Those of us who are dorkily passionate about the power of community jump up and down all the time about the importance of connecting with customers because it builds your business. This is true enough.

But today, I’d like to pause for a few moments of professional gratitude. It’s a rather thankless world right now and it seems that blessings are few and far between for many. But perhaps, like me, you’re in business for reasons beyond the bottom line. 2008 saw the first days of my business, and it’s been an incredible year in so many ways.

Lending a Hand
Teaching is the great joy of my job, and it’s largely why I embarked on this professional adventure to begin with. There are few things more gratifying than helping someone learn and understand something they didn’t the day before. The best part is that not only do I get to share my knowledge with people every day to help them improve their businesses, but I nearly always learn something in return.

The Means to Change Lives
Everyone has their job so they can put a roof over their head, food on the table, and keep the heat on. The rest is gravy. But I’ve also been involved in non-profits and the arts for many years, and for me part of the value of business success is in having the means to give back to my community. Trite as it may sound, there are so many who are less fortunate and struggling for their very survival. And the arts are in grave danger of being swept aside in our communities as a “luxury” instead of a pillar of developing well-rounded youth.

Charitable giving is and should be very personal. Please find a cause that resonates with you and give. Trust my former fundraiser self when I tell you that even a few dollars can make a difference. If you’d like some recommendations for organizations that could use your assistance, I’d be happy to help.

Being Inspired by Others
Since I entered the entrepreneurial arena, so many people have inspired me, selflessly shared their knowledge with me, and supported me when I was unconvinced I had what it took. Now, as my business grows, I am overwhelmed each day by the people that connect with me and each other for the betterment of business as a whole. At the root of every “job”, no matter how mundane it may seem, is the capacity to change someone’s world for the better, solve a problem, enhance an experience, or provide something of value. So to those of you who have been my personal friends, and to those who have blogged, built, created, shared, improved, participated here, invited me to your place, and given more than you take, I say thanks.

Rediscovering People as People
The roots of my passion for all things social media are driven by the idea that we’ve been marketing behind a wall for many years, sticking people in buckets and “demographics” and “target audiences”. We’ve looked at our brands through the bottom of our own kool-aid glasses. We’ve graphed and charted and analyzed and reported, and somewhere along the line we forgot that we were talking to people.

My aim as both an advisor and a doer is to gradually right the ship and reintegrate the human element into corporate communication. As a consumer, that’s what I’d want. As a company, that’s what I’d strive for. And every single solitary crazy day, people around me are proving that it’s possible.

And so to all of you – clients, friends, colleagues, lurkers, talkers, curious travelers and those I’ve yet to know – thank you. From the bottom of my heart. For letting me come to work every day and share my passion with you.

Happy Thanksgiving, to you and yours, wherever you may be.

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