I want to share with you all some news I just received (officially) as of today:
I am really excited to announce I am now officially a Hootsuite Ambassador!
Hootsuite Ambassador (courtesy of Hootsuite).
You may be asking yourself: What exactly is a Hootsuite Ambassador? This has been a program that has been around for years, but has been revamped to include more areas around the world and specific areas within social media (ex. higher education). Here are some FAQs you may want to check out as well about the program.
Plus, you may be thinking: Karen, you have been a pretty strong advocate and supporter of Hootsuite for years, what is the difference now?
The answer is pretty simple. Really, there is not difference except this is in an official capacity. I have been a super fan and advocate for years (since 2013 when I first integrated Hootsuite Academy in my social media class).
I also have seen first hand my students get some amazing jobs because of their participation in the Hootsuite program. I pretty much have every piece of #HootSwag there is! Not only have I used Hootsuite in my classes, but also in research. In fact, I actually (along with some great fellow social media professors!) did a research study on Hootsuite in the classroom. I also have been able to contribute on their main blog and even was a guest on a Social Media Education webinar.
Overall, I have been impressed across the board with Hootsuite with their products, services, blog (a must bookmark!), webinars, Twitter chats (#Hootchat is awesome!) But, the people at Hootsuite have been a huge factor and really have been amazing currently like Alicia, Sarah, Brit, and Nick and over the years (Kimberly, Kirsten, Michael, Shawn, and Paula).
In addition, I get to update this role as part of my LinkedIn profile (always exciting!) but most importantly, I get to continue to share my enthusiasm and support for a company, community, and product that rocks!
What are the benefits of being a Hootsuite Ambassador? There are many benefits and features that I think are really awesome and unique to this program. Here are a few I have already noticed.
- You get to be part of an exclusive ambassador community. What better way to share your insights, stories, and ideas with others who are in similar roles around the world? I am now able to not only connect with other professionals, but they just started an Education focused topic area within the Hootsuite Ambassador program (yay!), which will allow you to connect with other fellow educators who are ambassadors. So far, I *think* I might be the first educator ambassador for Hootsuite – will have to double check on that!
- You get a chance to see some new features while they are being tested. As an educator, it is always key for us to be aware of what is coming up next in the pipeline as far as technologies, resources, and updates related to channels and tools. This way, we are going to be able to see what is coming up and be able to provide our feedback on this. What I think is really great is to have a company like Hootsuite that is listening and engaged with their audiences to bounce around ideas and get their feedback and extend these conversations to the next level.
- You have opportunities to voice your perspectives, views, and insights with Hootsuite. This has been what has really been a big factor for me with Hootsuite. They have been super, super supportive of my work (blogs, research, etc), and this will be a benefit that will continue as part of this role. Hootsuite has created this community so it is a win-win for everyone involved. They are able to build another great community of advocates across the world, and we are able to share our own content related to areas of interest we had. I am really thrilled they have established an area within social media education here for their ambassador program.
- You get to have a one-stop shop app and resource to share and build content. This is awesome and I am a huge fan of Hootsuite’s app, Amplify. We have heard of the trends associated with employee advocacy and internal communities to share content and provide ideas for content to be shared. This resource if of course available for Hootsuite Ambassadors, which I think is very cool. This allows us to see 1) what is trending in various topics not only related to Hootsuite, but other specific areas (ex. higher education, social media, etc), and 2) it allows us to share outside content within the community as well to be shared. I think this is pretty cool, and what was awesome to see when I opened the app was to see one of my own blog posts being shared within this app. How cool!
Overall, I am really excited for this new opportunity and venture with Hootsuite in this role. I would like to thank Brit, Sarah, and Alicia for the invitation to be part of the Hootsuite Ambassador program. Thank you, ladies!
Let me know if you have any questions – would be more than happy to answer them! Have a great day.
Best Wishes,
Karen