Tweet Yourself Rich!

From Hot Jobs:

Emerging Jobs in Social Media
Blog and tweet your way to a new career.
by Carol Tice


The world of marketing has changed with the rise of social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Now companies are seeking their customers' attention with tweets, videos, blog posts, pictures--online content designed to create buzz and attract a following. And this means more and more companies are looking for employees who know how to create and distribute this kind of content.


Growing numbers of job hunters are turning their blogging skills or Facebook savvy into new careers in social media. A background in marketing, computer technology, copywriting, or journalism is often a plus in landing Web 2.0 jobs.

This is an emerging field, so pay rates are all over the place right now--but good pay is already to be found, with full-time jobs ranging from $45,000 to six figures.

"My rule of thumb is, you get paid in social media for what you've done in the past," says Jim Durbin, who operates the niche job site JobsInSocialMedia. "A fresh college grad may make $25,000 as a social media marketer, but if you already have a marketing job where they pay you $80,000 a year, your employer might move your duties over to social media marketing and keep that salary."

Many ad agencies that assist major corporations with social media campaigns are hiring, but the majority of jobs in social media are freelance rather than full-time. On the upside, hourly rates can be high--$200 an hour and more, says copywriting coach Chris Marlow.

"The lowest rate anybody should charge for social media marketing work is $50 an hour," she says. "Many are charging $100 an hour."

Here's a look at some of the most common jobs in social media, and the skills they require...

Um, OK.

Maybe part of my problem is that I'm old enough to remember when the people who could wrangle fax machines were going to rule the world.

Then, it was people who would hook up The AOL. Or even The CompuServe. (Bonus wealth if you could get that tricky modem working as well.)

Then, there were gonna be chairs endowed at Major Universities (Major!) for people who could set up the damn email. (People who suggested that maybe the company should go all the way and put email addresses on its business cards were generally considered bomb-throwing radicals who also probably wanted to sell the copy machines and use the money to buy heroin.)

Laptops? That's craaazy!

Making web pages was gonna be the new Comstock Mine too, as was HerbalLife and flipping distressed properties and AmWay.

So sure, there could very well be a tiny Twitter window through which some deserving people can slip in and make a few bucks. However, based on past performance, I have a strong feeling that the dream will end up looking a lot more like...