F is for Facebook...and friends.

Each meeting of PRSSA brings with it the idea that we must become social media-savvy. Blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, PROpenMic...it is imperative that we become professionals in these areas. For me, all of these outlets were and continue to be new to me. But there is one social medium that I have learned like the back of my hand. It is one that most high school and college students depend upon to get them through the long hours they may spend at their laptops writing papers, conducting research and doing homework; a procrastination tool, if you will. The medium that I am referring to is the infamous Facebook.

When I first made my Facebook as a Junior in high school, it was to mainly keep tabs on my classmates and post pictures of that weekend's latest movie night with my friends. When I came to college, it became my main source of meeting new people at Ohio University. Now, I use it to keep in touch with old friends and new ones while updating my status with quirky song lyrics or funny sayings that I've heard around campus. Although all of these uses can be considered networking, it is not the kind of networking the professional world is looking for.

I keep my Facebook completely personal. And while I do monitor what is posted by myself and others, as a college Junior I do not believe that it should be a place to look for a job or internship. While reading an article on ajc.com entitled "Companies want applicants with social-media skills" by Alyse Knorr, these notions were confirmed. Bob Van Rossum, president of MarketPro, a marketing recruitment company offers that Facebook (as well as Twitter) is a place to mold your personal brand and not about business, adding that how others perceive you is how they perceive the company you work for. Other social media such as LinkedIn should be used to connect with future employers.

While Van Rossum notes that it is a challenge to find a happy medium between a personally- and professionally-branded Facebook page, I gather that he views Facebook in much of the same way I do: a personal outlet. Though it is indeed imperative to ensure that anything associated with your name is appropriate, adding a few fun flairs surely cannot be a detriment to a job search. Therefore, I will continue to use my Facebook for the f word: friends.

The full article cited in this post can be reached at: http://www.ajc.com/business/companies-want-applicants-with-104600.html