Three Outstanding Career & Social Media Leaders

One of my favorite things about graduate school is how much I learn from my peers. I'm surrounded by smart people who love collaborating and sharing information -- we struggle, learn, and succeed together. The end result is that we, as a group, become smarter-- our strengths become stronger, and we overcome our weaknesses too. My peers are exceptional, and I'm always amazed by our professional support network.

With nine months until graduation, I'm starting to realize how important it is to develop similar support frameworks in the corporate world. In teams, we are stronger, and we can produce better work, especially if we're working in new & interdisciplinary industries like social media or if our work is a means to achieve a CSR - based end goal. By letting our guards down to collaborate, we cultivate ourselves, our organizations, our networks, and industries into social and professional leaders.

In today's post, I'd like to highlight examples of individuals and organizations who have gone above and beyond their everyday job functions to create exceptional professional resources. You might find these resources helpful, or you might be inspired to launch your own.

1) Jacob Mays at SPSS Video Tutor
Jacob Mays is a market research leader who launched a website with free video tutorials for SPSS, a social science statistical package that is common in the fields of market research, consulting, and academia. These 25 videos are available free of charge for subscribers, and they walk audiences -- step by step-- through common statistical tests. Jacob created this website as a personal project: as a graduate student sixteen years ago, he worked very hard to teach himself the statistical skills that later enabled him to lead his own market research department. When his colleagues and peers asked him for help and advice, he created this website. Given his time constraints, he thought that this website would enable him to reach his target audiences more effectively.

As a graduate student, I teach an introductory Excel and SPSS course to 80 undergraduates at the University of California at Irvine. My student-count totals to 80, so it's often difficult for me to give each student the individualized attention that they deserve. I found Jacob's website through a Google search and decided to include his videos as a teaching resource. This afternoon, I was surprised to find an email from Jacob in my email inbox. He had sent a message to thank me for sharing his videos as a resource and to ask me for constructive feedback. Needless to say, his work is above and beyond outstanding.

2) Wikimedia Foundation
When you're doing Internet research, you might notice that Wikipedia articles tend to be the first pages in your search results. What you may not realize is the sophisticated vision that outlines the Wikimedia Foundation's objectives. Wikipedia is all about sharing information -- providing users with free access to knowledge as well as enabling people with the opportunity to contribute to that knowledge-base. The organization relies heavily on our collective intellects, which is rare outside the realm of academia. If you love Wikipedia, consider contributing as a writer or editor in your spare time. You could also apply for a job with them. They're hiring.

3) PsychWorld
Natasha Murashev, a 2008 graduate of Northwestern University launched PsychWorld to inspire people to "inspire readers to improve their lives, follow their dreams, and consequently improve the world by challenging their current reality and way of thinking." Professionally, she has worked in research labs, contributing to the fields of child development, law, and effective clinical therapy. At PsychWorld, she builds upon what she has learned in the classroom and at work, transforming key concepts into social media-driven articles that mainstream audiences -- with or without a psychology background-- can embrace. Other writers for the site include Daniela Ojeda, Marina Murashev, Phillip Wu, and Glazedpaper.

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