I’ll try to keep this post short and sweet, but I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and my ideas for the SMC.

If you weren’t already aware, I am a candidate for the final open seat on the founding Board of Directors of the Social Media Club. The SMC is a national non-profit organization that is working toward standarization, simplication, and openness in social media.

Members include people like me who live, work, and breathe social media professionally as well as people who support the ideas of an open and inviting social media landscape. I’ve been a member since about a month after they opened their (online) doors.

As someone who understands and works in and with social media daily for a major media company, and as someone who supports and honestly believes in an open and safe Internet I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to assist this great organization in getting off the ground.

My current employer is PBS, also a non-profit with beliefs above and beyond most American media brands. While I work each and every day to spread and enhance social media adoption and usage across the system I also devote a large amount of my personal time to research and participate in conversations surrounding the best practices and most inclusive ways to foster online community building. Here at my personal website I publish and evangelize my own personal beliefs outside of my professional capacity.

Social media is more than a job for me, it’s a way to look at world. My vision is for a social media landscape that we don’t even have to call social-media. Social media should become as ubitquitous as the Internet itself.

My vision and passion for social-media and online communities is why I’d love to assist and be a part of the Social Media Club. I feel like I can bring a lot to the table for them and help to not only evangelize current and emerging standards, but also serve as a beacon to newcomers in this exciting time.

Please feel free to contact me via any method that’s efficient for you and I will gladly answer any questions or clarify any information.

My one month-iversary at PBS is this week and here’s a sampling of what I’ve learned:

• Public Broadcasting loves you
• Public Broadcasting is relevant to your life
• Public Broadcasting is inexpensive to the everyday American
• Public Broadcasting wants to hear what you have to say
• Public Broadcasting depends on Viewers Like You for support
• Public Broadcasting hires and retains some of the awesomest people I’ve ever known
• Public Broadcasting has amazing online content that just wants to be found
• And so much more!

Here’s the thing, social media isn’t going anywhere. It’s here to stay. Now it may not always be in the same form that it is right now but it’ll be here.

As one of my final projects at the Missouri School of Journalism in the Convergence Journalism department I wrote up some tip sheets on personal branding, and some of the basics of social-media. Take a look at the Lessons In Social Media series and let me know what other topics you think people who are just beginning to “get it” need to know!

Here are the posts I have up right now:

• The Basics of Managing Your Online Identity
• Social Networking Quick Tips
• How To Get Hired Using Social Media
• Google Alerts For Personal Branding Management
• More to come!