New Job. New Media.

When I first met Adele I thought "She has great hair!" It only took a few minutes to discover that under those lovely locks is a crazy big brain. We are founding members of Net2NO, a secret speakeasy for New Orleans tech geeks (which is now gloriously not so secret with over 150 members, but that's another story). We became fast friends on Twitter, sharing resources, insights and more than a few laughs. We met "IRL" for a quick lunch that spiraled into a 2 hour geek-out. Now, six months later, I find myself in my dream job sitting across from my well coiffed mentor tossing around ideas and html puns.

In a dire economic environment riddled with lay-offs, I managed to land a killer position with a stable and cutting edge agency. I'm sorry, am I DREAMING?? Coming from a traditional advertising background, I know that marketing budgets are the first to be cut in hard financial times. Bye-Bye big shot TV director and craft services. And, dare I say, good riddance. Not to let the cat out of the bag, but there is an better way. *Shhh*. It's online. When Alec Baldwin is touting Hulu on network TV, you gotta think something's changing. Listen closely, Detroit, nobody is watching those beautifully crafted car commercials. OK, maybe a few folks are. I'll give you that. Hey, I watch Superbowl ads. But how can you know for sure that it's working? Where's your measurement, your ROI, your conversion?

Maybe I am getting swept up in my interactive love fest. Maybe I am part of the instant gratification generation. But, when I look at the analytics for a successful online campaign, I know my client is winning. When I get instant R&D from my prime demographic through social media outlets, I thank my lucky stars for not being behind a one-way mirror focus group in some unknown town. And when I have doubts and long for a craft service bagel, I look across my desk for instant gratification and relish my homemade blueberry muffin from #coffea.