It’s 2011 – everyone has a Facebook and Twitter, and most likely you’re testing the waters of Google+. However, there are certain online social networking skills which are easy to master and are infinitely useful in the workplace. Whether looking for an internship or a career in the Social Media field, I’ve found these web skills to be what employers most look for.
Everything Google
You know how to go a simple search on Google, right? Well aside from Search, +, Translate, and Scholar Google’s other programs are extremely useful, especially for impressing your boss with your organization skills. Take Google Documents – GWmail areadly utilizes this to an extent when you upload and sent Word documents, but did you know you can also create spreadsheets, surveys, flyers, and pretty much anything else? On top of this, you can create more informal website with Google Sites in order to create more outreach for your organization. And don’t even get me started on Google Reader – a constant newsfeed from every website and search query you select. This way, you can see what anyone is saying about your organization and search for related articles.
Twitter – the right way
Don’t be an inactive Twitter user! There are many ways to utilize Twitter for personal and professional use, should your internship have an account. Use hashtags (#) to start trending topics relating to your organization and spread the word. Create tiny links to share press releases and good feedback about your organization, or even just related articles. This is also an awesome way to network with related organizations – follow them, Retweet their awesome tweets, @ reply to them to create an online, professional relationship.
Blogging
Everyone has attempted at least one blog in their life, from the ever-popular high school Xanga to the hipster Tumblr trend now. Blogs are most effective when they have a specific topic – study abroad, cooking, fashion, etc. And most importantly, you should write in a professional, engaging manner to get your readers involved and excited about posts. Again, this can be an invaluable skill to take to your internship, especially by starting or running an organization blog. Update readers on doings of the organization, accept guest posts in order to engage readers, and network with other organizations. More professional blogs seem to be Blogspot and WordPress.
A tech-savvy collegiette is a must for our Internet generation!