Re: Are you good enough?

Here's what I'll say:

In regards to the article, I agree with Kim: perhaps big corporations pay a certain kind of attention to your social media presence (measuring engagement, growth, likes, etc.), but those places aren't ultimately where I'm trying to work.

I'm not really interested in working in place that views me as a number.

Sidenote: I'd highly recommend The Circle by Dave Eggers. It's about a twenty-something girl who goes to work for an internet titan (Google-esque and Facebooky). She's intensely evaluated on her social web presence, among other things. It's a good read.

I do think social media can be really useful for networking. Here are my social media opinions:

Facebook: Dead to me, useless, disavowed, equal to Satan.

Twitter:  While it can become somewhat of a "moral mob" during intense current events (like right now), I think Twitter is really great for engaging in meaningful conversations, both about your work and about other interests you have. That's something I feel comfortable being evaluated on by a potential employer, because it's not just about the numbers: it's about the content, too, and relating to others.

Also, with the 140-character limitation, there is an art involved. It's easy to tell who has mastered it.

I've been working really hard to network in Baltimore via Twitter and I feel like I'm privy to the goings-on, in and out of the design world, much more with it than without.

LinkedIn: I use this mostly as an online resume. I do think the endorsements are a nice feature, but it's been hard for me to figure out how to ask for them. Feels awkward.

Instagram: I'd like to use this more professionally. I have an account but it's been inactive for a few months. 

To be honest, though, I have a love-hate relationship with social media of any kind, and I often go on long breaks from all social media sites because it becomes too overwhelming to me. 

Sometimes, I think I'd like to get rid of them forever; it's like we're all talking about and taking pictures of living rather than actually doing it. Seems kind of pointless.

But, ultimately, I think having a web presence can be really beneficial to be a part of relevant and important conversations.