Social Media: Don’t Knock It ‘Til You Try It

Social media lesson for the week: Don’t knock it till you try it. That’s what our PR Online Tactics class has learned this semester as we’ve delved into all kinds of new experiences— creating Web content, building Web sites, designing e-newsletters, blogging and now an upcoming project on podcasting. I know we’re going to graduate with tools under our belts that current professionals are trying to learn in seminars and continued education sessions, and that makes me feel a little better about being young and green.

This class has required a lot more time and effort than I anticipated, but I never could have gained this knowledge just from reading our book. That’s the beauty of social media as I see it. You just have to try it to know how it works and whether or not using it will benefit your company or client. (I know some people will argue that there’s no question as to whether it will benefit the client, but I still have some hesitations. Drop me a note about your thoughts…)

This blog, which originally began as a short-term classroom project, has grown in leaps and bounds and is getting more attention than I ever dreamed possible. Not that I mind… it’s the best lesson I’ve ever had in experiencing the instantaneous access the Internet provides for information sharing and networking. If it can do that for me, think of what it could do for my client.

I was recently chosen for the summer internship position at Landau PR in Cleveland, and I was surprised to find out that the team I interviewed with had already had a chance to read my blog, which I include in all my e-mail signatures. I heard several other students in my class comment on that same ‘phenomenon,’ and I started thinking about just how helpful blogging can be:

• Writing Sample: Most internships require writing samples in addition to a cover letter and resume, and I always hear students who are looking for that first experience complaining that they really don’t have anything other than in-class assignments to show potential employers. Start a blog. It doesn’t have to be about public relations or your chosen field as long as the content has some substance and you’re producing quality writing.
• Personality Profile: Although good writing is still essential, bloggers tend to write without all the formalities. Not only will potential employers see how well you write, but they can get a feel for how your personality might fit in to the workplace’s environment… possibly one of the most important considerations for a position. Your blog might help you sell yourself before you even get into the interview.
• Talking Point: In the public relations industry, most people will have heard the word ‘blog’ before even if they’re not quite sure what it is or how it works. Use the opportunity as a talking point about how you put what you’ve learned in the classroom to work. This can also be a talking point for your interviewer. Putting appropriate personal information on an ‘about page’ in your blog can give your interviewer some initial icebreaker questions to ask you, which will allow you to tell him or her a little about yourself.

The key is to try. Some of my classmates have been discouraged when they couldn’t think of something interesting to write about or they didn’t know how to respond to a comment someone left them on a post, but now they can say they’ve done it and they have excellent material to show for their hard work.

As for me, I’m loving it, and hopefully my future employer will too. I’m a writer, talker, and all-around communicator, and there’s going to be a lot more where this came from.