Welcome Back, Hellos and Goodbyes from Jason Douglas

Welcome back, hello and goodbye, all in the same sentence? Yes. Everything in that sentence and title applies to everything that’s been happening in my life. Let me explain:

Welcome back refers to my tenth return to the blogosphere. It has come to my attention that when I posted new content on here, people actually read it. Add that knowledge to my passion for writing, and that equals me promising to make more time for writing. It makes sense to spend more time doing things you love and are passionate about. If you read it, I will write it. I thank you all who have, will and continue to read my content.

Hello refers to a few new additions and changes in my life. First: I have a new phone. I switched from the iPhone 3gs to the HTC Inspire. With the relationship I and many others have with their phone, this was a big move to make. I am enjoying the android network and have already sold my iPhone on Craigslist for a significant profit.

Hello, new apartment! I am very happy to report a move that is long overdue. At the end of this month, I will be moving to Golden Valley to a newly renovated apartment. Highlights include new laminate wood flooring, new stainless steel appliances, an incredible amount of closet space, a third floor view of the pool, and no roommates 🙂 With my new place located under a mile away from the West End area, I expect to become a regular at Crave, Cooper and Pei Wei. An apartment warming party is already in the works.

Goodbye is something you say when you are leaving. With that said, I am very proud to report a move that came out of the blue. Today marks an end of an era, as I am leaving my role as the Online Marketing Manager at Spyder Trap Online Marketing.

Hello is what you say when you start something new. I will be joining the team at Nina Hale as their Search Marketing Manager starting April 25.

I am extremely proud of my time at Spyder Trap, spanning over the last two years. I have been able to work with great clients, including Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Shock Doctor, UnitedHealth Group, among others. I am very lucky to have led the search marketing and social media marketing groups to where it stands today.

When I started at Spyder Trap in March 2009, I was the second salaried employee in the history of the company. Two years later, Spyder Trap has 14 employees. 700% growth speaks for itself. I am very proud to have been a major player in the company’s growth. It is something I will be able to look back on and always be proud of.

I am extremely proud of the work I completed at Spyder Trap. Despite some individuals beliefs, the quality of work I completed was good very good great. Fortunately for myself and the clients, the numbers support the claim and make that statement indisputable. It is one of the main reasons why I love the online marketing industry: the numbers do not lie.

I will miss the relationships and the clients at Spyder Trap. However, there are opportunities that come around that are too good to pass up. Spyder Trap was that opportunity in March 2009. Nina Hale is that opportunity in April 2011. I am very excited to start at Nina Hale on April 25. There is no limit to the success I will have at Nina Hale.

I want to thank Mike Rynchek and Spyder Trap for giving me the opportunity. Looking back, I consider this to be a rare relationship where both parties won. I wish Spyder Trap nothing but the best in the future.

New phone. New living space. New job. There’s a saying that bad things happen in threes. So do good great things.

We’ll talk soon, friends. I promise.

Jason

A New Beginning: A Step Forward

Today was the beginning of a new phase in my career and in my life.  I began my employment at Spyder Trap Online Marketing today as an Online Marketing Specialist.  My role at Spyder Trap will include: search engine optimization (SEO), sponsored search marketing (PPC), social media marketing and social media monitoring, online marketing strategy, business development, and more as my experience progresses.

This is an opportunity that I did not think would be available to me so early in my career.  Already feeling lucky to have a role in online marketing at Risdall Marketing Group working exclusively in search marketing, I had no reason to look elsewhere.  This was an opportunity that presented itself to me four months ago by my good friend from college Mike Rynchek, President of Spyder Trap.   I mention that only to emphasize a point that I make to college students and all of my friends: networking just might be the best tool to help you along in your career.  I am two-for-two in the jobs I have held have been presented to me due to who I knew, and not necessarily what I knew.

It was a tough decision to leave Risdall; my nine months was very enjoyable, very educational, and was a great fit.  In the end, there was no opportunity for me to expand my role like it has been presented to me at Spyder Trap.

I am very thankful for my time at Risdall; they will be always remembered in a good light as the company that was willing to give me an opportunity.  I just hope that I exceeded their expectations they had for me.

Another role for me at Spyder Trap will to be a contributing writer on the Spyder Trap Blog.  You may have noticed it located on my blogroll.  Now, I will be blogging on a blog on my blogroll.  I will still keep a mix of personal and professional here in this blog, but may lean more towards personal for now.

Thank you to all who have congratulated me and wished me well; I do appreciate it.  Unfortunately, there are doubters out there.  People have doubted me since high school:

• You will never go to college (I did)
• You will never graduate college (I did)
• You will never succeed as President of AMA-SCSU (I excelled)
• You will never find that ideal first job (I did)
• You will never be able to handle all the responsibilities of your new job (I will)

The path I have taken through life has not been as conventional, or as safe as others.  However, anytime that people doubt me, it seems as if I have proven people wrong.  I look forward to proving the doubters wrong again.

I am very excited for the opportunity ahead at Spyder Trap, and ready to become a major player within the company.

That’s the update on the professional side of life; I have plenty more to share that has happened in my life.

As always, stay tuned 🙂

~Jason Douglas

twitter: @jasondouglas