Thursday, June 18, 2009

My Digital Media Resume

A conversation with the lovely Alicia led me to today's post topic. As we talked about gaining experience in our industry, and the fact that "new" media isn't really all that new to our generation, I began to think back to my own use of "new" media. For me, "new" media is actually quite old, and although it continues to evolve, I have evolved right along with it.

I learn, share, create, comment, discuss, and interact on a daily basis, and have been doing so since I was a little girl.

Below I've listed my "Digital Media Resume," to highlight major adoptions in digital media throughout my life. I would LOVE for others to share their resumes, so get to thinking!

Susan E. Garcia
Facebook.com/susan.e.garcia * twitter.com/suze_g * linkedin.com/in/susangarcia

Age 7
• Part of the Babysitters Club (book series) online newsletter (at the time, we had Prodigy as our internet service, which had all of 5 options).
Age 10
• Began using AOL games online.

Age 11
• First Hotmail account for email.
• Created MSN Messenger profile, began to use it religiously after school to connect with friends.

Age 13
• Began using free Web site service (can not remember the name!) to make “funny” sites among my group of middle-school friends. Features included taking polls, and posting glittery animated graphics (oddly enough of leprechauns and American flags).
• Began using online chat rooms with friends

Age 14
• New MSN Messenger profile includes adding your “interests, photos, favorite quotes” thus making updating that weekly the popular thing to do at Omro Middle School.
• Began chain e-mailing of surveys (i.e. “Pass this on to your friends and fill out about yourself)

Age 15
• Created Yahoo! messenger profile for brief stint.

Age 16
• Got first cell phone, downloaded personalized ringtones and wallpaper. Began texting.

Age 17
• Created a Xanga page (much like MySpace). Took down Xanga page one month later.
• Perfected the “texting during class without getting caught” skill.

Age 18
• Received camera phone, started texting photos.
• Used the Wisconsin State Track network RSS feed to check updates on regional athlete stats. • Applied to UW-Madison through a created online profile. Found out about my acceptance to UW-Madison online BEFORE receiving the official letter.
• Joined MySpace, began doing silly surveys about myself.
• Joined Facebook to “meet” my new roommate at University of Minnesota.

Age 19
• Maintained a MySpace and Facebook page. Used them to connect with new friends, stay in
touch with old friends.
• Created AIM profile to chat with new UMN friends.
• New .edu email for school. Included MyU online profile, e-grades, online classes, and Web
Vista for online homework. Could now monitor progress for classes all year long.

Age 20
• Mastered the Facebook “remove tag immediately because this picture makes me look
______” skill.
• Began to watch TV online (ABC.com), and used Fuse.tv online forums to find new music.
• Subscribed to the NYTimes podcast to listen to on the bus every morning.
• Used Facebook to update friends while in Washington DC for summer. Created group for the summer interns to organize get-togethers.
• Used Washingtonian.com blog to find new things to do.

Age 21
• Joined Google Reader to keep my RSS feeds in one place, and share with friends.
• Created GMail account, routed all email to one place, and started GChatting.
• Joined Twitter (@suze_g), began by tweeting insignificant observations.
• Began religiously following music blogs.
• Began use of Pandora.com, and Hulu.com
• Created Tumblr account to share art and music.
• Created the short-lived "OMG Remember This?" blog on Blogger with fellow intern, to speak to all things 90’s.
• Created LinkedIn profile. Connected with old and new colleagues.
• Created MNArtist.org profile for gallery I was interning for, to help it network with local artists.
• With my first Macbook, began to use iChat to consolidate all messaging services.
• Began regularly commenting on blogs.

Age 22
• Joined the fabulous YAYBIA! crew as a PR liaison.
• Created Muxtape mixtape.
• Began using Twitpic to tweet photos.
• Created new Tumblr to display my resume and writing samples.
• Became member of PR Open Mic, a public relations student network.
• Assisted in the creation of a highly interactive campaign for the 2008-09 NSAC team.
• At internship, pitched bloggers on a variety of subjects.
• Began social media monitoring for brands.
• Began using Twitter to share links, create conversation.
• Used LinkedIn to find entry-level job opportunities, and make and maintain connections in the PR industry.
• Became social media intern, and now eat/sleep/breathe social media daily.

Notable Skills:
YouTube watching and sharing, Google Mapping anything and everything, keeping my Google Reader at below 1000+ items, retweeting at least one link daily

I'm sure there are digital resumes that top this one, so hope you share! KTHXBAI!

2 comments:

Sarah Soczka said...

I wonder if any employers would find this information valuable? Our generation would certainly have more digital media experience than others!

Anonymous said...

In my opinion, it's valuable to the point that understanding may come quicker. However, I would never say because of my vast history of IMing and Facebooking that I'm more qualified than others in the communications field. I think that a hunger for learning and adapting with digital media is simply one strong trait within the other traits I and others need to be qualified in the communications world!

 
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