Some people think of social media as God’s gift to man as it allows us to connect with people all across the globe, brag about our latest vacation trip and show off how many friends we have. On the other hand, there are those who curse its manipulative nature and how it is, slowly but surely, taking over our lives by making people procrastinate on important commitments and tasks.

Nonetheless, social media is here to stay, whether we like it or not. And to successfully navigate through the social media jungle and the growing number of platforms can be challenging.

Luckily for us living close to the nation’s capital, there is always something going on around the corner, and recently I attended an event organized by Social Media Club D.C., in the hopes of learning more about social media and how to use it for personal branding.

What became clear to me throughout the night was that we should not underestimate the power of social media, whether it is for personal or business purposes. The reason: LinkedIn, an online social network for business professionals.

Brittany Cooper of New Media Strategies and a keynote speaker at the event stressed that LinkedIn is a great way to connect with people inside a specific company when you are looking for a job or a prospective business partner. Start engaging in an online conversation with a person inside a company, perhaps asking a question about the company, and you are halfway there.

Cooper also said that many businesses are now only accepting job applications from LinkedIn. Therefore, in order to stay ahead of the game, it is crucial to have a thorough profile with your previous work experience, skills, educational background, etc. LinkedIn allows users to turn their entire profiles into professional resumes that include all this information.

I jumped onboard the LinkedIn train a while back when one of my journalism professors told me to. However, I never took it seriously, which is why my account has been awfully inactive since I set it up. Also, since I haven’t made any efforts in expanding the number of connections, LinkedIn’s equivalence to Facebook friends, my profile has remained fairly anonymous out there in cyberspace. Although I haven’t shed any tears of my lack of connections, that is about to change, because what I concluded from attending this event was the following: LinkedIn is a great tool in the quest for the perfect internship or job.

Besides using the powers of social media platforms in order to network, the event made realize that we — a generation that has been raised with internet and technology evolving at the speed of light — should take advantage of our superior knowledge of social media platforms at the companies we work or intern for.

The fact is that the majority of people at most work places have no clue as to what social media really entails. As strange as this might seem, some people do not immediately think of a social media platform when they hear the word “Twitter.” Instead, they might think of birds and nature (yes, that old fashioned stuff still exists).

My workplace is no exception, and my fellow intern and I have made several efforts in expanding our firm’s social media outreach. We tweet on their Twitter account, and we make sure that the company’s blog is updated with interesting posts on a regular basis. We also try to interact with influential people in the same business in order to spread the word of the company. Even though these social media strategies are in the embryo stage, we have received positive feedback from the people at our company.

Unfortunately, the end of the semester is approaching, which means that I am heading back home to Sweden. The chances of me running into you at any of the campuses are therefore very small. The chances of us bumping into each other out there in cyberspace are bigger. The digital era is here.

Sofia Bergstrom

Sofia Bergstrom
Editorial Columnist

I have had many “firsts” during my stay here in this country: my first Thanksgiving, my first Super Bowl and my first deep-fried Oreo cookie (yum!). Most recently I had my first pitch for radio at the firm I am currently interning at.

A few weeks back, one of my responsibilities was to call radio stations in rural and suburban areas of the southern states and ask if they wanted to interview one of our clients. Before doing my first pitch, I looked around the room while my eyes desperately sought the nearest emergency exit sign. In the midst of my quest for an escape route I realized that there was no way out: I had to perform my task. It was time to start pitching.

Most of my calls often ended up with me leaving a message on voicemail.

When I actually had to talk to a person and thus engage in a reciprocal two-way communication, I realized that it was not as bad as I had first thought. As a matter of fact, as I progressively became better at pitching I actually started to enjoy it, especially when I got to talk to some really nice southerners with very distinctive and humorous accents.

Speaking of phone conversations, just the other day I overheard the woman in our human resources department having a phone interview with a prospective summer intern. Since I remembered how nervous I was before, during and after my phone interview, I felt really sorry for the poor thing.

Trying to pitch yourself in order to get the job or internship of your dreams is not an easy assignment. However, there are some things to keep in consideration in order to improve your chances of sweeping the interviewer off his or her feet.

The first ingredient in the recipe of success when it comes to selling yourself or a product is preparation, as cliché as that might sound. Unfortunately, I had to learn that the hard way during my first phone interview: right when I thought that I actually was not going to make a fool out of myself, the conversation reached a sudden halt when I was asked to describe myself with five adjectives. I might not be a native English speaker, but I do have more than five adjectives in my vocabulary. The thing is that I only had prepared three adjectives to describe my awesomeness, so when I was caught with my pants down, or lack of access to my English vocabulary in this case, my brain froze.

