April 23, 2012 

In today’s world, the speed of connection has never been faster.

Our desires for human attention and self-expression have limitless opportunities with the Internet. From hobbies to dating to personal and professional networking, we have the bases covered.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Pinterest, Myspace (yes, it still exists), FourSquare, Yelp, Couchsurf, Bing,  Google+, Instagram, Google Hangouts, BranchOut and Meet-Up are just a small sampling of what’s out there allowing us to over share and connect to our hearts' content.

Besides finding a new place to post a profile pic, the internet has so much to offer. There are thousands of sites all just a Google search away, including ones that could help us get to the next level in our careers. 

So, What Do You Do?

Taking it a step past LinkedIn, many industry-specific social media sites exist to help people in various professions. Are you in Human Resources? Well then there’s a site for you! Check out www.hr.com.  Are you in Business and Finance? Check out www.meettheboss.tv. Are you in Academia or Research? You’re good as well! Visit www.academia.edu. It’s like made to order career advice.

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There are countless sites out there, but here are a few, listed by industry, which may be useful to you.  And while this sampling by no means represents all that’s available, it should get you thinking about researching others like it and pondering the increased benefits it could bring: 

• Academics/ Researchers/ Scientists: www.academia.edu, www.researchgate.net, www.sciencestage.com
• Students/ Teachers: www.studentscircle.net
• Government: www.govloop.com
• Business/ Finance: www.focus.com, www.meettheboss.com, www.talkbiznow.com
• Human Resources: www.hr.com
• Music: www.indabamusic.com, www.reverbnation.com
• Film: www.mubi.com
• Writing: www.wattpad.com
• Non-Profit: www.ngopost.com
• Environment/ Sustainability: www.wiserearth.org
• Video/ Graphic Design: www.zooppa.com
• Talent: lafango.com, www.taltopia.com

A Few Other Helpful Sites for Business Purposes

• www.qapacity.com or www.virb.com (You can create your own website for free)
• www.43things.com (You can post your goals and receive help from others)
• www.yammer.com (You can collaborate with your coworkers on a private social network)

The list goes on and on.

These social media sites provide an opportunity to reach niche communities you might want to be more involved with for your job. It’s a way for you to connect with like-minded people, share thoughts and trends in your industry, and view content targeted directly to you and your interests.

It’s easy to see how a person can further develop personal passions just by going online and joining some virtual communities. More than ever before, people are coming together to build spaces for collaboration, and it is in our best interest to take advantage of these opportunities and join the party. 

What are your favorite career sites? Share your favorites in the comments below!