I was bored online the other day when I came across the Minnesota Public Relations Blog at mnprblog.com. Maybe I'm slow in discovering this, but to my fellow students - check it out if you haven't already. In addition to the wealth of industry information I think one of the most valuable aspects of the blog is the announcements of new hires. You have to go back quite a few blog posts to find one, understandable in this market, but the postings provide details about the education and work history of individuals getting hired by major PR firms in the area. For me, finding someone that has a job I would like to have, and then seeing exactly how they got there is incredible. I think sometimes these PR firms seem so inaccessible and I feel like I haven't done anything remarkable enough to warrant getting a job there, but reading some of new hire bios brings things down to earth. There are students from St.Thomas and U of M getting hired, many with little experience outside internships - I even found a new hire from my hometown who I might try to get in contact with. Getting a job with a reputable firm may not be easy, but its not impossible.

I'll be attending grad school in the fall at San Diego State University to pursue my master's degree in journalism and media studies. I'm glad I won't yet have to face a volatile job market but fear of not finding a job has nothing to do with my choice to continue my education. I understand the economy and the job market are less than ideal, but too many people are letting these negative thoughts enter their job search. Those who graduate believing they won't get a job probably won't. Opportunities still exist for those who have confidence and stay positive about the future.

Thoughts on twitter so far

I'm all for finding new avenues to connect with those who share my passions, but I'm not fully on board with Twitter just yet. I understand the site is meant to be more professional but it almost seems cold. Facebook and Myspace profiles can get a little too intimate if you ask me. No one needs to know what you are doing every hour via status updates or see pictures of your drunken weekends. Yet Twitter has chopped away at the basic structure of social networking so much that it's difficult to know who anyone really is.
I have a hard time deciding who is worth following or who I should allow to follow me by reading a 150 word bio about them. In my "about me" section I barley had room to state I was a student and list my major. It makes me feel like I have nothing to offer in the eyes of Twitter users, yet I continue to get random users asking to follow me. Whether this is based on my thumbnail picture or thumbnail's worth of information I don't know. Either way it seems questionable and contrived.
Twitter certainly has some positive aspects. For example, I am following the San Diego State University news team (a grad school I've applied to,) and by looking at who else was following them I was able to locate some current students to talk with. Still, I could have done the same thing on Facebook.
I don't know, maybe I'm missing something. It just seems like a "6 degrees of separation" research project.

I'm wondering what other class members who are new to Twitter feel about the site. Anyone have any different thoughts or have tips for me on using the Web site to its full potential?