I still get icy shivers when I think back of the awkward silence that was dominating the telephone line during those few seconds, which to me felt like a lifetime, while I was trying to come up with two words to describe myself. And not any two words, but words that was going to promote myself in the right light while at the same time increase my chances of getting the internship.

What I am trying to say here, and which you probably already have understood, is to be fully prepared for how you are going to make your case, without making it sound too rehearsed of course.

I completely understand why many students dread the process of pitching themselves when applying for an internship. Unfortunately, the fear can stop some people from even starting to pursue their dreams in the first place since they are being entirely put off by the challenge. But I’ve got to tell you, that is the worst thing you can do to yourself. A phone interview is not your execution, it is rather your shot at both becoming a better sales person — something which can be useful in many real life situations — and in creating a future. And unless your entire speech consists of stuttering and a mix of long pauses and those fabulous “ums” that we all love to hear, you will do fine.

Keep in mind that the possible positive outcome of a phone interview, being offered an internship that is, outweighs all the heavy load, anxiety and loss of nails (after obsessive nervous biting).

Pitching oneself is truly an art form, which few people can master with perfection. Even though one might never become the Jedi of pitching, the key to solving this puzzle is, as I have mentioned, preparation. With that in mind, may the force be with you in any of your future pitching endeavors, whether it is on the phone or in real life.

Dreamstime image

By: Sofia Bergstrom

Editorial Columnist

Senator, governor and House Majority Leader. These are all words in the English vocabulary that are familiar to most Americans. To Swedes however, these words might as well be gibberish.

Interning in the nation’s capital among thousands of other workers means that you have to get used to the extensive use of political jargon. It is especially important for me since many of my responsibilities at the public relations firm Howard Consulting Group involve keeping track of numerous lawmakers for the clients.

The close proximity to the Capitol has definitely had a major impact on the business climate here in the District: you always run in to someone who has worked or interned for a politician — or at least knows someone who has — and most conversations revolve around politics. Although I have enjoyed this new world that has opened up to me, it has definitely been challenging.

In addition to navigating through the jungle of American politics, working in D.C. means getting up early. Two days a week I start my days at 6 a.m. with compiling a report for a big client. This in turn means that I have to wake up at 5 a.m.

Believe me when I say that a lot of bad words come out of my mouth when my alarm rings that early.

After I put on my make-up in a somewhat sloppy manner (you are allowed to be sloppy at 5 a.m.), I head to the Metro. As you might assume, there is not a soul in plain sight at the Metro at the crack of dawn. Well, there’s the station manager of course, and some homeless guy counting his last spare change, trying to figure out if it will take him somewhere.

As I get closer to downtown D.C., the metro train looks less like a setting from of a post-apocalyptic movie as it gets more crowded with people. Although, there are some similarities between the Metro and thriller movies now when I come to think of it: most of these people are in zombie-like states with difficulties keeping their eyes open while holding a big cup of heavily caffeinated coffee in one hand, an iPhone in the other and waiting patiently to become human.

At 5 a.m., it is way too early for the brain to function properly. That’s for sure.

I personally get through this early commuting by blasting music as loud as I can on my iPod. I guess we all have our tricks to stay awake before the rest of the city wakes up.

At this point of time, the faces of the zombie-like commuters are like blank canvases waiting for the brushstrokes of their working day to color them. After a long day at work, when it is time to head home, these faces have either turned colorful, gloomy or completely worn down. My face is usually the latter since I am a complete wreck after a day at my internship. But that is a consequence I am willing to take. I wouldn’t want it any other way – I like to work hard.

During rush hour however, the Metro in D.C. and the surrounding areas is swamped with interns and workers, all in their nicest suits and pencil skirts. The pace is high, people are stressed and are running up and down the escalators to get in time to wherever they’re going because God knows waiting six minutes for the next train is unbearable.

These aspects of my life are unlike the experiences that I had on campus last year. The life of a commuter in the nation’s capital is definitely not as relaxed as the life of a college student. It is definitely better dressed though.

During these observations, when I reflect on the American business culture that I am a part of, I often wonder what all these people do for a living. This is especially the case when the train passes the Pentagon and numerous men and women in fancy business attire get on or off the train.  Someone there might be a close buddy to the president, although that is unlikely. A commuter could be the head of the United States Marine Corps, or the press secretary of a senator in some remote state.

