I thought the readings about creating and maintaining online profiles were pretty interesting. There was one article in which six people were interviewed and asked how they use social media professionally. I still think that social media isn't as fluid for many of the authors who are published today. What I mean by that is that for people my age, using social media to connect with people comes fairly naturally. I am almost always being invited to like people’s pages or being prompted to check out people’s blogs through Facebook. I think this type of advice and these types of “how to use social media” articles might become obsolete as a new generation starts getting published, because almost everyone in my generation is already familiar with using social media to promote themselves and their projects.
However, I still think some people in my age group aren’t smart about how they use social media. I always see pictures on Facebook and Instagram of people drinking and partying. Even though it’s perfectly legal, as an employer I wouldn’t want to see that all over the page of someone I was considering hiring. Because social media is so much a part of our lives, and because using it comes naturally to us, sometimes we don’t consider that we shouldn’t post certain things, or that certain important people will judge us for what we post.
At least one of the articles suggested having a personal profile as well as a “professional” profile on every social media site that a person is a part of. However, I think that is too much work. I wouldn’t update my “professional” page as often as I would update my personal page. Besides, the infographic told us that employers look at personal pages to get a sense of a person’s likes, culture, style, etc., and if you have a bland “professional” page, you might miss out on some great job opportunities. For me, it’s easier to keep my personal page employer-friendly.
However, I still think some people in my age group aren’t smart about how they use social media. I always see pictures on Facebook and Instagram of people drinking and partying. Even though it’s perfectly legal, as an employer I wouldn’t want to see that all over the page of someone I was considering hiring. Because social media is so much a part of our lives, and because using it comes naturally to us, sometimes we don’t consider that we shouldn’t post certain things, or that certain important people will judge us for what we post.
At least one of the articles suggested having a personal profile as well as a “professional” profile on every social media site that a person is a part of. However, I think that is too much work. I wouldn’t update my “professional” page as often as I would update my personal page. Besides, the infographic told us that employers look at personal pages to get a sense of a person’s likes, culture, style, etc., and if you have a bland “professional” page, you might miss out on some great job opportunities. For me, it’s easier to keep my personal page employer-friendly.