Rutgers Now Offers Social Networking Classes

Contrary to the belief that American schools are falling behind (gasp!), Rutgers is among the many universities that are showing that there really is no need to be worried. Rutgers has begun to offer social networking classes as part of the standard curriculum inside their hallowed halls, showing an ability to keep up with the times and to give students the skills that they will need in order to succeed in the workplace of tomorrow.

There is actually not much that’s more important these days, whether branding a business or an individual, than to make sure that your online presence is complete and professional. You might think that these classes are only for marketing majors, but that’s just not true. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a personal trainer or a software developer, learning to network online can help you advance in your career and form lasting relationships.

Today, many more people find jobs online than ever before. Also, employers have stated in many articles that they regularly peruse the social media platforms in order to weed out the candidates who lack professionalism.

But, there is more to social networking than simply finding a job. It is, for all intents and purposes, how most young people actually communicate these days. Many people find activity partners and even dates by using the Internet, and more and more people are moving away from real life communication. Although there are benefits to online interactions, this fact is kind of sad.

The bottom line is that social networking classes are the communications classes of today, and Rutgers is setting a shining example for many of the other elite universities around the nation. Regardless of your major, you should seriously consider adding a social networking course to your agenda. You may find a job, a mentor, or you might just find out more than you knew before about your industry. Either way, it's a win-win.

What Not To Say on Social Networks

 I’m sort of amazed that I keep hearing about people getting in trouble at work because of things they’ve posted on social networks. Actually, I’m equally amazed that some of my friends and family members post discipline-worthy things on their pages – all the time. Maybe they have private pages and don’t have co-workers or bosses as friends, but in my opinion, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. With the new Facebook timeline coming up, your boss can easily see what you posted before you were even friends. That’s sort of a recipe for disaster if you aren’t careful, but that’s another story entirely. My point here today is that you should exhibit some self control and avoid posting things that could get you in trouble at work. It’s just not worth it. Even if you don’t care about your current job, future employers definitely don’t want to see that sort of stuff either.

Here are a few posts that could get you into some hot water at work:

“Omg, I’m sooo bored.” -- Posting this during work hours? Not a good idea. If you’re bored, maybe you need more work. Or, maybe you just need a new job. A boss who sees this post might help nudge you in that direction – with a pink slip.

“People around here need an attitude adjustment.” – Again, if you’re posting stuff like this during work hours, everyone knows you’re complaining about your job. They probably even know exactly who you’re complaining about. I’d love to shout this one from the rooftops: Your “cryptic” messages aren’t so cryptic; everyone knows exactly what you’re talking about – and it doesn’t make you look good.

“We just crushed {competitor} in sales this month, yet again” – It’s great to have some “team spirit,” really. Just be careful about what you say about the competition. For one, you might be eating your words when you see they're looking for a senior software engineer and paying much more than you're making, but it also makes your current company look a little petty. Instead, just talk about how great your company is without mentioning the competition.

“Check out this picture of my new [inappropriate] tattoo” – If you don’t want people at work seeing something, don’t post it on the internet. It’s as simple as that.

"This is the best concert I have ever seen in my life!" -- Don't post anything like this after calling in sick to work. It's not very bright and it can get you fired almost immediately. 

Breaking in to a Social Media Career

Ever since MySpace and Facebook emerged onto the scene, it’s become very apparent that social media is a force to be reckoned with. But unlike in the early days of social media, you’ll find that more companies, from large brands to small businesses, are making their presence felt in this arena. What does that mean for you? Well, it could potentially mean a career. If you searched for the term “social media” on Monster.com five years ago, you wouldn’t have seen many jobs. Do the same thing today and you’ll see that you’ve got a lot of options. So, how do you position yourself as an expert in this field? Be prepared to show the fruits of your labor.

It’s not enough to say “I have Facebook and Twitter accounts.” Um yeah, who doesn’t? Do a Google search for your name and see what comes up. Your Facebook and Twitter (and Google + and LinkedIn and any other social networking sites you may frequent) pages should be on the first page of search results. For most people, this will happen pretty naturally. You just need to setup the accounts with your name and use them. For those with common names or celebrity names, this might be a little challenging.  For example, if your name happens to be Barack Obama, well, you might have to find another way to show results.

Make sure your social networking accounts are impressive. It’s okay if you use Facebook for personal interactions. You don’t have to include it as long as you have other social networking sites that are impressive. If you want a career in social networking, you should have a Twitter account with at least one thousand followers. More is better, but quality counts too. You should also tweet daily and interact with your followers. This will give you a Klout or Kred score to be proud of. Feel free to mention your score to potential employers, but they’ll probably check anyway. Just keep in mind that this advice works best when you’re looking for a career in social media or marketing. If you’re looking for a job as a tattoo artist, your employer will care more about your work portfolio than your Kred score.

Share your social media stats with any potential employer. There are apps that will monitor your accounts and present you with charts that detail how influential you really are online (in greater detail than Klout or Kred). Most apps track twitter, but there are some that will track your other interactions too. Such an app might tell you how likely your tweets are to be retweeted or replied to. They might also tell you how often people click on links that you’ve posted. Your potential employer will want to know that you are actually influencing others online about topics related to their company. Treat this like any other job application and show them what they want to see. The greater your online presence, the greater chance you’ll have of being hired.