Bittersweet ending to my undergraduate years

During my three years at UNT I have grown and learned more than I ever expected. Not only did I learn from my professors but people in class, at my job and the friends I made here. I know that it doesn’t just stop here. This isn’t one of those “one chapter closes and another begins” thing, but it’s close.

Graduating a year early has also brought many things in perspective. I never thought that I would just 21 when I graduate college, but here I am. Although I wish I had not rushed this, I am glad that I spent less on tuition and other necessities. I learned that I could accomplish whatever I wanted if I worked hard. I kept my GPA above a 3.5 and never failed test or class. It was hard, but if I can handle the stress of some of these semesters then I could handle the rest of my career.

I think this semester was one of my hardest and tiring semesters. Maybe it’s because I was just waiting for it to end or I got a real taste of juggling many and different responsibilities. My internship at a wonderful nonprofit tested my self-motivation while my classes tested my determination (mostly my determination not to slack off). I switched from news to PR my first year. I am definitely more content with PR, but I still don’t know if this is the right path for me.

Now starts the “what am I going to do next?” phase. I hear that questions so much from my parents, family, friends and even random people I meet who know I’m graduating. To be honest, even now, a week away from graduation, I still don’t know the answer to that question.

Some things I do know: I know that I like helping people, I know that I like thinking of creative ways to gain positive PR and I know that I want to keep talking about things happening in this profession. I hope to continue this blog. I don’t want to stop because I don’t need it for a class. Maybe I can gain a bigger readership. At least, I want a place to write about what’s going on in the world and in media.

I can’t forget to thank Amber Freeland and Samra Bufkins, who both helped me gain a little more insight into PR. I appreciate everything you’ve done for the class and me.

So, here’s to finding what I want to do for the rest of my life and this blog. I enjoyed my classes and professors, tough at times but still fulfilling, and I enjoyed my time spent at UNT, but now on to the next chapter in my life! (Sorry, I couldn’t help it.) I hope to continue to learn and grow as a professional and person. 

Still finding my way through LinkedIn

This week I learned to take LinkedIn seriously. I never realized the great opportunity LinkedIn could provide. I dismissed it easy early on. I had a profile but I didn’t think much of it.  

So, when Eve Mayer from Social Media Delivered came to speak to one of my classes about the many features on LinkedIn. The lecture including things from basics like filling out your profile, what do people notice first and how to get connected to people, especially if you’re looking for a job.

Who’s on LinkedIn? The demographics are people who are older, average age of 44. The people earn a higher income and many are people who work for Fortune 500 Company who looked for future employees on LinkedIn. It’s important to keep in mind that there are many people looking to hire people on the website. This isn’t a social network like Twitter or Facebook.

Here are some tips from Eve along with some help from Forbes:

• Customize your URL. With SEO this should help your profile find its way to the top of your name search. You can customize it by hitting the “edit” button and clicking the “Public profile settings.” Find where it says “your public profile URL” That’s where you be able to customize the URL.
• Headline is important. It’s the first thing a person sees next to your profile picture. People with profile pictures are most likely to get hired. You want to your headline to be attractive so that some one will click on your profile.
• Detailed summary of your career. This shouldn’t be too long that it will keep your reader interested. Insert key phrases that you find in a job description and something you’re interested in obtaining in a job experience.
• Use the experience section as an online résumé. You don’t have to be super detailed but make sure to list significant jobs that have contributed to your career.
• Ask for recommendations. You can select people you’re connected with and ask for a recommendation. If you want to increase the chance then you should take the opportunity to write what you would want the person to say about you.
• Post one to four times a week. Posting regular status updates helps you stay in the minds of those who you’ve connected with, even with the people you connected a long time ago.
• Connect. But don’t freak people out by connecting with someone you’ve never met. And don’t stick with the generic message. Ask for an introduction from a mutual friend if you don’t know the person very well. 

Social media use during a crazy week

It’s been a crazy week.

Explosions at the Boston Marathon. The media reporting false information. Fertilizer plant explosion devastating many in West, Texas. American Airlines’ computer meltdown.

These affected so many people. The question this week was how to handle situations like this on social media.

