Every morning, I come into work (usually with a Starbucks in hand, much to the dismay of my bank account), and sit at my computer. I take a moment to glare at the beauty of my Mac, and turn it on. First things first, I check my email. Next, I check Tweetdeck. And lately, after those two crucial things, I read blogs.

I haven’t always done this. Normally, I immediately delve into my workload. Sometimes my pile of work sits staring at me, forcing the belief that there just isn’t enough time in the day to catch up on industry news or trends. Forget checking Mashable, I’ve got to write that blog post or prepare for that brainstorm meeting. Well, no more!

Don’t get me wrong, work is definitely priority numero uno. I love my job, so keeping busy is never a daunting task. But from here on out, I’ve made a promise to myself and my company that I’ve got to do more, and that includes keeping up on industry news, trends, announcements, and opinions. If I don’t, I cheat on my responsibility to my work, clients, and ultimately, my employer. And since making more time to keep up on everything, I’ve noticed that my passion for the industry and the quality of my work has improved. Coincidence? I think not.

It inspires me. It gives me fresh ideas. It allows me to contribute more in meetings. And sometimes (as much as I hate to admit it), it even makes me jealous, creating a drive to do better. But either way, I become a better, harder worker, even if I’m not putting my nose to the grindstone immediately when I arrive in the morning. So I will continue to read, continue to learn, and hopefully it makes a difference in what I bring to the table.

Here are the blogs I enjoy (and actually provide something of value):

Mashable – THE resource for all things social media.

Brass Tack Thinking – everything from ideas to execution, the basics of making things happen.

DC | Baltimore Egotist – keeping up on all the local industry news around DC and Baltimore.

We Love Viral – great resource for cool videos.

Hey Whipple – an extension of Luke Sullivan’s amazing advertising insights.

Soshable – news and announcements from around the web, all in one place.

Chris Brogan – the do’s and don’ts of the industry – great how-to and advice pieces.

Terry Starbucker – great blog on leadership, management skills, and making a difference.

I get daily newsletters, too:

AdAge Daily

Creativity Online

PSFK

CoDesign Daily

And for occasional comedy…

Hyperbole & a Half or The Oatmeal – be careful, you might pee your pants laughing… and that wouldn’t be very becoming of you while at work.

I’d love to hear what you do to keep up on industry news. Leave a comment and let me know what blogs you read & what feeds you subscribe to.

Case in point – I’ve considered myself a “social media enthusiast” for a few years now. I’m an avid user of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. I’m especially addicted to Twitter and have been pretty confident in my ability to leverage this tool to get results. After all, it helped me get my foot in the door here! Of course, it’s one thing to network personally on the web, and quite another to use social media to shape conversations for our client’s brands.

On the Other Side of the Screen

The social web has made it easier than ever for regular people to interact with the services and businesses that they care about. Being on the other side of the computer screen, so to speak, has been a rewarding experience but its also been challenging. It can be a big responsibility to answer tough questions from customers on behalf of our clients. Your company’s social media identity isn’t just for piping up in conversations about your product – its a customer service outlet that is increasingly important as our society becomes more and more digitally minded.

Creating a Social Media Voice

In the last month, I’ve definitely developed a deeper understanding of the importance of creating a social media voice. While I may be the one typing a response to a question on Facebook, I am representing our client’s brand, and so I have to be careful that the tone, words and phrasing I use are in tune with the message our client wants to convey. Is this client’s tone less corporate and their message more light-hearted, like The National Chicken Council? Or is this a client that requires a more trustworthy, authoritative tone? Looking back on how much I’ve grown in my ability to project our clients’ voices online, I realize now that I certainly was not the “social media expert” I thought I was!

Find the In-Between & Build Relationships

Still, its a balance. The strength of social media is authentic interaction. We all know that a tweet that seems too carefully crafted can feel less than genuine, squashing any potential to build a meaningful relationship. One of the best parts of my job is that I get to have real, candid conservations with people, despite our geographic limitations.

At The Cyphers Agency, we’re always working to perfect the social media voices of our clients. How do you determine the tone your brand uses when interacting with customers online? How have you honed your social media voice? Need help? Just ask.

Over the past few weeks I have been working at The Cyphers Agency, I’ve answered a lot of questions from friends and family about what I do here. Once I explain my role in the word of mouth marketing department, I frequently get the same response: “That sounds so cool! How’d you get that gig?”

