On Wednesday, Penn State’s PRSSA and Social Media Club hosted Social Media Day. This was a full day of lectures and panels with professionals and students who discussed different aspects of using social media. I was able to attend the last two sessions of the day: “Student Organizations use of Social Media” and “Job Search 3.0: Social Networking How to make social media work for you, and not against you, in your job search.”

During the Student Organization session, students from THON (Andy Byrun and Andrew Lambert), Onward State (Davis Shaver) and Happy Valley Communications (Kristin DeRosa) discussed the ways they utilize social media in their various organizations. Some key points throughout the discussion included:

• “Onward State succeeded because we found communities.”
• Twitter is what you want to get out of it. There are niche groups out there suitable to all different kinds of people.
• THON is successful with social media because they maintain transparency. You can see the faces behind the posts.

The second session was a lecture from Robin Smail. Her focus was what your online presence says about you, how to use social networks in searching for jobs, and what prospective employers look for. Some of the key points from this presentation were:

• Brand yourself on these platforms and connect with pros directly.
• “Word of mouth. It’s social media’s heart.”
• “Blog smart. Blog often. Share relevant information.”
• “Get out there and define your presence.”
• “Control your digital footprint.”
• “Post links. Engage with pros. Read key books. Connect outside social peer groups. Promote yourself.”

Both of these presentations were really insightful. I’m glad I got to attend! Do you have any other tips for using social media?