What J202 has taught me about life and my future career

I am going to take a step back from my normal postings of commenting on aspects of journalism  and instead share my thoughts on how J202 as a class is going.

This class hasn’t been easy, and to tell you the truth I have doubted for at least a small second what I am doing here. I think it was during our feature lead and nut graf writing on deadline assignment that I finally felt the stress of J202 as a class. I literally had only minutes to write a whole lead and nut graf and it was a deadline I was forced to meet.

This class has also broken me down as a writer and has built me back up as an AP style guru. Learning a practically whole new language is difficult, especially after writing for so long using drawn out sentences and throwing in jargon to semi-fluff my writing. AP style is very different. This writing is concise, to the point and very particular.

Although this new style of writing may be very particular, it has helped tremendously in preparing me for the internship I currently hold. This realization has been the beauty of this class and the learning of the AP style book — it has prepared me for a real world setting. Some of the things I have written in lab including writing leads, learning the structure of a press release and crafting an angle are all things I have used at my internship. It was both rewarding
and somewhat comical to see how important these tools we have learned in lab are. This isn’t just something they are doing to make our lives miserable, but will be an experience we will carry for the rest of our careers.

So, overall J202 has been a journey, and I am excited to see where the rest of my journalism career will take me. As for now, it’s a work hard now to reap the benefits later mentality. I have never been more excited for an opportunity and challenge than I am with being a J202er and a J-schooler.

Wish me luck on the rest of my journey as we embark on individual stories and group projects. I know both will turn out as a great addition to my portfolio, and a beneficial team-building experience.

Cheers!

LinkedIn soars as users get better at its use

Forbes indicated social media has changed the way businesses have interacted with their customers, but

LinkedIn soars as users become better at its use.

social media has also changed the way in which professionals interact with each another.

Users who change strategy for LinkedIn may see increased results and more interaction with contacts, both personally and professionally.

According to PR Daily, LinkedIn is in the process of giving access to 300 million members, which would make LinkedIn the largest publishing site on the web. LinkedIn has become an important tool for professionals, but PR Daily also points to its importance for professionals in B2B companies.

PR Daily points to LinkedIn’s rapid increase in professional networking from its branding of new technology focusing on engagement and making more meaningful connections.

So how does one become a thought leader as a user of LinkedIn and better at its strategy? Simple.

Entrepreneur lays out a few techniques for becoming a LinkedIn and PR Pro. One of the most important being, ‘Be savvy about who you connect with (and who you don’t).’ Connections are vital, but it doesn’t mean a person has to connect with everyone. As Entrepreneur mentions some may wish to connect with those they trust and others may wish to connect with all the people who send an invitation to connect.

Secondly, Entrepreneur explains there is a lot of content on LinkedIn, but this doesn’t mean readers have to read all of it. The best option is to be intentional about the information and its use. Users should use the content to help with connections and use the information that only may be of importance to the them.

An interesting point made by Marketing Land explains users might get the best value out of LinkedIn when using the social media outlet more like Twitter. Market Land explains there are more benefits to having large connections like Twitter does. By having an interactive profile and being active on LinkedIn, more people will recognize the user and will want to make a connection on the basis of the user already having connections. Data becomes relatively important when professionals view each others profiles as well. Just like looking behind the numbers of Twitter, users get to do the same on LinkedIn to track results.

Finally, LinkedIn profiles should be a mix of online resumes and social networks. Marketing Land further explains, as professionals start treating LinkedIn like they do Twitter and creating content not just for people they know, but for everyone, users will harness LinkedIn’s full potential.