Social media is “it” right now. Seems to me that is all you hear – it has finally become mainstream. While I can’t come close to those who have been involved for years now, I can say I feel that I may actually be a bit ahead of the curve on this one. At least in that front pack – but definitely not leading it by any stretch of the imagination.

I take great pleasure in receiving daily emails from my dad on different articles he has seen about the use of Twitter. You see, for the past several months my entire family, hubby included, have been looking at me like I have five heads anytime I mention a “twitter friend” or that my Monday nights are blocked off for @journchat (http://journchat.info) so that I can virtually network with journalists, bloggers and other PR professionals. Yes, you really can do that sitting in your living room, in front of the fireplace, while watching tv and eating dinner! Multi-tasking my friends, it is a blessing! The most recent email from my dad was titled “Twittering Hoekstra reveals Baghdad location” and then begins ‘Could a Tweet cost lives?’ I am sure my dad has since been having nightmares of someone stalking and perhaps even murdering me for tweeting my location. He was, however, impressed when I told him that I first found out about the Hudson River plane crash on Twitter. But of course, the clincher for him is that PittGirl is on Twitter – anything @janepitt does must be cool in my dad’s book. Yes, if PittGirl and I were both drowning in the ocean he would probably rescue her first.

Anyway, there are so many great things happening within the social media space that I don’t think it will ever go away. In fact, I really do believe that those who are not getting involved will be left behind. There are amazing people who are working to continue to enhance this space.

Many question the longevity of social media because they question how money can be made. I mean, advertising on Twitter does seem to be against everything Twitter stands for. I recently heard that Twitter may begin charging companies for accounts. While a great way to make money, not sure how effective that can be. For example, I consider my Twitter account to be a personal account. However, I do at times tweet about things for work that I think would be of interest to my followers.

For now, I will continue to network with as many people as I can and I will continue to learn as much as I can. I strongly believe that social media isn’t going anywhere. I believe that it will continue to become more mainstream. And maybe one day our youth will find the value in networks such as Twitter instead of just playing on MySpace.

While too many people continue to contemplate the value of social media networks, I will continue to get more involved and build my online presence. My goal is to get one step closer to the front of that pack every single day. After all, isn’t personal branding all the rage these days?

I am excited to start my first ‘intro to building a website’ class next week. It is a six week class, so if I am a good student you should expect to see some great enhancements to my blog in a couple months.

As long as social media is around you will continue to hear from Madison14 because I truly value the relationships I have built through these networks. Oh, and the knowledge I have accumulated blows my mind! I honestly think I have learned more about my industry in the past few months than I have learned over the past 5+ years working in it.

There are many critics who believe social networking is just a phase and that it will not last. I hope we can prove them wrong because I see this forum as the future!

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson