This time last year, I was a mere editorial intern with the somewhat avant-garde task of incorporating social media into 20/20’s Expo East coverage. Social media may seem like the buzz word of the moment, but it really is a fascinating amoeba-like news service… Giving up-to-the-second updates on what’s happening from the upheaval in Egypt to what the royals are wearing and which new eyewear collections frame us with excitement.

Rewind to last March. I arrived at the Javits Center in NYC on a Friday morning, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the convention center and the flurry of business suit-clad natives darting across the floor. Filled with anxiety I checked in with Editor-in-Chief James Spina, and he swiftly sent me to the show floor with a list of companies in hand and my trusty Blackberry primed to “tweet.”

I quietly visited booths, eyeing new collections, observing lens technology, snapping photos and sending my opinion out to the collective social ether via Twitter. After a full day of thumbing my Blackberry, our social media efforts were applauded by companies who noticed our mentions, read our tips, and by optometrists and retailers who spotted a Blackberry snap on the feed they liked, which led them to see the eyewear for themselves.

This year driven by our web designer Julie Zidel, we are launching an all-out social media blitz on optical. You will find us Facebooking our findings and tweeting up to the second trends as well as giving Foursquare a run for attention. Follow 20/20 around the show floor as we check in at booths and publish exclusive tips about new eyewear lines, company news and Expo events.

Whether we’re posting our latest outtakes from a photo shoot on Facebook, tweeting live from fashion shows or checking in at one of our Successful Retail Strategies locations, social media has gone beyond just a buzz word—it is how we communicate with our readers, with eyewear companies and the fashion-obsessed like ourselves.

So… Here we go…
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/2020mag
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/2020mag
Track us on Foursquare: www.foursquare.com/2020mag