New Gen Y Community: 2Sense Online

A couple of weeks ago, Michael Eisenstadt contacted me to see if I would let him interview me for his new Web site, 2Sense Online. After browsing the site, I agreed. The up-and-coming site caters to Gen Y through articles that analyze and discuss a variety of topics, from politics to economics to career advancement.

It’s community of experts and contributers who write about issues affecting young professionals. The articles that I have read are informative and engaging, so I’ll be very excited to see how this site grows in the next few months.

As I learned from being a part of Brazen Careerist, Gen Y communities foster dynamic conversations that have opened my eyes to new perspectives and taught me that my peers are incredibly intelligent.

Even if you aren’t a Gen Y-er, I encourage you to check out both these sites. Oh, and you can find my interview here.

Blog Action Day 2008: Join the Fight to End Poverty

Poverty – a word we hear far too much of and do little to overcome. Poverty – a word that conjures up images of the homeless, the starving, the empty-handed, the ones on the side of the street we hide our eyes from each day. Poverty – a word at the center of countless stories we haven’t yet heard.

There are extreme cases and there are those that aren’t as prominent in the media that are just as heart wrenching, and today’s a day we are reminded to take action.

We all know poverty’s there, so we should all take a few hours and do something. Volunteer. Donate. Educate.

My idol, Audrey Hepburn, had a favorite poem written by Sam Levenson that read:

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

This is my reminder that though poverty is an issue that seems too large to overcome, we can all fight it in our own way.

This post is my contribution to Blog Action Day 2008. This year’s topic is poverty.

ESPN Article Gives Hope for the Future of Digital Journalism

People are getting the bulk of their news from the Web, and many traditional news outlets are nervous about the future of print journalism. But should they be as worried as they are?

This article from ESPN.com inspired me, not only as an athlete but also as someone who studied mass communications.

The piece is a riveting account of two strangers overcoming the same tragedy – the first fatal shark attack in the San Diego area in a half-century. Instead of a typical online article that is brief and straight-to-the-point, this one is detailed and personal, and fairly lengthy. Usually, I can’t finish longer articles because even the most interesting topics can seem monotonous on a computer screen with long blocks of text, bolded subheadings, and static pictures.

Tom Friend’s “Back into the Water” held my attention, and it wasn’t only because of the unexpected story. Friend’s writing was excellent, but the ESPN designers did a great job laying out the piece. The title and heading resembled those found in magazines. Large pictures and short videos made the story even more personal, and simple elements such as detailed subheadings (not just the standard bolding and large font size used on most sites) helped break up the large blocks of text.

It’s one of the first online articles I’ve seen that seemed more like a print magazine piece. I’m sure I’ve missed others, but I hope this is the beginning of a new trend for journalism on the Web.

Life Post Graduation Part 2: Finding a Job in an Economic Crisis

I recently wrote about my internship and how positive that experience was in my transition from college life to corporate America. Now, I have completed my first week as a salaried employee in the real world. What’s even better? I’m pretty sure I’ve landed my dream job at New Media Strategies.

So how did I do it? Easy – I built up a personal and a digital network, discovered what I was passionate about, and did a lot of research to find a position that would challenge me and fit my criteria for workplace values.

Okay, so it wasn’t that easy. With our economy in its current state, it’s a difficult process to find a great entry-level job. No matter how many times I rewrote my cover letter and reviewed my résumé, getting interviews at companies was practically impossible without help from my friends and network.

For example, I read about New Media Strategies when I first got to D.C. Since I’m slightly obsessed with this new digital era I wanted to connect with others who shared this passion. I checked out the company’s site NOT to look for a job, but to find people. I discovered the blogs of Leslie Bradshaw and Andre Blackman, so I started following them and a few other NMSers on twitter. I reached out to Leslie telling her how I’d just moved here and was always looking for social media events to go to, and we ended up meeting in person at an event a couple of days later.

As my internship reached an end, I noticed that NMS was hiring. I sent a DM to Leslie saying that she had inspired me with some of her recent work and that I was thinking about applying. She quickly responded and told me to e-mail the head of HR, which I did, and here I am!

Yesterday, I was talking to a close friend of mine who is finishing up her CPA and trying to land a job at a big time accounting firm. She’s very smart, organized, experienced, and has a near perfect GPA. And, it doesn’t hurt that both of her parents are respected accountants. Then, she told me she wanted to get a job without using her parents’ networks. While I understand her desire to get a job on her own without any help, I told her that this was no time to be humble and that she should make use of the people she knows, especially with our the entry-level job market as fragile as it is right now.

What do you think? Did I give her the right advice? How did you get your first job after college?

By the way, be sure to check out my new blogroll with a list of my very talented co-workers’ blogs.