Happy New Year social insect enthusiasts!

It’s been a big year. The Insectes Sociaux blog has had over six thousand readers from all over the globe. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all of the blog contributors and interviewees for providing some brilliant content for the blog. I will be leaving my position as Social Media Editor with great memories, as you have made my job very enjoyable and rewarding. We will be seeking my replacement in the next few months.

I’ve had a brilliant two and a half years with Insectes Sociaux but it’s time for me to move on. This has not been an easy decision for me to make, but life (as it tends to do) has taken me on a different path and I think it’s time to let someone else experience this wonderful opportunity.

Part of what makes working for Insectes Sociaux special is that it is a truly international journal and the success of the journal depends on global science conducted by individuals at all career stages, all over the world. Since I became Social Media Editor, I have sought contributors to the blog that have been as diverse as the contributors to the journal. This has not only increased representation of all groups in the diverse social insect community, but has also increased the impact of the blog, as more social media users share the blog with the members of their increasingly global networks. I am proud to have been a part of this and hope to see this diversity continue in the future.

For those of you who may be interested in the becoming the next Insectes Sociaux Social Media Editor, I offer a brief description of how the role worked for me. For about two hours a week, I spend my time contacting potential blog contributors and social insect scientist interviewees, managing Twitter and Facebook, finding images and videos to complement the blog posts and laying out the blogs for publication on the WordPress site. But most of all, I spend time editing the blog posts, working with the authors to present their research and their experience doing it in the clearest and most engaging way for a non-expert audience. My aims have been to make the science accessible and to help the blog contributors find their voice.

If this sounds like something that you might want to take on, please get in touch with me at mpeso.inssoc@gmail.com or Prof. Michael Breed, Insectes Sociaux Editor-in-Chief Michael.Breed@colorado.edu to express your interest.

Thanks again everyone,

Marianne.