{Editor’s note: Kirsten Hamstra’s job description was changed in the online version of this column}

For many college students, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be a distraction. Wall posting, status updates, and now the latest  — Facebook chatting — can all lead up to a buildup of uncompleted assignments. Some college students have made the conscious decision to not sign up for pages on these social networking sites to combat the addiction to social networking that has their peers checking the internet every chance they get. As much of a distraction social media may seem to be to students, for many job markets social media is the answer that will help companies pull through these economic hardships.  Social media marketing allows organizations to promote their businesses through social media channels that are growing at a rapid pace. The traffic attention that viral content provides cannot be ignored. Viral tracking alone has the ability to bring publics to a website that they otherwise might not have ever seen. When doing a job search, sales-director-social media start-up, social media assistants, content and social media editor, and social media marketing director are just a few of the titles of jobs that were discovered. Social media is a major part of organizational communication now.  During Communication Week, Kirsten Hamstra, the web marketing specialist for SAS Publishing, stressed the fact that even with the economy in the state that it is in, employers are creating jobs for people who are experts in social media. Hamstra develops and implements online marketing strategy for SAS’ publications division using web 2.0 and social media channels.  According to Oliver James, a clinical psychologist, “Twittering stems from a lack of identity. It’s a constant update of who you are, what you are, where you are. Nobody would Twitter if they had a strong sense of identity.” In Sunday’s edition of Times Online, Dr. David Lewis, a cognitive neuropsychologist, described Twitter in a manner that displayed his ignorance of the power that social media has. According to Lewis, “using Twitter suggests a level of insecurity whereby, unless people recognise you, you cease to exis.” It would be very hard to prove that the President of the United States, Barack Obama, has insecurity issues, and he is the Twitter user with the most followers. Obama used Twitter much in the same manner that Karlie Justus, an N.C. State alumna, used it for her position as the PR and social media officer with the N.C. State Fair to bring in masses of people despite the unwelcoming weather. Organizations and public figures have realized that Twitter and Web sites like it can help them get key information to their publics, and those publics know that is where they can go to find out what is going on with the organizations that are important to them. Facebook is no longer a place solely meant to keep in touch with friends and colleagues. It is a tool that can make or break you in the job arena. Posting the correct picture which shows you have a personality, but not too much personality was one thing that Dr. Richard Waters, an assistant professor in the communications public relations department, advised the audience of NC State communication majors during Communication Week.

Facebook and Twitter are places where students can market themselves for their future employers. Using these Web sites efficiently shows employers you are prepared for the direction advertising and communication is going and that is precisely what they are looking for.