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Photo by: Caitlin Wilkins (On our way back from our Kingston go-see)

Today marks the end of my 5th week at County Media in the Career Focus program.  There is so much I’ve learned in one month that I don’t even know where to begin.

There are so many social media management tools (SMMTs) out there I didn’t know existed, let alone knew how to use. After working at County Media full time for five weeks, I can now confidently use Klout, Hootsuite, PostRank, Seesmic, and also programs like YouTube, WordPress, and Google.

I am getting a real understanding of what it’s like to start a company from almost the ground up. Setting up the necessary resources like meetings, emails, follow ups, tools, tracking, etc. Also keep up with interacting with fans and clients, getting involved with events, client go-sees, organization, idea sharing, role management. Managing all this and trying to keep on track.

There were a few “firsts” for me last week alone. For starters, I went to my very first press event. It was exciting and nerve racking since I had to go alone. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I got there and since there weren’t many people there, I thought I was in the wrong place. They were very welcoming and advised me of what I needed to know going forward. The events were about Strum Music and The Regent Theatre government funding.

I finally got to meet Prince Edward Hastings MP, Daryl Kramp, someone I’ve had Twitter conversations with but never actually met in person. I also had the chance to meet Mayor Peter Mertens. It was nice to meet someone who Jennifer helped get elected into office. Both very nice men.

Last week was also my first client meeting. We traveled to Kingston to meet with them and everything went very smoothly. It was interesting to see how we dealt with potential clients, what kinds of questions were asked, what ideas were being shared and discussed and clarifying any unanswered inquiries about what County Media can do for them. This allowed me to get a good idea of what to expect with future client meetings.

I’m coming to realize the work load that comes with social media management. There are so many steps and guide lines you have to be careful of. Social Media is very personal for someone and you have to be careful to do it right. Managing everything is hard. I never imagined how mentally challenging it really is. All this and I still look forward to working with our clients and developing social media strategies.

Caitlin Wilkins was hired as a coordinator of online communities by County Media under the Career Focus programme managed by the OACFDC. Tune in for Caitlin’s weekly blog posts to follow her journey toward becoming a social media expert.