techtip: USE BLOGS AND TWITTER

USE BLOGS AND TWITTER

Everyone is an expert at something. Web sites like WordPress, Twitter, and Blogger give people space to write about or otherwise produce information that they know something about. Many of the most frequently used news Web sites and social networking sites get information that is sent—or “fed”—to them from someone’s blog.

Twitter is a microblogging site. It’s called “microblogging” because you can only write a maximum of 140 characters per message, or “tweet.” Get off the sidelines and into the world of microblogging. It doesn’t take much time to post to Twitter because of its 140-character limit. Twitter also allows you to follow the tweets of people, events, and organizations that interest you.

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The Problem

You’ve heard people talk about blogs and Twitter, but you don’t know why you’d join or what you’d do with them.

The Fix

Dive in!

How to Do It

Research areas that you find interesting on blogging sites like wordpress.com, blogger.com, technorati.com, or alltop.com, or create a Twitter account.

Add the WordPress, Blogger, or Twitter app to your phone or tablet. This will allow you to keep up-to-date on information you find interesting and will get you in the habit of commenting, liking, responding, and posting so that you develop your “digital self” as a professional.

Participate in a network of people who share your interests. While you are in college, connect with people who are experts in your professional or personal areas of interest. Follow their posts to get advice and understand what people are talking about. You can also create a blog yourself and have other people follow your journey.

Sports/Entertainment: You can use Twitter or a blog to keep up with your favorite actors, bands, and sports teams. Some tweet about projects they’re working on, some tweet political commentary, and others just share great jokes.

Education: Authors tweet or blog about their books and often engage in conversations with their readers. Professionals and scholars in many fields share links to news articles, book reviews, Web sites, and videos related to their careers and areas of study.

Job-hunting: Many career Web sites have Twitter accounts and blogs. Following the official Twitter feed of a company you want to work for can lead to instant notifications of new job opportunities and give you the chance to get your résumé ready.

Community involvement: One amazing feature of Twitter is that it allows for real-time global conversations on important issues. Twitter was a key component in the Arab Spring of 2011–2012, a period that saw dozens of political demonstrations and revolutionary movements across the Arab world.

EXTRA STYLE POINTS: Create an online professional self that shows how fun or interesting or creative or compassionate you really are. A word of caution: Think about what you reveal about your emotional intelligence by what you post, and think about what you can tell about others’ emotional intelligence by their posts.