Potential Unlimited, Lifestyle - Tech - Kolkata Mirror,Kolkata Mirror

By Kamanashish Roy

Posted On Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 06:32:43 PM

Have you ever wondered why social networking is so much in vogue today? Counseling psychologist Juliet Karmakar Mondol thinks these days teens are more into social networking because they do not need to divulge their self esteem that is already damaged by parents' demands to be toppers in studies. Parents being more ambitious want their children to excel in all fields ignoring the interest area of the child, which leads to arguments, making the child feel isolated at home. This forces teens to develop an identity of their own. This is more like a hide out for them - being accepted rather than being ridiculed.

Getting connected with the right person is the key to success

Social Networks as an active agent of social change:

Dr Ruby Sain, head, department of Sociology, Jadavpur University, thinks that social networks can be an active agent for change in social communication and we must embrace them. And the power of social network and citizen journalism was proven during Mumbai Blast, Tsunami in South India, Middle East hostage situation etc.

And if you want to feel the Kolkata pulse, simply log on to Twitter during a Bandh. You will find people from all around Kolkata providing real time information.

How about using social networks like a pro? Here are some tips from different industry experts:

Internet Presence Points (Important for everyone): Develop your profile in as many social networks as possible. This is important to develop your online identity and you must book them before somebody else does it. Do not forget to use your own name.

Cleaning Web Dust (Important for politicians, job seekers, business owners etc.): Do a Google search for your name or profile name. Now go through all the pages to find out if there is anything that you do not want to be shown against your name. If you find something negative or wrong, try to remove that fast. This is very important as most HR managers search in Google to know more about the potential candidate. Your Orkut profile may tell them a lot of things that you never wanted to disclose.

Move to specific networks (Important for students, job seekers etc.):

Most HR managers search in Google to know more about the potential candidate

This is perhaps the best thing you could do. For example, if you are a professional, you must have an account at LinkedIn. These days a lot of recruitments (in the mid level) are done via these networks. Your participation in different discussions will help to develop an identity for yourself. Thus if you are a professional photographer, get an account at Flickr, publishing your images in your Orkut album will not help you much.

Develop Network (Important for social activists, job seekers, business owners, marketers, politicians etc): Find out which network is used most by people from your industry and start using that. For a student, these networks are the best place to prepare for the job environment. In Web, getting connected with the right person is the key to success. Also remember that successful networkers develop the network before they actually need it.

Go for an online profile today

Start your website or blog (Important for everyone): Start a blog at wordpress.com or blogspot.com for free and keep on writing about your area of expertise and passion. It will develop your own brand. And, do not forget to share your thoughts.

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