You never know whose eyes you are meeting.

The working climate here is indeed fascinating and there is no doubt in my mind that politics is a key contributor to what makes this city so exciting to work in. No wonder people all across the nation come here to intern and work. I am truly privileged to be a part of the buzz that is D.C. This is where it all happens.

Sofia Bergstrom

By: Sofia Bergstrom
Guest Columnist

“Sofia, you are going to write an op-ed.”

As I am processing these words in my head, my first immediate thought is to do a cartwheel.

Luckily, my senses quickly come back to me as I realize that acrobatics might be frowned upon in an American business setting. But what do I know – I am only an exchange student from Sweden.

Nonetheless, this is what happened to me the other day at my internship at Howard Consulting Group, a public relations and public affairs firm in downtown D.C. I got very excited when I realized that I was finally going to do something that my professor taught me in my public relations class at Northern Virginia Community College. Well, excited might be an understatement. I was close to doing a cartwheel in front of my supervisor for crying out loud.

I studied a mixture of journalism and PR courses at NOVA’s Alexandria campus last semester. This was my first experience of an American college and, I have to admit, I was expecting parties with red cups, fraternity warfare and a mean girls trio. (As I am writing this I realize that I have watched way too many American college movies.)

My prejudices and movie references aside, before I came to the US, I was certain that I wanted to intern at some newspaper. However, life can obviously take a drastic turn with an inspiring teacher and the discovery of new classes because, during my first semester at NOVA, I became passionate about the field of public relations and I began to wonder if that was perhaps my true calling.

Said and done: I edited my resume, wrote numerous cover letters, which I then sent to several PR firms in Washington., and here I am: an intern exploring the American business culture in the nation’s capital.

Besides writing editorials and wanting to do inappropriate acrobatic stunts, I have been trying to adapt to the American business culture whether it’s been learning the appropriate business attire, keeping up with the latest polls from the primaries in Florida or trying the hundreds of coffee flavors from Starbucks. The attire aspect highly disappointed me when I realized that I could not wear my rock t-shirts to work. They definitely don’t deserve to be hidden away in a closet.

My time at HCG has also reinforced my beliefs that practical experience is the key to personal growth and development. I have always been a firm believer that you learn by doing, which is one of the many reasons why I am an advocate for internships. There are a few things that school cannot possibly teach you no matter how talented your teacher is, no matter how good your textbooks are and no matter how new the computers in the library are. School assignments may help students improve their writing and analytical skills in all their glory, but they cannot fully prepare us for what is to come. Also, to know that your work and your hard efforts are useful to a real-life client, not just an example in a book, can really boost your self-esteem and pushes you to the next level.

But whenever you are on new and unfamiliar turf, no matter if you are an exchange student or a native, being “the new guy” means that you slowly but surely have to learn what’s appropriate and what’s not. And the best thing about being an intern is that you are allowed to make mistakes. (My supervisor might be of a different opinion, but that’s not the point.)

You might, and probably will, encounter some difficulties along the way, but the purpose of an internship is to learn and gain new knowledge and valuable skills. The bitter reality is that people often obtain this by making mistakes.

In addition, if you have done a good job at your internship, you will probably leave with positive letters of recommendation and connections in the industry. If that is not a great outcome of the intern experience, I do not know what is. That is what I strive for.

Though it hurts to admit it, I am almost salivating at the thought of the exciting work tasks that I have ahead of me this semester. Perhaps I am a complete nerd. Or perhaps it is a sign that I have ended up in the right place. At precisely the right time. Who knows? This might happen to you if you decide to take a leap into the workplace.

I have another confession to share with you readers before this column comes to an end: I do pinch myself sometimes to make sure that I am not dreaming. USA is not referred to as the land of opportunities for nothing. I have clearly taken my opportunity. The big question is: Have you taken yours?

Come on. Is that beverage worth it?

Choose a designated driver — one that will actually abstain from drinking, not one who just promises to limit drinking to one or two beers.

And if you’re hosting a party, be prepared to let some people stay over if they are too impaired. Let’s put aside the possibility of being sued if you let someone drive drunk from your place and they cause a collision. How would you feel if you made everyone go home only to get a call at work the next day telling you that one of them had died?

Regret like that doesn’t go away for a long time, if ever.

Have the phone numbers of at least two taxi services programmed into your phone and money for a ride. And as tempting as it might be to bet that money on your favorite team, don’t.

