Unemployment Be Gone!

Oh, happy day! Angels rejoice, children sing, bank account replenish!

I am a full-time employee! Alas, my adventures in networking lunches, freelance public relations, and online social networking in Charlotte have resulted in the big J-O-B.

Many thanks to North Carolina State University (whose views I do not represent on this blog :) for extending a generous offer and creating this partnership - my love for the ACC has grown exponentially going into this March!

"Thank you speeches" aside, the past four months have taught me a lot. Life's basic lessons are often known but not fully understood until you've experienced them. For example:

• Life is not always "fair" - far more experienced individuals than myself have unwillingly contributed to our nations' 8.1 percent unemployment rate.
  
• Everything DOES happen for a reason (though we most often have no clue why).
• The most important things in life are your health and your family. Period.
• Things can almost always be worse...you're reading this post are you not?
  
• We are our own best hope. Translation: Networking and self branding are critical components of the journey to a job.

"Don't give up, don't ever give up." - Jim Valvano

Online Social Networking in Charlotte

If I had a dollar for every hour I've spent engaged in online social networking endeavors, well, I'd no longer need to worry about social networking. Alas, the big picture, or in this case a smaller picture, has appeared before me...

Twitter, LinkedIn, Guru, Facebook and similar social media sites have been my primary focus of online networking. This is not a bad thing. You, me, we all want and need visibility on these sites for various reasons, but I had overlooked vast and valuable local social networking opportunities in Charlotte and the surrounding areas.

As a result, I've transitioned my efforts towards local online networking groups the past couple of weeks. Yes, the light bulb came on a little late (should be using CFL's!), but it's burning bright now.

A sampling of good social networking sites in the Charlotte area:

• Charlotte Online
  
• Social Media Charlotte
• Pitch Engine (more of a social media PR service, but it's well worth a look)
  
• Social Media Club Charlotte
  
• PRSA Charlotte

Some great Charlotte area public relations professionals and social media gurus on Twitter:

• Jason Kintzler @pitchengine
• Harry Hoover @MyCreativeTeam
• Buck Lawrimore @bucklawrimore
  
• Charlotte Observer @theobserver
  
• Lisa Hoffman @lisahoffman
  
• Brandon Uttley @brandonuttley
• Justin Moore (me!) @tjustinmoore
  

My Creative Team has a great list of Twittering journalists from around the globe.

Cheers and congrats to the fine folks in the Charlotte area who help the public relations, marketing, communications and general social media family grow on a daily basis!