Google-ly Eyed

The presentation on Google really opened my eyes in a significant way, because I didn’t know that google actually had their own social media platform. Of all of the social media innovations Google’s might be one of my favorites. I love how it allows individuals from all over the world to share content with one another. It’s not just the act of sharing information that I find compelling, it’s the fact that Google allows individuals to share information live with one another. Google has made this possible by providing a video feature that lets people chat and share pictures with one another simultaneously. This is ideal for both professional and personal usages. Individuals can connect with multiple family members who live all over the world. Now that I am aware of this I can use this tool to video chat with all of my family in Barbados since I only get the opportunity to see them once a year. For professional purposes video chat is ideal for things like conference calls and meetings, especially when there are employees that work remotely.

Another cool feature of Google is that it allows for a user to control the circles that they place people they know in so that it allows for the user to have control over their privacy settings in an unconventional manner. With circles certain people (friends or family members) can see the information that you specifically intend for them to see, which minimizes the potential of employers being able to see any content that you didn’t want them to be aware of. Google also allows for users to discover other individuals aside from family members and co- workers by expanding these circles to include things that particularly coincide with your interests. For example, if you’re a photographer, an individual can share their work with other photographers from all over the world, which allow for people to network and to build and establish new relationships. I really like all of the features that Google offers, so I will be making one soon so I can discover how it can make a difference in my profession.

Have You Tweeted Lately?

            This chapter further emphasized the importance of social media, and how it can deeply affect your career if you use it to your maximum advantage, both negativity and positively. If utilized properly, an individual can access the tools available on social media networks to build their brand (as I mentioned before) and gain a larger readership. However, if used incorrectly by making inappropriate comments or being too negative, an individual can lose the opportunity to have more of a presence on social media, as well as turn readers away due to disinterest. Both aspects are fairly easy to do, yet since there are various opinions that individuals in society have today, there is a high possibility that journalists will have more in common with their readers, resulting in establishing relationships with each other.

One way that this concept has become more apparent over time is because readers now obtain power that allows them to contribute their comment and criticism.  Through their comments readers can express how they feel about a certain topic or the journalist’s post altogether. It is important to take some of the comments from readers into consideration, especially when it pertains to your writing style, however, becoming too fixated on trying to satisfy every reader is extremely difficult— a task that is virtually impossible to take on. Nevertheless, social media is a sure way to jump-start your career in journalism. By practicing the right techniques of how to maneuver through the complexities of social networking websites, an individual will be well on their way to blogging and micro- blogging success.

Blogging- Either Your Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy

Blogging, a topic that always gets my heart pounding and causes chronic nail biting. I can’t even start to describe how intense starting a blog can be, because I am admittedly just in the beginning stages of starting my own. The chapter stresses the importance of starting a blog, and how having one is essential to starting a career in journalism, and it is absolutely right. Every single organization that I have ever looked to obtain an internship with, and most importantly, a career with, always asks for published works. This usually insinuates that they want you to have a blog, almost always.

I believe that the hardest thing to having a blog is gaining a large following of readers to visit your blog. The blog must have something special; something that is different and sets you apart from the rest. The content on the blog must be substantial enough to peak the readers’ interest(s) so that they will not only visit your blog once, but become an avid fan of it. The harsh reality of blogging, however, is that there are billions of blogs on the Internet today, and tons of which have a large following just based off of their presence on social media. Unfortunately, if you only have a minute presence on social media, it might take you longer to establish your blog and get individuals to even notice that you have a blog in the first place. As the book mentions, blogs have indefinitely changed the way that web publishing is perceived today. Blogs have also managed to alter the traditional journalism structure as well. In order to truly get acclimated with the given circumstances one must embrace the blog, be one with the blog, and create a blog. So go ahead and channel your inner Zen, because its crunch time!

Below are a couple of my favorite blogs, enjoy!

love-aesthetics

manrepeller