Twitter aids career searches
When the time comes to start searching for a job, many students flock to career fairs and online job sites, but some are finding employment via tweets.
In this Internet era, people and companies alike have gone online to socialize, advertise and even economize. Twitter, a social media site, hosts a range of followers, including celebrities, corporations and the average student – all with one primary goal: to get connected.
“There is a level of excitement being able to interact on a different level with people,” said Tim Wang, a senior biochemistry major and avid Tweeter.
Davis Adams, a publication management major, geared his Twitter profile toward professionals in the auto industry to attract networking connections and even job offers.
“I started writing mini-blurbs about blogs and the auto industry. Then Ford, [General Motors] and Aston Martin started following me,” Adams said.
Adams went even further by posting on Twitter that his résumé was “making its way around Atlanta,” and almost immediately he was contacted by three different companies for summer internships, he said.
Twitter is a site that enables microblogging – 140 characters or less per post – that usually addresses the question, “What are you doing?”
To limit Twitter to simply a “status update,” however, could undermine its capabilities.
Many professionals use Twitter as an advertising mechanism, polling place and social network.
Although the number of Tweeters is growing exponentially, many people – including a large number of students – are still uncertain about this new social media.
“I’ve heard of it and I know people use it, but I don’t really know what it is,” said Emily Wirt, a freshman interior design major.
TWITTER TRANSLATOR
Here are the 15 most popular Twitter acronyms:
RT = Retweet. See @danzarrella’s RT research, @jowyang’s RT post on WoM marketing & RT is the FWD of 2008. Dan created Tweetbacks; expect a ‘TB’ in the future.
PRT = Partial Retweet / Please Retweet. In the first sense, PRT means the RT’ed tweet has been edited, usually to fit a username within the character limit.
OH = Overheard. ‘OH’ is commonly used at conferences or while traveling. OH indicates a quotation of someone else’s remarks. @overheard is all about the OH, like the way Overheard in the Blogosphere covers IT.
DM = Direct Message. DMs are Twitter’s e-mail. “DM me” means take the discussion private. Twettiquette suggests long conversations should go into DMs. Note: Adding “DM” to the front of a tweet does NOT = a DM, at least yet. @techcrunch posted on the danger of DMFails.
@ = Reply to [username]. @ also can be used expressing “at,” as in location.
BTW = By The Way. BTW is an easy way to add an aside. It’s Twitter’s version of a segue.
FTW = For The Win. Whatever the action or product FTW modifies is *good*. @RWW explained the origin of FTW, BTW.
FTL = For The Loss (or For The Lose). FTL is generally an expression of disappointment, disapproval or dismay. It’s the opposite of FTW.
IRL = In Real Life. What’s true on Twitter may not be true IRL. After all, on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.
FTF = Face to Face. FTF or F2F refers to an actual meeting in person, IRL. That can mean at a tweetup or other occasion where you might encounter other Twitterers.
IMHO = In My Honest Opinion. IMHO usually indicates that “This is an op-ed tweet, not a factual assertion.” UPDATE: It can be argued that “Humble” is the more common meaning, but both are valid for IMHO. At least, IMHO, anyway. Thanks Richard Walker -ed.
YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary. In other words (IOW), what’s true in my experience (IMX) may differ from yours if you try ____ product/service/technique.
BR = Best Regards. BR is a useful way of being cordial, particularly when making a difficult request, submitting a complaint, or when introducing yourself.
b/c = because. b/c is not the same as the blind carbon copy (BCC) used in e-mail.
JV = Joint Venture. A JV refers to a collaborative enterprise between Twitterers on a project.
LMK = Let Me Know. Tweet me back (TMB) when you have more information about a question or a decision on a request.
Source: Alexander Howard, http://pistachioconsulting.com/top-15-twitter-acronyms
Joining Twitter blindly without any objective may leave some dazed and confused when exposed to the immensity of the Twitter Universe – also know as Twitterverse.
Kristin English, Grady College doctoral student in public relations, said she is very familiar with the online social networking sphere. She said people should use each networking site as a different tool in their pursuits.
“It’s important to know your goals and objectives for Twitter. Make sure there’s a point to how you’re using it,” she said.
Some companies have used Twitter to jump on the social media bandwagon by adding a new dimension to customer relations.
Dell, for example, has a host of different Twitter accounts offering a variety of services, discounts and updates on its products. The DellTech Center offers tweet-by-tweet technical support and DellHomeOffers provides discounts.
Local musician and senior Allison Weiss takes advantage of such direct contact by using Twitter to promote her music and connect with her fans.
“I like to keep in contact with my fans,” Weiss said. “They can follow me and get to know me as a person.”
Other artists such as John Mayer, Coldplay, Britney Spears and even Sean P. Diddy Combs have joined the Twitterverse. Some musicians have the help of “ghost writers” to manage their Twitter accounts, which on average amass 400,000 followers, according to twitter.com.