If you’re the host, post the numbers to several cab companies on your fridge for guests to use. I’ll make it easy for you. Here’s a list of cab companies in the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., area:

Yellow Cab of Prince William County (main number): 703-491-2222
Yellow Cab of Prince William County – Stafford Area: 540-659-1200
Yellow Cab of Prince William County – Quantico Area: 703-640-6464
Manassas Cab Company: 703-257-0222
Red Top Cab Company in Arlington: 703-522-3333
Loudoun Yellow Cab: 703-437-9100
Alexandria Yellow Cab: 703-549-2500
Fairfax Yellow Cab: 703-534-1111
Yellow Cab of D.C.: 202-TAXICAB

Print this list and cut it out now… while you’re still sober. Put it in your wallet or tape it to your dashboard as a reminder.

Enjoy the game. Eat until your stomach hurts. Talk sports with your mouth full. Scream at the over-priced big screen HDTV. Help clean up (you know you should). And be safe, not stupid.

– KJ Mushung

As tempting as it'd be to drive one of these after a Super Bowl party, we don't recommend it... at least, not if you've been drinking. That'd be a waste of one seriously fine vehicle. Photo by: Arch Scurlock

Photo by: KJ Mushung

A lit tunnel at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Photo illustration by: KJ Mushung

The Dominion GardenFest of Lights at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is a spectacular and beautiful sight. But it only runs through Monday, Jan. 9. So if you want to go, make the time now.

The lights are on from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly, rain or shine. Each year there is a different theme. This year’s theme is “Nature’s DeLIGHTS.”

Admission costs $11 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7 for children ages 3 to 12. Children under age 3 are admitted free.

The garden is located at 1800 Lakeside Avenue in Richmond.

Photo by: KJ Mushung

Photo by: KJ Mushung

Photo by: KJ Mushung

Photo by: KJ Mushung

Belmont Bay in winter. Photo by: KJ Mushung

By: Stephanie Tipple

While the outdoors may be cold and blustery, if you take one step into Osprey’s Landing in Belmont Bay in Woodbridge you’ll be instantly warmed with their cozy atmosphere, the fireplace and one of their delicious entrees.

The reopened Osprey’s Landing restaurant has seen great success thus far, drawing in customers from all over the county and beyond. Like any good (hungry) journalist would do, I re-visited this local hot spot with my dining companion, local Lake Ridge Bloom pharmacist Amy Forrest, and sampled some of their dishes for to give you all the information you need to know when considering stopping by and eating at their establishment.

Read the rest of this article, visit PotomacLocal.com at

http://potomaclocal.com/2012/01/05/tipple-food-dazzles-at-ospreys/

Dreamstime

According to some theories, the end of the world will occur 21 December 2012 A.D. That gives us a year to plan.

Top 10 Things to Do Before the End of the World

Take a class on surviving the zombie apocalypse.

Sort friends according to “will save” & “will use as a decoy” so you won’t waste time deliberating later.

Eat whatever you want.

Have a musical performance in public that would make Simon Cowell cringe.

Tell your secret crush how you feel.

Tell off that chick in class who thinks she’s all that.

Graduate. Or at least tell your parents you did. How they gonna know?

Gorge on chocolate & watch cartoons without shame.

Even though you can sleep when you’re dead, your exam-exhausted brain wants to take a nap anyway.

Wait. Wasn’t the end of the world supposed to be May 21, 2011, as predicted by Harold Camping?

Quote of the month: “Predicting the end of the world is a bit like alcoholism,” David Richardson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Once you get started, it’s hard to stop.”

The restaurant has been closed for the past two years, but this fine dining experience is now ready to serve local customers. Osprey’s, a fixture in the Belmont Bay area, serves American food with a French flair – and it’s all about the superb dining experience.

The restaurant’s owners surveyed residents about what foods they’d like to see served at Osprey’s, and the public has spoken, prompting the American food menu with French flair. The clientele, mainly consisting of Belmont Bay residents, and Alexandria, Manassas and Stafford residents have been very supportive over the course of the reopening, coming out in droves for their soft opening – a Sunday Brunch that was held back in October.

Richard Davila, Osprey’s Landing Director of Food and Beverages, has 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry, and this experience has helped him understand the palette and the pricing needs of his customers.

“What we’re trying to do on a daily basis, is to give people a great value for a meal that you’re not going to get at a lot of other places in the area,” said Davila.

The average cost for a meal is about $19 per person.

