Ah 2008, you were a good year. That was the year I started my own social media agency. Although not long ago, as I look at the conversations today regarding social, digital and mobile, it has basically been a lifetime of change.

One thing your told when you start your own company (especially marketing company) is that you need a voice. You need a thing people will connect with and hopefully want to spend money with (eventually). In basic terms, you need to become a “though leader” in something.

So, that’s what I did. I read, attended conferences, read some more and eventually worked up enough knowledge to some how sound half intelligent. That’s when I started my own thing. I would write a blog, go onto Twitter and see who was chatting, jump over to Facebook (Google+ wasn’t a thing yet) and basically try to insert myself into conversations where I could provide some value or if nothing else, gain some short lived attention.

Through 2009 — 2010, I got pretty good. I was writing, speaking, chatting, Podcasting (a very little bit) and doing what I thought would work. Sure, I didn’t have the greatest brand voice, many people who are starting out don’t, but I had something.

Then, in 2011 I changed my path. My wife and I had our first child, I closed down my social agency and joined a beautiful global firm, putting to rest this notion of thought leadership. I didn’t just slow down — I stopped EVERYTHING. No more speaking (something I actually love doing), no more writing and no more searching for conversations.

I focused on my top priority — family. And because my livelihood didn’t depend on me growing my thought leadership base, I found myself using social media for personal reasons, something I hadn’t done since 2007.

Now, in 2014 — I’m back.

But what does “I’m back” mean for me now? In 2008 I didn’t really know what I should be saying or doing, nor did I have the level of knowledge, industry insight and experience that I do now. Should I go back to my younger ways of reading, attending stuff and reading some more? Should I discard my earlier thought leadership style for something completely new? Can I really reclaim anything that happened over three years ago?

I know the answer to some of these questions.

I know I’ll need to reinvest myself to reading and staying on top of the trends more diligently.

I’ll need to start doing more of this and other activities to sharpen my skills once again.

And I’ll likely have a pretty different voice. I’ve seen, done and experienced social media at a very different level.

For now, I’ll leave it with this — we all share our experiences, either through a friendly chat, a 140 character tweet, or some other form of expression. The form doesn’t really matter, but the distinct value you offer. And sometimes, that value can be as simple as letting someone else know they’re not alone.

Thanks,

Josh