During my day job I’m in control of my companies social media channels.  When describing this to someone, I often hear “so you tweet all day, how hard can that be?”  Well to begin with, being a Social Media Coordinator is a lot like being a bartender.  Just because Facebook and Twitter are popular don’t mean, those are the only applications I have to stay on top of on a daily basis.

With social media, there are so many different social media channels that it’s very similar to a bar, with different choices everywhere you look.  There are so many different options for people, that it’s kind of hard to know which one people will be using next.

If you’re a picture snob, there’s Flickr and Instagram. If you compared these to a beer, it would be similar to a good Guinness.  A bit of an upstart beer and something that will immediately draw the attention of all of your friends if you do choose it.

If you’re a location junkie there’s Foursquare, GoWalla, Yelp, and Google Places.  Imagine these as your wheat and mexican beers, your Corona, Blue Moon, and Sunset Wheat.  These drinks are awesome alone, however they often need a lime, orange or something to go with them, similar to how location based services, need a Twitter or Facebook stream to work.

Then there’s the big boys, Facebook, Twitter, and now Google+.  Imagine these guys being the Miller Light, Bud Light, and the Michelob Ultra of social media.  Everybody knows them and is familiar with them.  We all consume them, though we’re sometimes afraid to admit it.

Now it’s my job, as your bartender to stay up to date with all of these drinks.  I have to know which one you want at which time.  If I give you a Budlight instead of you a Corona, I’m probably going to lose you and your service.  Remember, overall I have to remember  that you are fed and taken care of as well.  Similar to bartender, my job encompasses a lot of things, I have to make sure that I’m part of both the customer service team and the marketing team.  I have to make sure that I’m doing my part as well in the SEO game plan also.

So did I lose you?  I have to know a lot, just like your favorite bartenders, to make sure that you get the end result that you want. Though, my job looks rather simple and fun from the outside, just like a bartender it’s a whole helluva lot of work.