When I tell them that I got to know Jocelyn, The Cyphers Agency’s social media coordinator, on Twitter and eventually DM’d (direct messaged, for those of you who don’t know) her to ask about fall internships, I’m surprised that they’re surprised! To me, it only makes sense that I got a job in social media by actually using social media!

Maybe its not so obvious to some. We’ve received a number of cold calls about open positions recently, and even though the people inquiring aren’t always focused on social media marketing, I still wonder why they are taking such a traditional route when trying to get hired at a pretty non-traditional advertising agency. Cold calls seem especially lame when the caller doesn’t even have a specific position or department in mind. In an industry where being proactive and passionate are paramount, coming across as lukewarm and unambitious will probably not serve you well.

Show Who You Are

I know plenty of folks who balk at the idea of sharing their online networks with potential employers, and in certain fields that may be appropriate. But at this agency, its important to be creative and enterprising, so using a platform like Twitter is definitely appropriate! It’s a chance to show who you are to people who you may not have any other opportunity to interact with. I connected with my future co-workers at The Cyphers Agency online before I ever stepped into an interview. Not only was I able to network with them, but we were both able to see if my personality would be a good fit for the workplace culture here. Through using social media to network with future employers, you can become a person they know and like, not just another resume.

Practice What You Preach

I’m not saying that just because I happen to share a love for funny cat videos with the rest of the team at The Cyphers Agency, I tweeted my way to a job interview. It’s not only about sharing your personality – its about showing that you can leverage social media to get results. If you can demonstrate your own value to an agency through social media, then you could also use social media to demonstrate the value of that agency’s clients to their customers. My point is, if you know how to use new media tools effectively, you shouldn’t just be putting it on your resume – you should prove it to the people you want to work for before they ever see your resume!

I think the biggest thing using social media in my job hunt did for me was show who I really am – someone who isn’t afraid to try something new, to be a little unorthodox, to take a chance. That kind of mentality is valued in organizations like The Cyphers Agency that always try to be ahead of the curve, and that’s the kind of place I wanted to work for!

Hello there – I’m Danielle Destrade Ali, and I’m the newest addition to The Cyphers Agency. Jocelyn introduced me earlier this week, and shared how I will be contributing to Push-n-Pull, the Word of Mouth division of the agency. As a social media devotee, working in this department is a great fit for me! For the next few months, I’ll be blogging about my experience as the newbie around here.

The Cyphers Agency is my first job at an advertising agency, and while I have experience in online marketing for various organizations, I had no idea what to expect at an agency. Would the workplace be like a modern day Mad Men? I hoped not – I’m not really in favor of smoking indoors. While I didn’t know what I was walking into, I did know that I would be working with people who had a lot more advertising experience than myself. I was more than a little nervous about being able to measure up to all the talent here.

My first day, I sat in on a brainstorming meeting, and expected to just observe and learn. I was a bit surprised when my colleagues were interested in my opinion! I quickly discovered that The Cyphers Agency has a friendly culture where the members of our team are constantly collaborating. Even the open layout of the office lends itself to teamwork. This lack of pretentiousness really allows everyone to share their great ideas freely. I’ve been invited to contribute my own suggestions from the very beginning, and I’ve helped come up with awesome plans for our clients. I love being a part of a team where everyone works together and supports each other, and its been exciting to get validation from my super talented co-workers.

Of course, I am still just getting my feet wet. While I’ve already had opportunities to contribute creatively, I know I will continue to grow and gain more responsibility. I’m excited to continue working, especially with our campaign for The National Chicken Council, which is an excellent example of how social media marketing can be fun, useful and effective all at once!

Keep checking back to read more about what I’m working on and learning about.

The Cyphers Agency is glad to announce the addition of Bailey Whittaker to the Push-n-Pull division, helping us strengthen our word of mouth efforts!

Bailey, a life long resident of the nearby Annapolis area, graduated from Towson University in May 2010.  She majored in Mass Communication with tracks in Advertising, Public Relations, and Marketing.  She enjoys listening to Jack Johnson,  eating seven layer dip, wearing flip flops, and going on beach vacations.

Bailey will be responsible for spreading the word about our clients. This involves supporting others in the WOM department by blogging, conducting internet research, implementing marketing strategy, running flash mobs and events, learning all things social media, and helping with any other creative ideas we may think up.

Welcome, Bailey! We look forward to working with you!