The Seattle social media scene can be described as many things, but at the very least it can be called welcoming, dedicated, and passionate. Within our community, you will find tons of active professionals and enthusiasts of social media who enjoy meeting new people, engaging in great conversation, and exchanging ideas, all while laughing over a tasty (preferably malty) beverage. I think the perfect example of one of these people is Sarah Zaenger, a person who you should definitely get to know.

For those of you who haven’t yet had the opportunity to meet Sarah, quite simply, she is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Currently working as a part-time PR associate at Shiftpoint Strategies, Sarah is a person passionate about social media and the opportunities it can present. When asked where her passion stems from, she says she is amazed by social media’s ability to connect people who wouldn’t otherwise communicate together. She says, “It breaks down the traditional hierarchies and allows access to people I wouldn’t normally be able to meet.”

When Sarah isn’t out in Seattle as a self-proclaimed, underemployed PR professional (as well as a full-time job hunter), she can be found writing on her blog, which she calls “My Experiential Learning.” Here, she talks about a vast spectrum of topics, taken from both her professional and personal life, ranging from public relations to living in Seattle and everything in between. What she ultimately hopes her readers take away from her blog is “Life is full of learning experiences.” I, for one, couldn’t agree with her more.

If you’re interested in meeting Sarah, she likely can be found at the monthly Social Media Club Seattle meetings, among other events held around Puget Sound. When asked about our area’s social media community, she says “Like any scene in Seattle, it seems tight-knit. The great thing about this is that people who are willing to come out and network at frequent Tweetups will have an excellent opportunity to get to know a diverse group of people really well.”

As you can see, Sarah is an active and engaged member of Seattle’s great social media community and is someone I hope you will eventually get the opportunity to meet in the future. I would also like to note that she is actively searching for full-time work and if you know anyone who is hiring, she can be reached at szaenger@gmail.com. You can also find her on Twitter (www.twitter.com/sarahzaenger) where she tweets about healthcare, social media, and “what I’m doing.” In addition to her personal tweets, she is also the Twitter person for the Public Relations Society of America – Puget Sound Chapter (www.twitter.com/PRSAPugetSound).

Other Fun Facts About Sarah Zaenger

• She worked in Armenia for two years with the Peace Corps.
• Her favorite hobby is making homemade greeting cards.
• Her favorite vacation spot is Costa Rica, where she lived for a short time after college.
• She loves sushi and Chipotle burritos.
• She enjoys walking on the path by SAM Sculpture Park.
• She likes going to bed early and waking up before the sun.
• She has kept her New Year’s resolution three out of the past four years—this year’s resolution is to read the Bible in chronological order.
• She runs so that she can eat dark chocolate to excess.
• She can speak Eastern Armenian.
• She loves tea parties.

Sarah Zaenger Links

• Sarah Zaenger on Twitter
• Sarah Zaenger’s Blog: My Experiential Learning
• Sarah Zaenger on LinkedIn
• Sarah Zaenger on Visual CV

VIDEO: Sarah Zaenger Interviews Chris Brogan at IABC Seattle.

Meet Andru Edwards, the man and the mind behind GearLive.com, a blog dedicated to all things high-tech. In addition to GearLive.com, Andru also manages a network of other blogs ranging in topics from celebrity news to sports and beyond. With a strong following, Andru and his blogs have been quoted in USA Today, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, KOMO 4 News, Q13 News, KING 5 News, and NPR, among others. With all that, you would imagine that Andru has a full plate on his hands, yet he somehow finds time to put on a conference each year in Seattle called MindCamp—Seattle’s ultimate “unconference” experience and a must-attend event for all those with entrepreneurial minds.

Originally hailing from New York, New York, Andru migrated out this way in 2000 and has been hooked ever since. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife, Monica, and son, Alijah. When he isn’t sitting in front of a computer covering tech, he can be found at social media events all around Puget Sound, playing Xbox, and wrestling (professional-style). When I asked him what his “finishing move” was, he told me Kata Ha Jime; I’m more interested in his theme music, however, which I imagine would be some song by Journey. Andru loves wrestling so much that, this year, he attended Wrestlemania 25 down in Texas.

Andru can be found at many events around Puget Sound, and if you happen to come across him, don’t hesitate to say hello; he is extremely friendly and definitely enjoys a good laugh. If you’re interested in contacting Andru, he can be found at www.twitter.com/andruedwards or you can e-mail him at andru@gearlive.com. You can also view his videos on his YouTube page.

Recently, Andru was featured in a segment by King 5 News Seattle about Twitter and OnStar. He would prefer it if you didn’t ask him why his Christmas lights are up really early this year—I know from experience.

Welcome to the first posting of hopefully many. Here, you will find interviews and videos with many of the great personalities making noise in the Seattle social media scene.

Social Media in the Emerald City

With the relatively recent creation of SMC Seattle, the Seattle social media scene is abuzz with excitement. It seems every week, new social media events are popping up around our great city, and with each one, there are new people to meet, whether it be professionals handling their company’s social media efforts to personal enthusiasts who enjoy blogging about their hobbies. It’s clear that Seattle’s social media community is in a time of growth. This hasn’t gone unnoticed either, as recently Mashable.com, a blog fully committed to all things social media, wrote a great article about Seattle’s social media scene stating:

Seattle is at the forefront in setting cultural and social trends across the U.S. It’s the home of Jimi Hendrix, Pearl Jam, and other incredible rock legends, as well as the unofficial coffee capital of the world. But hidden within The Emerald City is an active and bustling social media community that is growing with savvy tech professionals hailing from Microsoft, Alaska Air, Amazon, and companies all across the spectrum.

Why Seattle Social Media Profiles?

The community connected to social media in Seattle is growing each day. Currently, SMC Seattle’s Facebook group page has 816 members and an even more impressive 1,850 followers on Twitter. If this wasn’t enough, at a recent meeting on Capitol Hill, SMC Seattle had an estimated 160 people attend, which included a local news crew that covered the event. With the success of SMC Seattle, in addition to the fact that mainstream and corporate America are adopting social media into their communications arsenal, it is only logical that more new faces will be showing up at social media events around Seattle.

With that said, it seemed that the next practical step would be to create a blog dedicated to introducing  and connecting some of the movers and shakers in Seattle’s social media community. Ultimately, the idea is that this will serve as a tool to help facilitate relationship building and connect all the great personalities who attend SMC Seattle events, in addition to other events around Puget Sound.

Who Am I?

My name is Kenji Onozawa, and I’m a social media student and enthusiast. I can be found on Twitter @kenji_onozawa. I can also be reached via e-mail at kenjionozawa at hotmail dot com. Happy tweeting!