Linked In

          I have officially had my first REAL encounter with Linked In!! I have always had a somewhat negative outlook on this site, maybe because I could never figure out how to work it, or I just didn't care to figure it out because whenever i hear "Linked In", I'm reminded of growing up and moving into the big girl world of finding a career and paying bills. However, I was forced to give this website an actual try for my Research in PR and Advertising class.
          I was assigned a project that required me to create a survey and post it to Linked In groups so I could get answers from professionals already in the industry. The industry I chose was sports marketing. I honestly have nooo idea if that is even what I want to do with the rest of my life, so I had a negative outlook toward this project. I joined sports marketing specific groups and posted my survey as a discussion topic and included a short note about my project. I thought to myself, "This is dumb. No one is going to take time to fill out my survey, especially since most of the questions are open-ended."
          The very night I posted, I received an email saying that someone had responded and filled out my survey. There's something so rewarding about interacting with others, especially when you don't expect it! Ten other responses followed, and I quickly learned how Linked In can be helpful. The people there really want to help. They are obviously there to gain something, but I quickly realized that it's a two-way street. After my survey, they even posted comments asking me to share the results so they too could learn more about the industry.
          Even today, long after my project was due, I still receive emails all the time from these groups about different discussions about job openings or opportunities to go on talk shows. I now see why people are saying that written resumes will soon be a thing of the past!