I'm Moving to Hong Kong!

It's official - my husband and I are moving to Hong Kong! I'm excited to embark on a new phase of my career in which I will take on the role of Regional Strategy Director, 360 Digital Influence, Asia-Pacific. What a mouthful!

The demand for digital continues to grow at an amazing rate, in nearly every region of the world. I am honored to join Thomas Crampton, Scott McBride and John Stauffer in APAC and can't wait to meet the rest of my new colleagues from halfway around the world. Here's a glimpse of the social media equivalents I'll be working with in China (thank you, Thomas!).

To all of the wonderful colleagues, bloggers, companies and clients I've worked with in the U.S. - please keep in touch! Though I am sad to leave San Francisco, I look forward to the challenges and learning opportunities that lie ahead :)

The above photo is from Goway.

When Birds of a Feather Flock Together - #360DI Summit

Great things happen. At this weekend's 360 Digital Influence Black Belt Summit in Washington, D.C., 50+ strategists from N. America, the UK and France convened to discuss the latest trends shaping social media marketing and communications.

After two intense days of brainstorming, redstorming and thunderstorming, we all left a bit pooped. Chris Graves, Ogilvy PR global CEO, helped uplift the crowd with a thought piece on influence.

As a social media marketer, I spend day and night thinking about influence. How to inspire a group of consumers to learn about a product? Share a post with a friend? Write a positive review? Conducting business is contingent on the ability to influence potential customers. It's no surprise influence lies at the center of any social media program.

Graves touched on several interesting theories behind influence and human behavior:

1. The Strength of Weak Ties
"Individuals with few weak ties will be deprived of information from distant parts of the social system and will be confined to the provincial news and views of their close friends," (The Strength of Weak Ties: A Network Theory Revisited, by Mark Granovetter; download the full paper to read more).

My first week at OgilvyPR

As I look at the calendar, my first week at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide is long gone. I've already been with the firm for just over two weeks, and it already feels like I've worked there for six months. Here's why:

1. The people at Ogilvy are really amazing. I've received an incredibly warm welcome that has helped me ramp up fast. (In particular, I especially have to thank @rachelpolish and @christinengo for their guidance and mentorship.)

2. I've been thrown right into the mix, and I love it. From Day 1, it's been go, go, go!

3. Between multiple in depth trainings, dinner with @jbell99 last week and lots of creative brainstorms, I feel like I've been a Digital Strategist for much longer than 12 days.