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Sit… Stay… Read… Good!

So - for those following me on Twitter, you know that I’ve been given a fancy new (But secret) job. Those of you reading the blog alone… well… probably don’t. But you do now!
For the past couple of weeks I have been SUPER excited. Not long after my last post, I got a call from [...]

So - for those following me on Twitter, you know that I’ve been given a fancy new (But secret) job. Those of you reading the blog alone… well… probably don’t. But you do now!

For the past couple of weeks I have been SUPER excited. Not long after my last post, I got a call from a friend in the new media space that I’d seen a couple of times at events. We actually had a nice long talk about a few different topics at PAB this year and have kept in touch (fairly) regularly since. He called to ask about having me help him out on a couple of projects of his and I ended the call with the biggest smile on my face I think I’d ever had. And the closer I got to my start date, the more excited I became.

My New Gig

I am totally thrilled to finally announce that as of today I’m joining Marko to help out with both pets.ca and photography.ca!

I don’t have an “official” title over there yet… Though I’ll come up with one soon enough… But I’ll be helping out with both the website development and makeover, as well as online community building and development. It’s very much a hybrid of what I was doing with the team at TalkShoe, mixed with what I was doing on the side and the fit couldn’t be better. My first tasks will be with the pet site, and we’re going to expand my roles from there.

Sharing Pages

Part of the reason that I’m so excited about this role is that Marko and I see very eye-to-eye on a lot of things. We’ve spent a great number of hours since our initial call a few weeks ago talking about the site, where it is, where it’s been and where it’s going - and we’re both looking at the same possibilities. It seems that every time him or I have a question for the other, we almost already know the answer before we ask it because the answer is generally exactly what we would hope it to be.

The site already has a vibrant community on it’s message boards, so that’s where I’m starting. My first role is to work with the community - and Marko, of course - to develop a new look, feel and style for the site.

So that’s my new role! I’ve turned down the other offer that had me breaking out in a sweat, and am smiles all over to be starting this one. Marko’s a fantastic, community-focused, down to earth guy and I couldn’t be happier to work with him.

The Next Chapter?

So - it looks like it’s been a while since I’ve blogged here. Mostly, it’s been a lack of time while I fought like crazy to make my way in the new media freelancing space. When I last posted, I mentioned that in addition to trying my hand at the self-employment space, I’d be keeping [...]

So - it looks like it’s been a while since I’ve blogged here. Mostly, it’s been a lack of time while I fought like crazy to make my way in the new media freelancing space. When I last posted, I mentioned that in addition to trying my hand at the self-employment space, I’d be keeping my ears open for the chance to work with a new team doing exciting things, and while a great deal of my time this summer was spent in negotiations with a few companies, nothing panned out, and I continued to try it on my own.

When I went into the summer, I gave myself a timeline to do this on my own of three months. Beyond that, I was going to start handing out resumes, and looking for “real world” style work. Well, after a few talks with a few people, it looks like I found work with a web development company in downtown Kingston. I don’t want to dive into too much about what I’ll be doing (Or who the company is), as I haven’t discussed my “public” life too much with my likely-soon-to-be boss, but I do want to comment on the change.

Fear and Frowns

The new work will bring two substantial changes for me, one I’m scared of, and one saddens me deeply. The first, and the change I’m scared more of, is the shift in industry. I’ve been working in customer service/support, and generally with people, for 8 years. In fact, with the exception of one summer job, ALL of my work has been in customer service or user support. Even my most recent role with TalkShoe centered around making sure our users were happy. Shifting from a customer service space to a development space - and away from a space I LOVE to be in, social media - scares the crap out of me.

But in addition to being scared of the shift, the new job has me pretty sad. I’ve been working from home for just over 2 years now, and have really enjoyed it. In addition to the idea that I’m more at liberty to set my own schedule, working from home has allowed me to keep up with house work, blogs, emails and phone calls. Most importantly though, it’s allowed me to spend more time with my wife. As a nurse, her hectic schedule doesn’t leave a lot of time to spend together - working from home allows us to spend time together, at least in the same room, even if I am busy on my computer.

A Final Push?

When I last posted, I had a TREMENDOUS outcry of support, both from past colleges at TalkShoe, as well as users, friends and connections from all around the blogosphere. I was touched. I’m wondering, a little, if I can’t use that same outpouring now to help out.

While I have heard of the company it’s looking like I’ll soon be working for, and the idea of working with a bunch of geeks again is SUPER exciting, I’ve done web development work in a “corporate” environment before… and didn’t like it. I also REALLY don’t want to leave either customer service, or the work from home environment. So this is my appeal to my community: If you can help me out - and maybe find me work in the customer service space between now and Monday (So I can stop before I start), please get in touch.

Changing Shoes

I started with TalkShoe about a year and a half ago now after hearing about it though various sources and falling in love with the idea and the platform. After a marathon weekend spending every waking moment playing with the service and teaching it to others I was offered my spot as the only full-time [...]

I started with TalkShoe about a year and a half ago now after hearing about it though various sources and falling in love with the idea and the platform. After a marathon weekend spending every waking moment playing with the service and teaching it to others I was offered my spot as the only full-time support representative. I was thrilled. Six months in, and with a better understanding of our users, I moved to my community development role and have been active with our users on a daily basis ever since.

The whole TalkShoe experience (The platform, product, staff and users) has been incredible and there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t loved being a part of the team - or the community - that makes TalkShoe work. But like every good pair of shoes, sometimes a change is needed: So I’ve decided to leave TalkShoe at the end of the month.

The More Things Change

While my time at TalkShoe is coming to a close, it doesn’t change my connections to the people I’ve met along the way. I’ll still be on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and will still be reading the blogs and listening to podcasts. It doesn’t affect some conference plans, either. I’ll still be attending (and helping) with those, too. And hey, maybe I’ll actually start writing in the blog more.

The team at TalkShoe has invited me to remain dedicated to the community and I intend to do just that. So while I won’t be as active in the community or interacting with the staff as much as usual, it also means I’m not going to be abandoning the Ning or the Facebook stuff quite yet. My email address will still work and I’ll still be answering questions, too.

Looking Forward

I’ve always looked toward the future with a fearful anticipation - nervous of change, but excited to try something new. It’s with this attitude that this exit is being made and my next steps are being planned. I’m looking, right now, at stepping toward the consulting and public speaking worlds - helping business and individuals get a handle on what this whole new media thing is. That said, I’m always open to the opportunity to work with a new team on something exciting.

The time I had at TalkShoe has been amazing and I’ve made some incredible connections as a result. It’s been an absolute honour to work with a team as diverse and intelligent as they are. The whole team knows I hope for nothing but great success for all of them. They deserve it.

That’s it for now - until next time.