Danielle Deremo is @TheMirageLV

You can stalk Danielle on twitter @SuperDaniYell and @TheMirageLV :)

1. How did you get started in Social Media?

I was really lucky when I landed a fabulous internship with MGM Grand’s Food & Beverage Marketing team while attending Northern Illinois University my senior year. They have their own social networks solely dedicated to their restaurants & lounges at MGM Grand and I was introduced to the world of professional social networking as a brand. Since I was graduating soon anyway, I made sure to do a lot of networking during my time in Las Vegas, including meeting The Mirage’s former Social Media Manager, Bianca Chan. The Mirage was looking to expand their social media team by bringing in a specialist and I instantly meshed with the property & its team!

I was drawn to Las Vegas after living here during the internship and planned on moving here, ignorant of whether or not the Vegas job interviews under my belt were fruitful, which is always intimidating as a fresh college grad. Getting the call that I’d be working at The Mirage as their Social Media Specialist was probably my favorite phone call ever.

2. When you get up in the morning, what do you check first, Facebook or Twitter?

Twitter. I didn’t that would be the case when I first started in Social Media, but it’s true. I feel I can get more of a general sense of the world’s mood that day, as opposed to just my Facebook friends’ mood.

3. Where do you see the state of Social Media going/evolving in the next 5 years?

Thankfully, the stigma of “Social Media is a fad” has been taken out back and put down. (Figuratively, of course. No stigmas were actually harmed in the making of this Social Media revolution.) As it stands, Social Media is the expected integration to most, if not all, successful interactive digital products. Whether it’s websites, mobile content, gadgets, gaming, music, TV or even just a piñata-whacking-accident video; You need to be able to humanize that interaction with a machine by bringing your real-life friends into the mix.

In 5 years, I think we can expect this model to perpetuate throughout all types of businesses & communities and no longer be frowned upon for untrackable ROI and other issues the Social Media industry has been marked down for. The personnel and tools are out there to have continually successful Social Media strategies, in all meanings of the word “successful.” In the future, I predict an increase in social mediums and interaction, too, as younger generations are already Social Media savvy & will eventually look for more digital ways to spread Bieber fever.

4. What do you consider your greatest SM achievement? ie. breaking 1000 followers personally, throwing a tweetup people can’t stop talking about, etc.

It just happened recently, actually; The Mirage just broke 100,000 fans in early September! When I started it was around 50,000 so I feel really proud that our team was able to double that in a year. Having that kind of reach is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly or abused. It’s important to me that we provide those 100,000+ people a delightful relationship with the resort they know, love, and look forward to visiting.

I’m also proud of being the Foursquare mayor of my dentist’s office. But not really.

5. Being able to twitter and facebook for a living is a dream job. If you weren’t doing this, in what other area would you focus your passion? Art? Music? Design?

Event planning! Honestly, I like making people happy and who can be sad at a party? If you were ever sad at a party, it’s because a.) I wasn’t in your face doing the Running Man or b.) I didn’t help you plan it. If that dream internship at MGM Grand hadn’t crossed my path and brought me to Vegas, I would most likely be in Chicago doing wedding planning or something in a culinary field.

6. SINNER Magazine is about promoting the local art, culture and lifestyle of local Las Vegans. What is your take of our unique culture? What areas would you like to see promoted more?

As a newcomer to Las Vegas, I had heard rumors that the one downside to the city is the lack of culture. Since everyone is so transient and the area is a collage of other cultures living together, I was told it’s hard to pinpoint what is “Vegas.” I’m so glad the rumors were incorrect.

That collage of cultures is the heart of what makes the city fun to live in! This desert is packed with Food Trucks, dubstep, local art, networking events, unique venues, and adventure-driven activities that I think is very unique to this area of the country. There’s no place like Las Vegas because no one has seem to forgotten that life should be fun. I’m never bored. The world’s playground is a great place to live. [Insert wink emoticon here, per Social Media habits]

7. Social Media is about staying informed. How do you stay informed? Mashable? Newspaper? Magazines?

Mashable is pretty much my bible, though it’s easy to stay informed just by conducting my day-to-day business on the web. My career is conducted on (as Kevin Flynn of TRON would say) The Digital Frontier. With almost every website being interconnected with the power of our beloved social networks, we get to see everything from new technologies, services & brands to natural disasters, global news & crises unveiled to us in real time. The browser window is our window to the rest of the world and when tech tools like algorithms, cookies & our profile data get added in to this digital world, new information relevant to us is likely to cross our paths. I just surf, discover & learn new things. Nerdy, knowledge-thirsty & proud!