Journalists use Facebook to launch their careers

By: Erin Floro

Facebook isn't just to chat, write on walls, look at pictures, and send bumper stickers. In fact, it isn't just a network for college students! Some journalists have launched their careers by opening a Facebook account. In the article "Beat Blogging" Khristopher Brooks, an education reporter for the Omaha World-Herald who writes about higher education institutions has relied on Facebook to do his job. If he needs to talk to a certain student with a certain major he can just get on Facebook and search instead of wasting a day on campus trying to find the perfect candidate for a story. He searches students by major, hometown, sports, and activities and can get a lot more students involved in his stories because he can find the students easier. I think that editors who are struggling to find a job should use Facebook or another social network to put themselves out there. In a different article I read it talked about a Facebook group called "Journalists and Facebook." This group was started by a man and his editor who invited 25 people to join, a little over a week later 650 journalists had joined the Facebook group. Pat Walters said "And that's what Facebook is doing. It connects me to people I know, and to information I care about." Young or old reporters, editors, and journalists out searching for a career should give facebook a try!

http://www.beatblogging.org/blog/2008/09/using-social-ne.html
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=101&aid=127211