The potential for odd hours, the constant need to call and keep up with sources, and the timely requirements to write articles all make being a professional blogger a tough job.

Add to that the increasing necessity for journalists to use services like Twitter, and spare time is a luxury that goes out the window.  

Now think about doing all of that with four children, a 100-year-old house and a brand new job as director of social media with one of Knoxville's most renowned public relations firms.

Katie Allison Granju doesn't know how she does it either, but one thing is for sure: she is made for the job.

"I've been playing around in online communities since 1995," says Granju. "I was hooked. For years, close friends and family members teased me about my geeky immersion in online community For years, close friends and family members teased me about my geeky immersion in online community. Katie Allison Granju and conversation."

Now, all that time spent on the now archaic "listservs" and "chatrooms" has paid off for the mother/author/editor/online producer.  The Ackermann PR firm has created a new position especially for Granju. So what exactly does a director of social media do?

"Well, I'll be using tools like blogs, social networking platforms, Twitter, Facebook, listservs, YouTube, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera to help clients market and position their brands and messages," says Granju. "Basically, it's a perfect fit for me."

Perfect fit may be an understatement, as Granju has been somewhat of a social media fixture since launching her own blog, Mamapundit, in 2002.  In the early days of the Internet's reach, her connections on the Web afforded her the opportunity to be published in a variety of Web and print media, including The New York Times, Salon.com and The Chicago Tribune, as well as her own book.

Granju writes about the trials of parenting, political activism and everything in between, something she brings to both her new position at Ackermann and her former positions at Scripps and WBIR-TV in Knoxville.