College | Caffeinated

Title edit: Five Reasons Students Should Use Social Media OTHER THAN FACEBOOK.

To be honest, this post is going to ring truer for students of advertising, PR, marketing, communications, journalism, human resources, and the like, than dental students (what up, roommate). But everyone can learn something from it.

5. Own Your Online Name

Statistics show that about 80% of employers admit to searching potential employees on the Internet. Smart people in HR and recruiting, like Paul DeBettignies, says the other 20% are lying. Let’s face it, you don’t want that Xanga or LiveJournal from your, errmm, ‘rebellious’ pre-teens coming back to screw you when you’re 22.

What to do? Get a profile on some social networks. Think LinkedIn, Twitter, Brazen Careerist, Flickr (send your mobile photos from your phone. Hell, there’s probably an app for that), YouTube, and more. Get yourself a domain name for a few bucks (or a few- I have this and colbygergen.com). Still worried? Do a free Pipl.com for yourself, your usernames, etc. Paul taught me that and I discovered a few profiles I didn’t know were out there. Nor did I want them out there.

4. Meet Awesome Students From… Anywhere

We’re lucky to be growing up in an increasingly location-independent culture. I can Skype with future PR All-Star Mikinzie Stuart in Western Michigan while Google Waving with fashion guru Kion Sanders wherever he happens to be at the moment, Facebook chat super-connector Evan Roberts, all while at lunch in Columbia with Samantha Ogborn, Zack Luye and Justin Scott. Hold on a sec… allow me to pick those names up off the ground.

What to do? Put yourself out there. You’re never going to be friends with everyone, but focus on becoming good friends with some awesome people. There are people out there that share your passions. Find them.

3. Learn About Whatever You Want

Honestly, my college program needs to catch up. I want to focus on new media in my Strategic Communication studies, but Mizzou just doesn’t have the curriculum or faculty to support that. They’re great in other areas, so it’s awesome I get to learn that stuff, but I had to turn elsewhere for my education.

What to do? Start with Alltop.com. Find the area(s) you’re interested in and make your own online magazine rack. Start using Google Reader. Talk to people you meet that are doing or studying the same thing and ask them. People love sharing great content.

2. Get Ahead of the Curve

The social media space is still pretty barren when it comes to students. Start learning how to use it properly now, and that’s one thing you’ll do better than 90% of your competition when you graduate. Pepsi decided to drop their Super Bowl spending ($33 mil last year) and focus it on social media. Follow the money.

What to do? Make a plan and dive in. The water is fine. Be yourself- there are going to be people that like you and will show you the ropes.

1. Network Your Face, Arm, Torso, and Leg Off

It’s been preached to us for the past five, maybe ten years – “Network your ass off!” Well, social media is one REALLY FRIGGIN’ HUGE NETWORK. Your network is no longer confined to who your friends’ parents know, or your ex-babysitter’s uncle who knows a guy. Your network is unlimited. How’s that for a service plan, AT&T? Yeah, suck it Luke Wilson. You’re getting annoying.

What to do? Take advantage of the opportunity you have right now. Network. Build relationships. Find mentors that fit you like a glove, because it doesn’t matter if they’re in Timbuktu or Peru (thanks, 2nd grade).

So there are the top five reasons students should use social media. Obviously there are more than five, but I want to go to bed. Did I leave anything off the list? Is there something you would add, take away, or change? Students that are using social media- what’s the number 1 reason you tell other students to use it?

If you’re a student (or anybody, actually) reading this and have questions or wonder what’s the next step, leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail and I’d be glad to help or connect you with someone that can.

Shameless plug: at the end of every post this month, I’m putting a call to action to vote for Pepsi Refresh projects. Specifically mine, obviously. You can vote for an idea once every day and have 10 votes each day. That means you can vote for my idea, or others, but preferably mine, up to 28 times.

During #BlogChat Sunday night, a good question came across the stream (I forget who asked it, sadly). The question was, “Should students who want to work in social media be active in social media?” The question was drowned out from all the other hubub, so I thought I would raise it here.

My trigger response was “well, duh!” (surprise surprise, right?). However, on Monday I had eight whole hours of ColbyTime while I drove from Minnesota to Mizzou, and eight hours is a lot of time for me to be left alone with my brain (aside: Common is the most underrated rapper of the Aughts. Period). So what did my brain and I come up with? Well, if a student wants to work in social media, they don’t have to be active in social media as a student (that bang you hear is me shooting myself in the foot).

To clarify, being “active” in social media does not count the number of “OMG L0lzzz” posted on your buddies’ Facebook walls. We already know 95% of college students have Facebook, and let’s be honest, the other 5% are lying. The level of “active” we’re looking for here is similar to the time and dedication that guys put in at the gym and girls put in to their bump-its; tedious, detailed, and trying everyday to do it better.

Students- What are your thoughts? Alright, so most of you are already SM-active if you’re commenting, but give it some thought, eh? Professionals- What are you looking for in hiring for entry-level positions with a SM component (or entirely SM)? Is history of being SM-active as a student a requirement or strong qualifier?

photo via Flickr user See-ming Lee

Somebody want to tell me what this is? What is this blog? What is Twitter? What is Facebook, Ning, Friendfeed, etc.?

Are all these things fake? Non-existent?

No, they’re real. Real things. Real people. Real ideas. Real interaction. Real friends. Real relationships.

It’s real life.

Allow me to break a golden rule of blogging as I write an obituary…

R.I.P. “IRL”

You were there for us when we needed you. You were a crutch that we leaned on you when we weren’t sure what the hell was going on. The whole “social Internet” thing was new, and we didn’t know how to tell other people we had these all great friends and met all these smart people… online.

Alas, it was your time. You see, IRL, this, -this blog, Twitter, Facebook, Ning- is real life. We can no longer pretend like what we’re doing online is some sort of “second life” or “surreality”.

I’ve made real friends, learned real things, got real ideas- all from real interaction and real people on the Internet.

I’m glad you passed away when you did. This needn’t draw on any longer. I will not have to say “Oh, I know this marketing genius in Timbuktu, but I’ve never met him IRL”, anymore.

I hope you understand, IRL, that it has to be this way in order for the social Internet to continue to thrive. How are people I talk with, who don’t know the social web, supposed to believe what I’m doing is legitimate, or real, if I continue to infer that it isn’t real life?

It’s going to be tough to bury you. I know that there are going to be moments when I want you by my side. But I know that I just need to let you go. I need to move on with everything in my life being real.

We’ve had a good run buddy, but it’s time to let you go.

For real.