I love to write. One thing that frustrated me with Clemson was that they allowed me to declare a writing minor (read: journalism) but then didn't offer any of the courses required to satisfy it, so I ended up having to fill out course substitutions for courses only loosely associated with the minor. It turned out fine and I'll still be able graduate with a writing minor, but the short version of the story is that Clemson decided that the art of journalism was obsolete and was in the process of eliminating it when I declared it, and I didn't quite understand why.
Now I know why: the Internet has eliminated the need for traditional journalism. This article is interesting to me because even though I knew this in the back of my mind, I never considered that the Internet would do anything but help the industry. I don't know when this article was published but I do I think there is a value in creating things like blogs to showcase your skill as a writer.
As a senior working towards finding a job in the media industry, one of the requirements for a lot of the job applications I've been filling out have been that I include links to thinks like blogs and Twitter to show my skill as a writer. I have a marketing agency in San Francisco that is interested in hiring me as an intern based almost completely on the links I sent and writing samples from the various blogs and related media I've contributed to. One thing to note as well is that it's a major asset to have experience with WordPress and Adobe publishing suite when applying for positions, especially out of college. I have to think that these industries are now adopting an attitude of "if you can't beat them, join them" and are using the availability and accessibility of the Internet to find worthwhile employees and build strong teams. For this reason, I truly believe that writing online (tastefully, of course) is a smart choice in increasing one's marketability and creating a portfolio, and I think the Internet has allowed us to reach this point.
I thought your blog post was really great in helping me, as a junior, think about next year and after graduation. I too wish that Clemson offered writing as more of a concentrated study. Although I have a WPS emphasis, I really only have to take 2 WPS classes and the rest are English Lit and Theory classes to meet the rest of that criteria. It's really good information knowing that your blogs and Twitter have helped you in the future job field, somewhere that I will be sooner than later. I know that a traditional Portfolio is very different than what it is now and I like that. I am more of a creative person anyway, and it's good to know that future employers like to see that. Congrats on the San Fran intern offer, and all the best in your future after Clemson!
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