Interning for an independent contractor, I imagine, is a very different experience than interning for an entire company, and I’m really thankful for the experience I am having. Working one on one with Tracy, my intern supervisor, has given me the unique opportunity to learn how to work specifically with a client and use the skills I have been learning, but tailor them to the needs of an individual.
My two biggest responsibilities for Tracy have been getting her social media accounts up and running and working out a uniform “image” for her. We’ve selected a slogan, and we’re tailoring her social media pages to have the voice that she wants. While I am a news concentration, this experience has really made me work to use my writing to reflect a person, rather than just relaying facts. It’s has especially helped me in my feature writing, knowing how to be purposeful and descriptive, but still keeping my “news” voice present as well.
I’ve also learned that building up social media isn’t nearly the quick process I thought it would be. We still having actually “released” her pages. She wants all of her new social media to “hit” at the same time, that’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Linked-In, and real estate specific platforms like Trulia, Zillow, and Realtor.com. To get consistent images, graphics, and logos on all of these, then writing different bios that “fit” the platform, filling in all the “about me” sections. It seems like it would just be a quick little fill-in-the-blank exercise, but there is a lot of planning and a lot of work that goes into it. Tracy also wants some content up before she starts promoting her pages, so we are analyzing what to put on each platform and how to tailor it to the users of those networks.
Long story short, I’m not where I thought I would be. By now I thought I would be posting and managing these pages. While I’m not where I expected to be, I’m certainly not disappointed. The experience of really building these sites up, learning how to craft these pages and find the right content, has been invaluable. These skills are applicable in any business arena, because social media is the way of the world now.
I never thought I’d say this, but I’m a little sad my time with Tracy is approaching its end. We’ve worked together and learned together and taught each other something every step of the way. It’s been a truly collaborative effort and an amazing experience.
My two biggest responsibilities for Tracy have been getting her social media accounts up and running and working out a uniform “image” for her. We’ve selected a slogan, and we’re tailoring her social media pages to have the voice that she wants. While I am a news concentration, this experience has really made me work to use my writing to reflect a person, rather than just relaying facts. It’s has especially helped me in my feature writing, knowing how to be purposeful and descriptive, but still keeping my “news” voice present as well.
I’ve also learned that building up social media isn’t nearly the quick process I thought it would be. We still having actually “released” her pages. She wants all of her new social media to “hit” at the same time, that’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Linked-In, and real estate specific platforms like Trulia, Zillow, and Realtor.com. To get consistent images, graphics, and logos on all of these, then writing different bios that “fit” the platform, filling in all the “about me” sections. It seems like it would just be a quick little fill-in-the-blank exercise, but there is a lot of planning and a lot of work that goes into it. Tracy also wants some content up before she starts promoting her pages, so we are analyzing what to put on each platform and how to tailor it to the users of those networks.
Long story short, I’m not where I thought I would be. By now I thought I would be posting and managing these pages. While I’m not where I expected to be, I’m certainly not disappointed. The experience of really building these sites up, learning how to craft these pages and find the right content, has been invaluable. These skills are applicable in any business arena, because social media is the way of the world now.
I never thought I’d say this, but I’m a little sad my time with Tracy is approaching its end. We’ve worked together and learned together and taught each other something every step of the way. It’s been a truly collaborative effort and an amazing experience.