I recently moderated a discussion on social media measurement at #SMBChicago. Following are the people who sat at my table.

@monicaobrien Monica is a marketing professional in Chicago who is taking what she is learning in social media and helping clients apply both benchmarks and measurement. She recently launced “After the Boom,” which is a podcast that looks at the world from the Gen Y perspective. I’m always impressed with young professionals who use social media in their personal lives, as well as in their career. She’s one to watch!

@tamcdonald I got to know Tim on Twitter because he also is a cyclist (though I still haven’t been able to convince him to come ride with me!) and it was a true pleasure to meet him IRL. He’s in real estate and I was surprised to hear how optimistic he is about his career right now. He’s using social media to reach the Gen Y and Gen X buyers and is truly ahead of the curve. When you’re innovative and stay ahead of your competition, it’s hard not to be positive!

@tektitegroup Jean is a small business consultant who helps her clients use technology to manage their brands online. She explained to us that she is using the Wiki software to create easy-to-use, and understand, programs for entrepreneurs. Quite fascinating!

@LinDantonio Lin works for LiveWorld and is a sponge for information. She writes a blog for the company called “Lin’s Crazy World” (which I love). She discusses both personal and business, but what I like best is she’s not afraid to compliment her colleagues in a public forum.

@cgrab34 Talk about a small world! After Craig and I got to talking, I realized he is the cousin of the wife of one of my very best friends. The six degrees of separation is quickly becoming one degree! Craig has a job I’ve wanted since I college. He does sports marketing and quite a bit of sports crisis communication. Maybe if all of you follow him, he’ll hire me to help him with a project sometime!

@earthbelowus It’s not often you come across someone in the social media world who truly has a deep understanding of what happens behind the scenes. But Cyril is one of the few. I think I’m pretty well versed on the tools out there for social media monitoring and measurement, but he introduced me to a few new ones that have sophistication I love.

@dockane Doc runs a business that finds writers for projects, based both on experience as well as chemistry with the client. So what, you say? The difference is he is the matchmaker, but he gets out of the way and lets you have the direct relationship with the writer. So you’re not paying for him to be the middle man. Plus he’s smart and witty and we all know how much I like people who make me laugh.

@chiarchitecture If you live in Chicago, it’s likely you’ve taken the Chicago Architecture tour at least once. It’s one of the few that doesn’t ever get old and the only tourist attraction I’ll participate in when guests are in town. What I love about Jennifer (the woman behind the the handle), though, is she’s thoughful and really wants to show the value of social media to her executive team. She’ll get there!

Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich is the founder, CEO, and author of Spin Sucks, host of the Spin Sucks podcast, and author of Spin Sucks (the book). She is the creator of the PESO Model and has crafted a certification for it in partnership with Syracuse University. She has run and grown an agency for the past 15 years. She is co-author of Marketing in the Round, co-host of Inside PR, and co-host of The Agency Leadership podcast.

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