Maureen Alley's Blog

Those who don’t use Twitter think it’s stupid, a waste of time, and pointless. However, as an avid tweeter and lover of reading tweets, I disagree. There are so many benefits offered by using Twitter. No, it’s not a game changer, but it does have benefits. And if you’re not on the medium, you’re missing out.

Branding. Twitter is one more tool that allows you to brand yourself for free. You can follow your mentors, educators, and industry-insiders on Twitter. This site provides something that no other medium offers: instant, real-time interaction with any single person using the site.

Networking. I needed guest speakers for two classes I was teaching in the fall. I reached out to those I’m connected with on Twitter in Madison. Threw it out there that I was looking for people who received a job offer or interview because of blog, website, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. I found three speakers.

News. News hits on Twitter faster than it can be published to your RSS reader – or even a website. It’s also a sea of content. Millions of people are sharing articles and conversing with each other. By not being on Twitter, you’re missing a huge opportunity to be an observer of those conversations as well as being an active participant.

Efficiency. With only 140 characters, you have to be concise. This will make you a better writer and better at communicating with less information. A great tool for business writing.

Management. Google yourself. What were the results? Things from college that you don’t want potential employers or colleagues to see? Twitter can actually help you hide results. Search engines love fresh content. Twitter is updated constantly – or at least it should. And Google indexes Twitter, which means, Google is more likely to show your tweets than an old website from 2003 that shows you drinking from a beer bong.

So get on Twitter and start participating in intelligent conversations. This is a huge part of your branding that you shouldn’t risk. But pay attention to the key phrase: intelligent conversation. You don’t want a few dumb posts to ruin your reputation. Always remember that millions of people can read what you put online.

I strived to get my students to understand how important LinkedIn is for their online reputation and networking. Some understood, created a profile and asked for a recommendation. Others said they wanted to wait until they had some value to add – experience – to their industry. Why not get the ball rolling now? Why wait until you’ve graduated to get your online reputation/networking started?

So what do you do after you’ve set a LinkedIn profile? Take notice of content. This is where content really matters. Think of your LinkedIn profile as your resume. Put all your accomplishments and work experience on your page. Find a handful of groups to join – but make sure they apply to your industry. Don’t go willy-nilly and join tons of groups just to have tons of groups. It’s Quality over Quantity here.

Add your picture – and like Facebook make sure this is a professional photo – no binge drinking. Add links to your website, blog, Twitter. And customize your LinkedIn link so people can remember it. For example, mine is linkedin.com/in/maureenalley.

Next step is to add connections. Again remember Quality over Quantity. This isn’t a competition to add as many people as you can to beef up your profile. Think of your connections as people you can vouch for – and who can vouch for you. Write recommendations for a few of your connections who are great professionals. Most likely they will return the favor – which in turns beefs up your page.

Make sure people can send you e-mails. And keep your profile updated. Don’t abandon this page – it can turn out good leads and connections.

{Editor’s note: This was originally published in May 2009.}

May is the time of graduation for many young adults. For those graduating in journalism, now can be an especially terrifying time. How do you get a job when seasoned veterans are losing their jobs? Actually, despite what you may be hearing, now might be the best opportunity for young, fresh journalists. So what’s the key to succeeding during these troubled times?

Young journalists are passionate, not yet jilted by the corporate world – they see everything with rose-colored glasses. Though this can be a set back in some cases, just being determined and passionate about news and content is exactly what journalism needs right now. Because there is so much negative news, those fresh eyes can bring a new, positive perspective to newsgathering.

If you’re newly graduated and want to know what to do now, I have a one suggestion for you – advance your skill set. Learn everything there is to know about online, social media and marketing. Brand yourself, get in front of those who are prominent in the industry and keep hitting the pavement. With hardwork and some persistance, it eventually will pay off.

Today was one of those days that left me feeling so inspired that I want to package up the feeling and open it when I’m in need of some uplifting words. I’ve been struggling with balancing everything the last few months, but today it proved all worth it.

Since September, I’ve been teaching two college-level writing courses, managing the whole process of a magazine including designing it, working full-time as editor of another magazine which involves editing/writing/managing each issue, and freelancing. And trying to keep everything organized. It’s been one heck of a semester. There were many days that I didn’t think I’d make it. Many days filled with such scatteredness that I felt like I couldn’t remember my name. And days where I just wanted to shut down. But I kept pushing on.

But there were also good days within those four months. Days where I felt so energized and excited. Days when I saw the students get excited about something they learned. Days when I became excited about making a new connection. Those were the days that kept me moving forward. And all the encouraging words and hugs from my husband.

But today put it all together. Today was the final exam for one of the classes. The students were expected to get in front of the class and tell their peers what they learned in the class, and what they learned doing research on their future industries. It was at the end of class when the students were free to leave the class forever, that I saw the impact.

A handful of students came up to the front of the class instead of towards the door. And they held out their hands for me to shake. And they thanked me for being their teacher and for a great class. That simple handshake and words were not simple to me. They were huge, empowering, flattering and energizing. I was amazed at how many of them went out of their way to do this. And I was thankful. I was thankful that they found the class beneficial. That has been my goal this whole semester. But conveying to 25 students how important I think something is, is so hard. But I saw today that some of them did see its importance. And that’s what matters. That’s what excites me about teaching.

I told them on day one that I was not there to trick them. I was there to teach them writing skills and how to apply those to their professional selves. I am passionate about the topic, and passionate about helping them to understand the importance of business writing. I wanted them to understand that you don’t have to be a writer to have successful business writing skills. And what a feeling it is to see that some of them understood that on the last day of class.

A few years ago I started a blog to learn WordPress. I come from the philosophy that if I want to learn something new, I need to use it, play around with it, and then come to the conclusion if it’s appropriate for business and how to use it correctly. This is why I started Twitter, BrazenCareerist, and so on. Basically if there is a new tool out there, I’m going to jump on it and learn how it works. This is the only way you can have an educated judgment on a tool. I’m amazed at how many editors/writers/journalists don’t blog or use Twitter. How can you expect your publication or readers to operate one of these tools if you don’t know how to use it yourself?

Because I’ve used WordPress for years, I know it inside and out. I know about the plugins, templates, community, etc. And also because I’ve used WordPress, I know how to set up analytics and read them. I know how to set up Feedburner and how it’s used. I know how to make my posts viral, and how to track them. This is all because I started a blog.

Now that I’m back at Residential Design & Build, my first objective was to update the blog. It was using the one of the first WordPress versions/templates and looked so outdated. We updated it to look fresh and modern. I added share buttons to make the site viral, and I make sure to tweet out every post. I’ve also asked for analytics on the blog, and I take a close look at that information. I know where my blog readers are coming from, what topics they are reading more than others. All because I operate my own blog.

I think all publishing companies should encourage their writers/editors/journalists to operate a blog. This creates a much more educated group of people using the web tools for publications. If companies expect journalists to move their publications forward, then they need to employ journalists who understand these tools. Old school journalists need to learn them or move aside and let younger journalists take charge.