What is required to be a good social media analyst?

Here is a short list of concepts, credentials, potentials and requirements that I’ve used to build and train Social Media Analysts over the last 2-3 years. If you’re thinking about social media analysis as a profession, I’d recommend checking off all the readings on this page and then building or reflecting these potentialities and capabilities in your resume.

Checklist for a solid SM Analyst

1. Must understand social networks and have a general understanding of the basics of network theory that anyone w/ a life sciences background would have picked up in a university level Biology or O-Chem class.
2. At least 6months to 1 year working as a SEO Marketing tactician (and should have a firm grasp of what drives activity in the long tail)
3. Should be a life-long-student of Psychology or Anthropology and specifically have a high interest in the relationships between digital technology, communication and epistemology.
4. Have some background in User Experience Testing, or Digital Marketing or Online advertising.
5. A high level of curiosity and some of your own well developed insights about the evolving web (mobile, semantic web, augmented reality) and where these are headed over the next 5-10 years.