What do you think of the titles given to people who work in the social media realm?
I recently met someone who was an engagement manager. Two years ago I would have thought this person planned weddings or did some type of counseling. Thankfully it’s 2009 and I now have a clue. There are social media specialists (like Meagan), community managers, information architects, new media managers, digital strategists, and social computing strategists, which are some of the more common ones.

These are all positions that didn’t exist five years ago so I think the new titles are progressive and positive. They get people to look twice at your business card or even email. Hopefully these new titles inspire people to ask questions about what you do because they certainly all don’t mean the same thing. Meagan, you will recall, an article we referenced in selecting your new title was from Jeremiah Owyang’s Blog. He’s a Senior Analyst at Forrester Research: Social Computing and has compiled a pretty diverse listing of titles by industry.

Titles, particularly in the social media world, can be an effective conversation starter. LinkedIn is a near effortless way to find out more about what a person’s job entails and their work history. Here’s an example of my public profile on LinkedIn. If you decide you want to pursue a business connection with someone you meet, invite them into your network via LinkedIn and you will be given access to more detailed business history and information.

Social media titles are fun and hip, but let’s be honest, businesses wouldn’t be creating these jobs if there weren’t business opportunities. These titles are meant not to confuse, but to highlight areas of expertise and responsibilities. Or you could do as my sister’s company (Dowling & Partners) does and skip the titles all together. Now that’s an idea!

Please share what other social media titles you have come across…