So ever since SEJC, I (as well friends of mine who also attended the conference) have been busy getting networked online, and “living on the web,” as our keynote speaker Paul Conley suggested. During his presentation, it was hard to keep up with him as he was dropping website names left and right, naming over 10 websites that any serious “new media” journalism student should be aware of. The more he spoke, the more ignorant and unmarketable I felt. I jotted down the website names he threw out, and made it my own personal endeavor to finally get networked online, and to start visiting the sites he highlighted regularly.
Since SEJC, I’ve created accounts at wordpress (^^), twitter, wired journalists, linkedin, virb, newsvine, SPJ, and SND. (::gasps for air::) Not to mention that I already had a facebook as well…
In summation, it’s all pretty overwhelming. Now that I’ve created all these accounts, I need to work on keeping up with them, customizing them, blogging, networking, marketing myself, etc. Every time I created another account and browsed around on the site, I ran into more things that existed on the web that I had never come in contact with before. It has definitely been a humbling experience, but it has also motivated me to work harder at becoming better acquainted with what the web has to offer, and learning how to utilize those resources to my advantage in the future.
As of right now, I really want to become better acquainted with RSS feeds and how to utilize that stream of information best. I also want to customize all my account profiles and pages so that I can use those to market myself in the future. I’m just glad that I had this slap of reality to the face as an underclassman, and will not jump out into completely cold waters whenever I near graduation.
...just trying to keep competitive 
Hi Jen,
I’m both pleased and flattered that you found my presentation helpful. Most importantly, I’m thrilled to see that you have taken my advice and begun to amass Web skills and networking connections.
By doing that you’re already moved ahead of your peers.
Think about this: More than 100 students heard my presentation. But it appears that fewer than a half-dozen took my suggestions to connect online through Wired Journalists, Linkedin, etc.
That may be the most helpful suggestion I make whenever I speak to students. And it’s certainly the easiest of my suggestions to follow. Yet only a tiny percentage of the students I meet bother to do it.
It’s much harder to estimate how many students follow my other suggestions. I have no way of tracking what percentage, for example, take a look at Loudoun Extra. But as much as it pains me to say so, I assume that very, very few students do.
But that is good news for you.
You’ve already demonstrated that you are more ambitious and more open-minded than your peers. In just a few hours in the networking sites you have also become more knowledgeable and more connected.
Congratulations!
And here’s how effective this style of networking can be –If you’re interested in taking on a freelance assignment, I’m going to give you a story to write for one of my clients: the About.com unit of New York Times Digital.
Drop me a line and let me know if you’re ready to take on that challenge.