**My post featured on ThoughtPizza.com:

Microsoft recently hopped on the social networking bandwagon and unveiled a new online project called So.cl (pronounced "social") which they define as:

"...an experimental research project, developed by Microsoft’s FUSE Labs, that lets you use search to express and share ideas through beautiful story collages. So.cl is for anyone who has something to say - richly, simply, elegantly. So.cl helps you create rich stories (posts) by making it easy to assemble and share collages of web content. So.cl helps you discover people with like interests, and discover interests shared by people you like." 

As much as Microsoft beats around the bush about So.cl, calling it an "experimental research project," it is still a networking site created for socializing.

 Some of the key features So.cl boasts about are:

Click here to read more...

This is part of my monthly social media column on HotCoursesUSA.com:


As May graduation time is approaching, many students are out there looking for their next step--a job. This can be very difficult and sometimes disheartening in this still difficult economy. Previously I gave tips on how to use LinkedIn to find a job, but now I want to examine the use of Twitter.

I just want to come right out and say, Twitter is not the best way of finding and applying for jobs, but there are tools out there that make it possible. Even if they aren't the most effective, Twitter doesn't take long and every little effort counts!

Click here to read more on how to find your dream job using Twitter!

Like I said before, I recently picked up a freelance job as a Social Media Columnist. This week my first column feature ran on HotcoursesUSA:

Anyone who is looking to start a career (or move on in their career) right now knows that the market is tough. There are an increasing number of people looking for jobs, but open positions are far and wide. This means employers have the pick of the litter when filling positions!

So how do you get a leg up on your competition?

Social Media!

That's right! Using social media platforms you can gain an edge over other job seekers in your field.

My first job at the company I work for now as a New Media Specialist was as a Social Recruiter. It was my job to go online, meet and network with engineers and sell the company to them. This aggressive form of recruiting is highly successful and is gaining mass popularity around the world.

One of the most widely used mediums for Social Recruiting is LinkedIn.

Click here to read more about how you can utilize social media when searching for your new dream job!

You can follow the rest of my building column on Hotcourses, here.

I recently picked up a freelance job as a Social Media Columnist on HotcoursesUSA.com.


HotcoursesUSA is part of a global organization that began in England as Hotcourses Ltd, the world's largest academic publisher of educational guides. There are Hotcourses sites all over the world including Europe, Pakistan, Nigeria and now, their newest, USA. Their goal is to bring advisory information to students of the region on topics such as class choice, loans, study/work balance, and student life, as well as providing student reviews on schools and programs. Hotcourses focuses on both undergrad and graduate students.

As a Social Media Columnist I will be providing information on first time job hunting via social media as well as other areas in which social media can be beneficial (or detrimental) to students.

I'm really excited to join their team! In 2012, Hotcourses was named in the UK's Sunday Times' 100 Best Companies to Work For list and was also awarded a 3-star accreditation from the Best Companies Team. So not only am I working with a great company but I'm also getting to share information about what I'm really passionate about!

Look out for more information on when and where my articles are posted!