March 7, 2007
Internet community users of MySpace and Facebook may need to look out for a new kind of Internet stalkers - potential employers. Just ask USU graduate student Steven von Niederhausern who recently came under siege from one of these unique professionals, Dan Forbush.
Forbush is founder and president of the public relations and journalism help site profnet.com. Profnet, created in 1992 shortly before its accidental creator was fired from his academic public relations position, connects more than 14,000 journalists, public relations specialists and academic experts in an online community centered on sharing information for the media. It's also the springboard for Forbush's fascination with technology's ability to connect people.
In preparation for the department of journalism and communication's Media and Society Lecture series, Forbush did some Internet investigating and found von Niederhausern as a prime suspect to illustrate his lecture topic, "Beyond Myspace: The Future of Online Personas."
With the Google search engine and the proper spelling of von Niederhausern's name, anyone can gain access to his personal Web site, personal photography work for sale on iStockphoto.com, and even his Linkedin and Facebook accounts. As a guest speaker with Forbush, von Niederhausern warned students to listen to their parents and be careful about what they put on the Internet - or else people like Profnet's founder might track them down. Potential employers may also view any information listed in social networks. "When I was a child I wanted to be McGuyver" and "Kermit Lovers Unite" may not be groups you want a potential employer to see in your Internet history. von Niederhausern's impressive online resume almost landed him a job with Xbox.
According to Forbush, the Internet is not only a wonderful social networking and information tool but is also likely to become the key platform for business meetings. Profnet allows journalists to send out queries to service subscribers when they are in need of a news source with expertise in the area they're reporting on. MySpace and other social networks may possess a more eye catching format but operate on many of the same levels.
"Profnet is something of a social network but it's different because it doesn't show you other [user's] networks," Forbush said.
But the Internet is evolving as both a toy and a tool. Forbush said he predicts the social networking tool will become the "most powerful tool available to professional communicators."
"It's a technology that is taking every sector by storm," he said.
Check out and create your own 'MyObama Space.' The ambitious presidential candidate took a note from Internet savvy teens and created his own version of a social network. With an all-too-familiar looking format, my.barackobama.com allows parishioners of the Obama doctrine to associate with fellow supporters, advertise their own myBarack fundraisers and create myBarack groups. Sound familiar?
The University of Florida runs a social networking website for alumni with group names such as 'Communigators' capitalizing off the mascot. The program U of F uses was recently acquired by USU. Forbush asked if Aggie students, faculty and alumni be encouraged to create their own myAggie homepage.
Listening to the communications pioneer discuss the future of communications technology is like listening to someone describe a sci-fi movie at its best. Forbush foresees digital conference rooms with wall sized screens displaying thumbnails of all the group's participants and cameras being able to distinguish who on the screen a user is looking at. In fact, the online business president is writing a sci-fi/public relations book guessing about the technology of 2036.
Whether technology is embraced, embarrassing or energizing, it's here to stay. Forbush said users and the future work force are faced with a new concept of networking.
