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!!

Erin Kotecki Vest  is a true renaissance women. As her bio states, she spent ten years as a broadcast journalist in Los Angeles, Orlando and Detroit winning six Golden Mic Awards with LA news institution KFWB. She now serves as Producer of Special Projects for  BlogHer.com where she hosts BlogHer Backtalk. She also tries to contribute to the Huffington Post, MOMocrats.com, and her own site Queen of Spain Blog as often as she can. You can find her on Twitter @queenofspain – she gives great tweets!! And please make sure to ask her about her interview with Barack Obama. BTW – if you can read all about why she calls herself the queen of spain, here.

To all that good stuff, I would add: Erin is hysterically funny, a community builder extraordinaire, smart as a whip and a non-stop contributor to the twittersphere. Plus she does all that while being an incredible (yet self-depreciating) mom and wife.  The love she has (and tweets about) for her family is inspiring.

Erin works for BlogHer, a community for women who blog. I spoke at BlogHer last year and I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to be at a conference with a majority female attendees (not common in the tech industry). Erin’s fantasy mobile application was generated by the BlogHer community and would add value to any event.  A community app for event attendess, this app would aggregate RSS feeds from blog posts, site content, hashtag searches, geo tracking of other event attendees, and even include a clean bathroom locator! Plus, for BlogHer they could include their prioprietary “Chatter” app which is similar to Twitter. By the way, she’s NOT wearing @armano ‘s cowboy hat – that’s hers!

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!

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(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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

I wanted to take a moment to thank all my fellow women in Tech. Two important events to highlight for tonight! Voter registration deadlines are creeping up soon ladies and WE Vote ’08 is getting the word out on-line and off-line (a WE tv initiative).

Join some of the leading women of social media for a series of “tweet-ups” in cities across the country tonight, September 16th!!! Our favorite online rock-stars are getting their friends together in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Houston and Anchorage, and you are invited!!

In addition to great networking, you’ll get specific information on how easy it is to register to vote and get involved in the process. Learn more at WEVote08.com! Don’t forget to get your blog badge here! Most states allow you to register up to 30 days before an election.

Based on our scan of the data, you have until at least October 1st in every state to get registered. So check the map for your state’s deadline! Since we are all busy women, let’s just agree that we are all going to make sure we are registered no later than October 1st. No procrastination ladies! That gives you two weeks from today to get this on your action item list!

Check out events tonight in the following locations:

• New York
• Boston
• San Francisco
• Anchorage
• (Houston was canceled due to Hurricane Ike, but we thank those folks worked on organizing)!

All our WE Vote ’08 Tweet up organizers rock! Shout out to Aliza Sherman, Jen Myronuk, Maria Thurrel, Alexa Scordato, Corey, Erica O’Grady.

PLUS – it’s the launch of Girls in Tech, NYC Chapter!

Technology is a thriving economy in the US and globally; because of this phenomenon Girls in Tech was established to engage and empower women, tout their achievements in the tech sector, provide resources and learning programs to inspire technology careers and start-ups.

It is with excitement and dedication that we invite you to join us as we recognize and celebrate the women in New York that are changing the world through technology and innovation. Please RSVP for this event.

Internet Week New York (IWNY) starts next Tuesday, June 3rd in New York City. Not nearly the size or stature of its inspiration, Fashion Week, Internet Week will undoubtedly grow quick given the level of moxie and motivation of the NYC tech crowd.

For those of you that don’t know (and I expect that is a lot of you, since the press coverage of this event has been anemic so far), Internet Week is a week-long festival of events celebrating New York’s thriving Internet industry and community.  Started by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) in cooperation with the City of New York and the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting, it’s billed as a celebration of digital media industry and community. There are great people backing this venture.  You can get the  quick facts here and check out the Executive Council list here.

I live and breathe the digital media industry and community (in New York, in California and beyond). As a active member of the NYC tech world for the last 10 years, I have experienced that growth through my own professional and personal journey.  Of course, in New York the “community” aspect gets lost a bit, due to the general size of the pond and all the other industries that call NYC their nerve center. When you’re in the Valley, you can’t walk 10 feet without hearing about the latest tech news or start-up. The community is everywhere.  Both environments have their pros and cons.

The New York tech crowd is known for its passion, marketing savvy, business acumen and access to Madison Avenue and Wall Street (both of which fuel the technology industry overall). I know that this inaugural event will catch fire in NYC and most likely take off in other cities.  I’m here to support making that happen.

Now, I’m not saying we’ll be Fashion Week overnight (or ever). I think Fashion Week, I think of hot models, catwalks, non-stop parties, sexy people hanging out at the Gansevoort pool and Devil Wears Prada-esque drama everywhere (oh yes, and cloths).  Let’s face it people, we are not that cool. We don’t even have a wikipedia page — yet. Now that’s kind of ironic, huh?

But there is a jam-packed schedule of events for Internet Week NYC. And each will be filled with exciting, cool, smart, successful geeks helping to evolve the next wave of Internet marketing. That is our community. Stay tuned for some additional posts highlighting the events and parties I will be attending. Plus SAVE the date, because, the TechSet is presenting in Manhattan! Brian Solis and Geoff Livingston co-authors of the new book Now is Gone, will be in town for a book signing. And Brian and I will be hosting TechSet NYC , gathering our east coast friends who are all actively contributing to the evolution of the social economy and new web.  

According to Amanda Fortini in the Brief History of the Fashion show, Fashion Week got its start in NYC in 1943, and then took on it’s current form in 1993 (fifteen years ago!) Let’s take a moment to imagine what this event could look like 15 years from now. In fact, I can imagine it being a much larger deal in even within 3 – 5 years. I’m so grateful for all the tech communities I get to hang out with across this country. Big shout out to my peeps in: LA, Philly, Chicago, Boston and so many other cities I can’t even list them all. I feel an idea in the works.