• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, August 20, 2009

Forrester Research social media guru Jeremiah Owyang announced Thursday on his blog that he is exiting the firm after two years, promising to disclose his new gig next week. In an interview, Owyang said he's heading to a small consulting firm where he will continue to focus on social media and emerging technologies.

He wouldn't say what firm he was joining. Former colleague and prominent technology and business analyst Charlene Li left Forrester last year to found digital strategy firm Altimeter Group. With Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff, she also authored "Groundswell," a business-oriented guide to social media.

Owyang declined to comment on whether Altimeter Group would be his next employer. While at Forrester, he gained prominence as a social media expert through public appearances and his actively updated Web Strategy blog. Now, he will parlay that experience into working more directly with companies on digital strategy.

"As one would expect, one of the greatest benefits of being an industry analyst is seeing where trends are pointing and identify the direction of the market. Having studied this market in-depth as an analyst, I'm looking forward to getting back into the field to apply them," he wrote Thursday.