Until a few months ago I was pretty computer illiterate. I was a member of facebook and that’s about it. I barely knew what blogging was and thought of whole concept was a little strange. I am now a member of Linkedin and MyRagan, I listen to podcasts, bookmark with del.icio.us and even follow feeds on Twitter.
I do my best to follow every new form of social media out there. There is just so much going on and always something new to explore. It’s exciting to follow what different people are doing and a great learning experience.
My boyfriend (whom I live with) feels very different on the whole situation. He thinks I have an addition and I spend way too much on my computer. His career is quite different so he doesn’t follow any of these new trends. I try to convince him that it is a part of school and will help me advance my career, but he still sees it as a waste of time.
There is so much competition and so many young PR professionals trying to break into the industry and land a good job. I will do my best to ensure that I have the skills employers are looking for, and if that requires me to spend hours on my computer then so be it.
At first I started showing an interest in social media and web 2.0 because I was assigned to do so. Now I do it out of pure interest. I have learned more online then I have in many of my classes.
I feel like if I miss a day then I will fall behind. There are so many people talking about such fascinating things and I want to be a part of the conversations. There is just so much going on.
So tell me, how much is too much? When do you draw the line? Are you an addict?
3 responses so far ↓
cbaptiste // February 8, 2008 at 7:27 pm |
Addict? No. Avid, enthusiastic and pro active? Yes! You mentioned a key point…The nature and longevity of our career is akin to our level of familiarity with trends in communications. Social media/web 2.0 is on the rise and whether we like it or not, we have to embrace this phenomenon. Since everything is within a click of a mouse, we have increased the amount of time spent “surfing the web”. By no means does this imply addiction. I think we have to draw the line where it interferes with our daily functions such as eating, sleeping, family time and personal hygiene. If after one day without the internet we start twitching and foaming from our mouths, then I think it’s time for Netaddicts Anonymous.
Miranda McCurlie // February 8, 2008 at 10:11 pm |
I have been online since 1998–and for all you out there that can’t do math–that is 10 years!
I was 16, new on the scene and the first thing I did was get an AOL account and begin chatting with people I found exciting! Virtual is better then actual, in my opinion. Perhaps this is why I still am single. ummmm
Seriously Megan, we are in the business of two-way communication. I guess in the old days, we would be considered the town gossip or chatter box.
I honestly do not see a problem with the internet. Like a pen, the Internet is all how you use it. I can find a boyfriend, a house, a job, anything I want. Heck, I found out about Centennial College’s Corporate Communications and Public Relations course via the Internet!
check out http://everybodysagenius.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/the-ambush/... This PR practitioner lobbied for more Internet capabilities and well you will find out what happened.
Natasha C. // February 9, 2008 at 11:34 pm |
You’re an addict when you’ve you have no idea what day or time it is. Away from that, you’re good to go. What you’re doing is getting to know the social media scene and that’s a good thing. You’ll be armed with multiple tools when others will be scratching their heads wondering what this whole Twitter thing is.