It’s been awhile since I’ve had the pleasure of attending an Indy Social Media Breakfast (@IndySM), a monthly networking and social media discussion open to all who are interested. We’ve had a whirlwind couple of months!

But this morning’s talk with Jay Baer (@JayBaer) was one I’m especially glad I was in attendance for. Not only was it great to see some of my favorite peers in the industry, but I was also able to participate in a thought-provoking conversation about the current state of social media – with some of the people who know it best.

Jay gave a captivating presentation about social media’s impact on the typical business model. Where corporations once held the power against consumers, social media has transitioned the relationship into peer-to-peer interaction. With the click of a button, a consumer can broadcast their poor service complaint to the world via the Internet. Forget call centers, consumers are going straight to sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor and of course, Twitter.

He also stressed the importance of moving social media out of marketing and into all divisions of a company. After all, it’s the people in customer service and on the sales team that know the most about a company’s customers. He pointed out that today, social media is a job, but in the future it will be a skill – much like typing. My favorite quote from the morning was: “If you don’t love social media, you suck at social media.”

It’s true.

And as I drove back to the office this morning, I began to think about the awesome energy the city of Indianapolis generates.

Here was a group of at least 250 individuals who chose to get up extra early and park in questionable parking spots (my hand is raised), all to network and learn a thing or two on a Thursday morning. How great is that? Not to mention, Indy Social Media is promoting positive karma by raising money for scholarships with every event.

The amazing thing is that these types of events happen all the time. Indy is full of great resources for learning and networking. Some of our favorite organizations that put on regular events include: Hoosier Chapter of PRSA (@HoosierPRSA), Verge (@VergeIndy), Indianapolis Chapter of IABC (@IABC), IndyHub (@IndyHub), among countless others. So while Indy is a great place to work and play, it is also an opportune place to learn. We are lucky to live in a city that offers so many events, even if some of them are at 7:30AM!

Don’t you agree? Let us know about your favorite Indy events!