She’s back! Today’s blog post is written by esteemed guest blogger, social media expert Anne Reuss

Last night, I attended the Sugar & Spice Event in Chicago on stunning Michigan Avenue at the Chicago Tribune Tower. Hosted by the Social Media Club of Chicago, I was completely unaware this organization existed until late last Friday afternoon.

How did I end up at a party sipping delicious holiday cocktails and mingling?

A comment on Mark Schaefer’s {grow} a blog.

I’m sure it goes without saying that I follow Mark on Twitter, sharing his blog link with my tweeps, too. But he doesn’t even live in Chicago!

Mark looked at my bio (I mention there I’m seeking full-time work – I currently work 20 hours per week) and sent me a message wondering if he could help. I literally gasped in delight, rubbing my dog’s belly for a solid five minutes because I was in such merry mood.

And while Santa didn’t come, working in social media often brings unexpected gifts. This is a great example.

We chatted via e-mail exchanging thoughts then he proceeded to, and I quote, “Use my networking on steroids,” forwarding my resume and introducing me to two noteworthy Chicagoans. One of them encouraged me the very same day to go this event as an initial step — to get into the “business scene” in my field of work.

I’m blushing as I type this, but I’ve always wondered what it would be like to dress up, go to a holiday party for cocktails downtown and meet neat folks. And I got my answer last night — all because of a comment on a blog and a tweet.

I wrote two blogs during my senior year. One was called Verona Visivamente and discussed my perspective of Europeans and my theory of how they interact with Deaf people compared to Americans. It also included some neat travel stories! People have told me they felt like they knew me better because I had more of a “voice” and shared content that might be hard to disclose in full depth with some hearing peers (i.e. without interpreters or unfamiliar with sign) but I never have to worry about that in social media.

Purple has even inspired me to try vlogging (stay tuned). I sure hope I’ve given you something to think about. If you aren’t the type to write your own blog, why not investigate? See if there are some blogs you could read and comment on. Remember, I’m the perfect example of how participation can lead to the most unexpected — and FUN — networking benefits!

About Anne Reuss
Anne Reuss is a social media consultant at Networlding, developing training strategies and facilitating communications to build real connections. She’s an entrepreneur and rocking her English degree credentials on “100 Steps to Success” – her blog on starting a business. She strives to prove that communication goes beyond being able to hear and speak English – because being deaf isn’t detrimental in the wide world of web and work. Madly driven and focused in noisy settings, she’s educating people on the under-appreciated beauty of social media: the humanity of it.

Anne just happens to be a 4th generation worker in the communications industry and harbors a desire to go skydiving. Mingle with her at @AnneReuss.