People come from all over the county for their tuna slider appetizer, and the roasted chicken with mushroom foam is one of Davila’s favorites. Osprey’s Landing is known for their desserts as well, serving up their famous waffle bread pudding and the crème brulee, which has a flavor change every two days.

Osprey’s Landing in Belmont Bay has reopened after being closed for two years. Photo by: Stephanie Tipple

Dreamstime

Press Release

Virginians strongly support the principle of the public’s right to know.

Virginians believe it is important to place public notices in newspapers.

Virginians would read public notices less frequently and with less trust if these appeared only on government websites.

These are the key results of a recent survey, examining the views of 500 adult Virginians about the principle of the public’s right to know and the placement of public notices, conducted by DecideSmart for the Virginia Press Association.

The VPA, a longtime advocate for the public’s right to know, commissioned the survey as an independent method of gauging Virginians’ support of the public’s right to know and their thoughts on the placement of public notices, which for more than 200 years have been published in newspapers.

A public notice is a formal announcement or warning that is legally required to be published as an advertisement in a paid-circulation newspaper. It helps citizens learn about plans and actions that will impact them and their community. Public notices may be published for a variety of reasons, including business and licensing matters, public meetings, zoning, requests for proposals, local government matters and elections.

By publishing notices in newspapers, government serves the public’s right to know and maintains its own transparency. Newspapers are a reliable, accessible form of circulating public notices to the public. In doing so, newspapers provide an archival record of government actions.

Since early September 2011, the VPA has been conducting a campaign, “Keep the Light on Public Notices,” to increase Virginians’ awareness of public notices in newspapers.

Elected officials, however, have proposed taking public notices out of independent newspapers and posting them only on government websites, giving government control over what the public is allowed to know. Instead of reading notices in newspapers that are delivered on a regular schedule, citizens would have to search for notices on websites, a practice that would be even more difficult for those who lack computer access. The principles of the public’s right to know and of government accountability to its citizens would be threatened.

The survey results, outlined below, demonstrate that Virginians are overwhelmingly committed to the principle of their right to know, expect government to act transparently, trust newspapers more than government websites as sources of information and would read public notices much less often if they appeared only on government websites.

Virginians are very committed to the principle of the public’s right to know what their government is doing and planning. Ninety-seven percent of the respondents in the survey said that the principle of the public’s right to know what their government is doing and planning is either very important (79 percent) or somewhat important (18 percent). Only 3 percent of respondents reported that 94 percent it is not so important (2 percent) or not important or not important at all (1 percent) to them. Ninety-four percent of respondents said that keeping the citizenry informed of public notices/legal advertisements in newspapers is an important function of government agencies.

Del. Riley E. Ingram (R-Hopewell), chairman of the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns, said, “The survey results strongly confirm my experience that Virginians expect the activities of government to be conducted openly, fairly and transparently. Virginians clearly have a deep commitment to the fundamental principles of democratic governance. Newspapers, both daily and weekly, continue to have a prominent role in the maintenance of these principles throughout Virginia’s communities.”

Virginians would read public notices less frequently if these were placed only on government websites. Sixty-three percent of respondents said that they would read public notices much less often (36 percent) or less often (27 percent) if these were placed only on government websites. Only 16 percent of respondents said that they would read public notices much more often (4 percent) or more often (12 percent) if these were placed only on government websites. Seventy-two percent of respondents have not gone to a government website to read a public notice.

Removing public notices and legal advertisements from newspapers would reduce citizens’ public access to the workings of their government and would penalize small business owners across Virginia who depend upon community newspapers for fair access to contracting opportunities.

“I see any move to put all legal notices solely online as yet another impediment to maintaining (and dealing with the consequences of) an informed citizenry,” said Goochland County resident Linda Sasser. “I depend on the weekly Goochland Gazette for information regarding the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, and other local and state regulatory agencies, their hearings, the public response window and so forth. The information is sometimes difficult to locate, but it is there and available to clip, calendar, consider and respond to.”

Virginians have more trust in public notices placed in newspapers than on government websites.

The survey asked respondents to rate the level of trust and credibility they had in public notices that appeared on government websites and those that appeared in newspapers. Fifty-two percent of respondents gave public notices printed in newspapers one of the two highest ratings on the trust and credibility scale compared to 31 percent of respondents who gave public notices printed on government websites one of the two highest ratings on the same scale.

These results show that Virginians continue to understand that the newspapers serving their communities perform a very important role in providing independent verification and establishing a permanent record of the information that government provides citizens.

NOVA Fortnightly is a VPA award-winning newspaper.

Photo by Traci J. Brooks