Online Tools for Journalists

Let me take you for a ride. A social media ride that is...
(picture courtesy of michicat's flickr)

In the past, my blog has usually been more personal and entertaining, so if you aren't interested in learning about how to connect professionally using social media, skip this post. I will note that I may be blogging about these topics more in the future, unless I decide to start a completely different blog. I haven't decided yet.

I resisted joining Twitter until this weekend. (You can now follow me @andreacooley) I didn't feel the need to keep people updated all all the little ins and outs of my life. But I realized that while some people use Twitter strictly for personal reasons (updating the world on what they are eating for lunch and when they are taking a nap, there are even more people who use the tool to start conversations with people about anything from social media to job searches, to news updates. It's kind of addicting! Chris Snider described it as "social listening" or "finding out what people are saying about a given topic."

Check out Google Trends to see what searches are peeking. Right now the top 3 are: scoot coupe, maia campbell, and facebook worm.

I also learned about a ton of tools that make the time I spend on line more efficient. I set up Google Reader to pull content from news sites and blogs I visit into one place.

The attitude of journalists today, whether you're marketing a product, telling a story, or looking for information is changing. Instead of being stagnant and expecting sources to come to you, we need to seek them out online. This may mean striking up a conversation on Twitter with someone, starting a group on Facebook, or recommending a coworker on LinkedIn.

I'm realizing even more how important my "web presence" is. When someone googles "Andrea Cooley" I want them to find me and to have a good first impression.

I don't know that I will ever upload video or host a live-chat on my blog, but now I know how too. Ask me if you want more information.

Adam refuses to join Facebook, but he is all about his LinkedIn profile. I think I'm starting to understand its importance, especially as I'm trying to find a job. It is my online resume and a snapshot of my professional life...

I realize this is getting long, but here are some final thoughts:
What is the purpose of my blog? What do I want its focus to be? Whether I realize it or not, it is a platform for me to expound on and build a following. What is my expertise?

And finally, in the words of Mike Sansone "Google is your new resume and your URL is your business card."