Sitting on a train heading down to something I have no idea about what to expect other than to learn a lot. It is of course… the #journchat live in Chicago but it is isn’t just in this city… it’s occurring in cities all across the country and will be a coordinated event.
What stories will I hear… what would other students want to know from some of the country’s top journalists, bloggers and PR professionals?
I had the chance to ask those questions tonight.
What questions would other students want to know? I can’t forget what Walter Cronkite would do if he was in my position… he’d focus on being interested rather than trying to be the interesting one…something many students still need to learn.
I recall some discussion at the recent PRSA/PRSSA National Conference concerning the idea of students hounding professionals for internship opportunities and not caring so much about what they could learn from the professional. As students, we need to be humble and do what we can to learn from the professionals around us. Though they want to help us… we need to help them too.
We shall see….
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#journchat is now complete and I’m sitting in the hotel writing this post. I’m still in a state of shock about how much I learned from this event. This isn’t always a live event.. I was just lucky enough to go to the first ever #journchat live.
#journchat live was held inside the Chicago Tribune in one of the meeting rooms. There were about 50 people with chairs placed in group discussion placements. A series of questions like “who owns the rights to the fan’s social media experience at a sporting event?” was posted for groups to answer where discussion ensued both in person and then online via TweetChat.
I’m still trying to piece together all that I learned. I guess Cronkite’s advice ringed true tonight. Shutting your mouth and listening to others can help you learn more than you ‘d expect… especially being a student.
Tips for today:
Network with professionals. Go to their events and lend a helping hand when needed. They’ll remember you even if you did something really easy like setting something up for them. The more your network… the easier it will be to converse with professionals. Lastly, don’t walk towards them asking what THEY can do for YOU!
Stay active and create an online presence. I learned so much tonight about how important it is to have an online presence. Having an online identity is the only way to stay on top of the latest trends in public relations and the media and having an understanding about how to use social media will put you far ahead of others. Many of you may not understand how to use social media… (I’m not expert and I’m always learning)… I suggest you take part in events like #journchat to learn how you can use it. It’s not only fun but it’s also a great way to meet new people.
This is all my brain can handle for now… goodnight all.
