Like you, my biggest “aha” moment was Twitter. I think I started following you the first week I was on there and it’s been a great ride. I mostly write about the SAP marketplace, though I have a book coming out that has more of a general entrepreneurial business flair. Web 2.0 trends are also important to me. As you can guess, I have found great fodder for all three on Twitter and find myself full of gratitude daily for receiving such great real time information from those I follow and not only that, deepening those relationships over time.

But since you already used Twitter as your “aha” moment of the year, I’ll try to give you something else. This year, I was honored to be named an SAP Mentor by SAP. I was both flattered and surprised because I have worked since 1995 in the SAP field, often running my own email newsletters on SAP careers. People knew about me, but I was always under the radar. So what changed? How did this formal recognition come about? Well, I can say that for one, building my own web site, or “platform,” so to speak, had a big impact. But more significantly to your question, and something that applies to your readers regardless of their industry really, is that companies are developing a heightened awareness of the importance of engaging in dialogue with so-called “influencers” who are part of an extended community in their industry that they can’t fully control, but that they need on their side, at least in a constructive dialogue.

Of course, not all companies and industries are equally aware of this trend, and for those of us who are realizing we now may have more clout than we once did, that doesn’t mean we can simply translate that into a bottom line benefit. The “social media” paycheck is still in the mail for many of us, I’m afraid. So we don’t have the proven ROI stuff yet, but I think there is a growing sense that we can have an impact on an industry by developing our own platform and voice.

To me, what is hopeful about this is that it may enable people like me who never really fit into a big corporate setting very well, that we can perhaps create a unique role in our fields that plays more to our strengths. And as well, perhaps via Twitter and other mediums, develop a workplace culture around us that also aligns with our strengths and sensibilities. So that’s the “aha” moment for me. The next year or two will be more about how to monetize more of that, without losing the integrity behind it. Not an easy task, but a worthy one.

- Jon Reed-

JK