsu, Siemens, Gannett, FedEx, U.S. Army, DoD, and others. MindTouch is committed to delivering next generation solutions to people, businesses and governments.

---

Empressr (Twitter = @empressr) is the first of its kind rich Internet application that provides users with the tools to create and share Multi-media visual stories online. Armed with only a Web browser, users can combine photographs, artwork, text, music, videos, audio recordings and charts to produce anything from a simple slide show to a state-of-the-art business presentation.

Empressr embraces the best of what the Internet has to offer with features such as asset tagging, Web mashups, embedded data and a comprehensive selection of rich media features. Once created, an empressr can be distributed in many ways. It can be published to the community site or your social networking page, sent in an email and even embedded in a blog or wiki.

---

Canvas on Demand is the Raleigh, North Carolina that transforms your sentimental photos into canvas artwork. Co-owners Tom Lotrecchiano and Joe Schmidt were named Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the year finalists and  ranked number 283 in the 2008 Inc. 500.  You can visit www.CanvasOnDemand.com for more information or to see samples.