Christine Overby [Posted by Christine Overby]

Nearly two years ago, I heard that an influential blogger was interested in an analyst job at Forrester. I had just taken over management of our interactive marketing team and to my complete pleasure was able to hire that blogger — Jeremiah Owyang.

And so it's on a bittersweet note that I share that Jeremiah has decided to leave Forrester at the end of this month. All of you who connect with Jeremiah through his reports, blog posts, and tweets know that he is an enthusiastic teacher, a client advocate, and a creative force. We will miss his exuberance and his contribution to the Forrester "Idea Factory". We will miss him. What's next for Jeremiah? He's going back into the field to apply the trends. I expect that he'll still sleep in shifts so that he can stay connected. 🙂

What's next for Forrester? More insights on social technologies — driven by the topics that you tell us matter to your roles. We have 24 analysts who touch social computing in some way. Upcoming research from Nate Elliott and Emily Riley will look at the ROI of social media, both on its own and in concert with other interactive channels. Lisa Bradner is finishing up a piece on how social tools change the fundamentals of brand management. Sean Corcoran's next doc will analyze the growth of sponsored  conversations. On the B2B side, Laura Ramos and Oliver Young will examine how executives use social tools to make business decisions. And our resident best-selling author Josh Bernoff is currently taking entries for the third annual Forrester Groundswell Awards.

We're also starting a search for a senior social media analyst who will focus on online communities, social networks, and org structures that support social technology efforts. We're looking for an individual who is active in the social media community and has good ideas on how social tools complement other analyst activities and research methodologies. If you are interested, then please contact me at coverby@forrester.com.

Please join me in wishing Jeremiah the very best!