During the Boston Marathon attack, many businesses turned off the auto tweets while others didn’t think it was a big deal. Others were criticized for not showing respect for the victims or anyone affected. So, it’s important to keep these tips in mind:

• Have a company plan in place

• Monitor what’s going on

• Inform employees and your community

• Stop promotions

• Be resourceful

• And show compassion

The spread of false information was also another problem this week. During Monday’s terror attack, many re-tweeted information faster than I could refresh the page. I didn’t know what was true and what was just

Then on Wednesday morning many media outlets reported that suspects had been arrested. CNN was criticized for this. This lead to other re-tweeting information that wasn’t true. When the FBI finally released photos of the suspect, the repeating phrase at CNN was ”we have confirmed.”

Then as the police raced to find the two suspects, the reporters kept repeating that they didn’t want to release any information without confirmation. Even with the fertilizer plant explosion, Anderson Cooper, an anchor at CNN, tweeted “Trying to confirm details. I’d rather be right with the info than first.”

As journalists, we rely on the trust of the public and it’s our responsibility to report accurate information. Yes, media does make mistakes but breaking news does not have to broken. There is no need rush, but you do need be right. Social media is a powerful tool and companies and journalist should use it with care

Life on Google after death

Google wants to emerge as the “go to” website. Although it enjoys the success of the best search engine, it has yet to reach into other markets with much success. Google+ is taking longer to gain popularity and Google reader is shutting down. That sure doesn’t stop Google from reaching the dead.

With so much of lives displayed on the Internet with the use of social networks, Google is offering you the chance to give up your password to your friends when you die. You can think of it as a sort of will.

An option with the Inactive Account Manager will let you select friends or family have access to your passwords to Google account or deactivate all your profiles from the Internet. The features include allowing your account to be deleted if has been inactive for a certain amount of time. Every file would be deleted. All the YouTube videos, Google Drive files and emails.

Facebook let’s family members take over an account to memorialize the deceased. So, why not let Google do the same thing.

Though it sounds good in theory, once it become part of a will the information would be public. Privacy is already an issue with most social networks. I guess it’s worth it if you don’t have any skeletons your closet. You wouldn’t want to for a sensitive issue to be leaked out. It will also be hassle to keep it updated because most people change passwords often.

No longer do you leave behind box full of photos or letters. Now you these features let your Internet data live on. So, now I will be either freaked out that someone will see all my private information even if I’m dead and it shouldn’t matter or leave without a trace.

Google is leading the pack for those who are worried about what will come of their profiles because it’s something that wouldn’t have crossed my mind. 

From school lessons to real world experience

In a little more than a month I will be a college graduate. Pretty scary if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. And I don’t think any one really knows. So yes, internships are a big part of deciding if I want to continue this.

Everyone always say that working in real-life situations differ than what you learned in classrooms. It’s not until you apply everything you’ve learned that you get to see how it works. Although my internship is with a non-profit, I have learned that that’s true to a certain point.

It’s great to come in with fresh ideas and GREAT enthusiasm.. It shows the employer you’re ready to work. I’ve learned that is to be proactive. Meaning inside of just doing what has been assigned I should stay busy. Learning new tasks and something that isn’t just handed to me will be useful. Even the minimal tasks have to be handled with responsibility.

There is definitely nothing like getting your idea rejected, but you can’t take it personally. Criticism is part of the job. I’ve been thankful that feedback has been constructive. I won’t say that it didn’t hurt a little. When I had rewritten a 1,000-word feature story only to have the source back out. Well, that was a little hard to take. You have to remember to not to take it personally.

Lately I’ve been looking through blog posts to pick up other useful tips. Some other things I’ve learned from the Positivity blog and PR Daily:

• Mistakes and failures are good.
• Don’t beat yourself up.
• Don’t compare yourself to others.
• Write everything down. Always carry a pen and notebook.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are opportunities to gain experience from just about everything.

And if all else fails, always, always try to remain positive. No one wants to do something they hate doing. I may not be too sure what I want, but at least I can try to keep positive while I figure it out and avoid the infamous “What are you going with your life?” question.