Last week, I was able to fly down to Tampa and attend Social Fresh. Although I missed day 1, some of the speakers definitely did not disappoint in providing interesting content. Some was stuff I’ve heard before but sometimes there is no harm in hearing something from a new perspective.
The keynote speaker, Paula Berg, really caught my attention with her presentation. Paula spoke on the ‘Social Media Poisons and Antidotes,’ which included ten poisons and an antidote for each.
One of the poisons in particular stood out to me:
- Poison #3: Interns managing social media. Need institutional knowledge and klout.
Now let me say, I totally think an intern cannot just jump into a position and start tweeting for an agency, company or clients without the proper knowledge and training. Though to completely rule them out from being trusted to manage a Facebook, Twitter, or blog account is just ridiculous. Do we forget that students and recent graduates you hire as interns grew up using a computer?
Interns shout be utilized to help build up their skills, which they will carry on throughout their careers. They need to know how to interact with Twitter followers and Facebook fans for the future. Also, do not let them not pitch press releases to the media. Give them a HARO or ProfNet listing and look over their pitch. If it fits into how you want to pitch a client, let them send it off. This helps them to build strong writing skills, confidence, and maybe even a relationship with a reporter. [Side note: I pitched the NY Times as an intern and got a client quoted in print.]
Though I’m not an intern anymore, I know what potential a college student or recent graduate possesses and to hold them down would just be wrong. Remember how someone may not have given you a chance when you first started. Make a change and expand the level of trust.
