You’ve probably figured this out by now… being a part of a community (on and offline) is very important to me. Whether that community is a made up of peers, customers, friends, or advisors it doesn’t matter. The beauty of being a part of a marketing community is that the members are typically equally passionate, they care about the profession and everyone has something of value to offer. 

Sure we all come at marketing with differing perspectives, experiences and practices; we often have strong debates about the future of marketing; and we often question where trends are leading us, but through it all being part of a community makes us confident, strong and smart marketers. 

And marketing isn’t just a job to me―it’s a major part of who I am as a person (Go ahead, think it: she’s a marketing nerd!). Sure, there are other things in life that I enjoy like art, culture, history, politics, reading, movies, beer, cowgirl boots, scarves, but marketing is a passion that consumes the better part of my day (okay, I’ll fess up…nights and weekends too!). 

What you might not know is that I’ve been engaged in social media for the past five years and have found a home in many online communities. You probably also don’t know that The Harte of Marketing is my second blog [my first was a blog under a nom de plume where I wrote about cowgirl boots, scarves, books and my (mis)adventures on eBay. Trust me...I know what it's like to get only a few comments over the years! ]. Having been involved in social media as a consumer versus a marketer has provided me with a great deal of insight that pops out every once and a while. 

Personally, I can’t think of a better way to put my actions where my words are then by joining the MarketingProfs team as Community Manager. I’ve been a long time fan of MarketingProfs and I’ve come to depend on them when I need an answer to a question or insights on solving a challenge. Truth be told, a bunch of my marketing smarts are a result of being a MarketingProfs member (and, well, sometimes I just needed that gut check, which was thankfully found).

Just like most community managers, part of my job is to engage in marketing and MarketingProfs communities on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other forums; to listen; and to make sure that we are delivering content that continues to be valuable and relevant to our members. I’ll also be the liaison between the community and the MarketingPofs team. There’s a whole lot more that goes into being a community manager, but I didn’t think you’d want a laundry list.

So, I guess you could say, there won’t be too many drastic changes…I’ll still be myself, marketing will still be my focus, conversation and engagement will still happen and I’ll still be blogging here and over at the Daily Fix.  And, I’ll still tweet and retweet things regarding MarketingProfs, just like I always have. It’s just that I’ll be part of a much larger marketing community now (MarketingProfs has over 320,000 members! Wowza!). 

And if you’re guessing that the uber-smart Ann Handley will be my boss, you’d be correct. I am really looking forward to joining Ann, Allen Weiss, Roy Young, Susanne Sicilian, Kathy Bushman, Shelley Ryan, Tara Curran, and the rest of the  brilliant, creative and passionate MarketingProfs gang! 

As for Harte Marketing and Communications, I’ll still be doing a wee bit of consulting with folks who truly need marketing and social media help, but it will no longer be my day-to-day focus. 

Thanks for letting me share my exciting news!

It’s that time of year when the holidays spark a certain reminiscence about the year that has past and excitement for the year that is ahead of us. As a community that truly believes in the value of social media, we also know that it’s not just passion for marketing, communications, PR and social media that brings together…it’s also our other interests that truly makes for strong relationships.

So without further ado, I invite you all to join me for a potluck feast. Potlucks are wonderful because you never know what someone will bring and often times it gives you a chance to try something you may have never known about or ever tried.

For this potluck feast, I ask you to share a favorite blog or website (or more if you’d like!) that you enjoy and that you think others might want to feast on, it’s that simple. (And no, it doesn’t need to be marketing related–that’s the beauty of a potluck!)

Here’s what I am bringing to the table:

• Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions
  (a great site for anyone interested in understanding more about different cultures & international business)
• The Anti 9-to-5 Guide
  (a great site for women who might be considering going solo in 2009)

Happy holidays to you all!