Entry-level is a new series profiling those who are working their first media jobs out of college. Want to be featured? Send an e-mail to d.ceceliamartinez [at] gmail [dot] com with a photo and answers to the questions below.

Name: Benjamin Brown (@RedLeader656)

Location: Albany, NY

Gig: Founder and CEO, New Hand Media

Education: The College of Saint Rose, 2009

Length of job search: My job search lasted months. During school, I was working for Apple Inc. as a computer tech at one of their retail stores. It was a great job and I was paid well, but there was so much that I felt I was missing. So, making one of the most important decisions of my life, I decided to quit my job and relocate to Charlotte, NC. It was there that I got a taste of the real world and how bad the economy actually is. I spent eight to 10 hours a day sending out resumes and calling companies, never hearing a word back from any of them. This went on for about six months, until I finally ran out of money and had to come back to Albany. I was disappointed, but learned a lot about life and the job market, so for that I’m forever grateful.

Why he decided to start his own business: The difficulty of finding a job in established companies. There are a lot of marketing and ad agencies out there, but in an economy like this, most of them are looking to let people go rather than hire. After a huge amount of disappointment and frustration, I decided to start my own business. I knew what I wanted to do, and I knew that I could do it better than most people that I had come across in the same field. I found what I loved and now I’m making a career out of it.

What’s been the hardest part so far: Just making the leap forward to do it. You have to jump in head first and hope that you don’t smash your head on the rocks at the bottom. It’s sort of a leap of faith. All of your time, money and effort are focused on getting your name out there and generating buzz for your brand. It’s nothing short of petrifying, but you just have to believe that you’re going to make it, otherwise no one else will.

What attracted him to social media: Social media has changed the way that we live our lives. We now have the ability to converse and connect with consumers in a way that wasn’t possible five years ago. Right now there’s a mini ‘gold rush’ going on to see who can take advantage of these cutting edge technologies. The ability of something like Facebook to allow you to target very specific audiences is incredible. The other thing that amazes me is how platforms like Twitter have really given a lot of power back to consumers. Ten years ago, marketing and ad campaigns were generated in sort of a cookie cutter fashion, with no real feedback. Now people can talk about your brand on an exponential level, reaching far beyond their immediate circle of friends and family. This ultimately makes brands much more accountable for their actions and messages.

His dream client: Some sort of niche brand that I could help develop into a titan in the market. I would love to be able to bring some small brands into the marketplace in a big way.

Ultimate goal: To make sure that I love every minute of what I’m doing. When you hate your job and you’re miserable at work every day, what’s the point? I want to ultimately make a sustainable company that is able to develop interesting and impactful brand awareness. Of course I’d also like to make loads of money, but that’ll come later if I keep doing what I love.

Advice for job seekers out there: Find what you love and do it! Read every book that you can about starting a business, find online resources and apply that to something that you want to do for the rest of your life. It’s never been easier to get a small business going that’s made of nothing more than your voice talking about what you love. Now is the time to get into the game because like I said, social media has become the great equalizer. It’s going to allow you to get your message and content out there. If you’re passionate about what you’re doing then do it every day and go at it as hard as you can. At the end of the day you’re going to be happier with yourself.

Have you considered the possibility of starting your own business, or are you content holding out for a full-time job, no matter how long it might take?

However, while social media can definitely be a useful tool for a reporter, the implications of a social media presence for journalists and news organizations are still not entirely clear.

The release of the Social Media and Blogging Guidelines today by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) is an effort to help those in the news media protect themselves against some of the pitfalls of social media.

The guidelines focus on fairness, privacy and transparency and stress that when it comes to social media, nothing is private and journalists aren’t allowed to express personal opinions online — unless they want to open themselves up to complaints and potential libel suits.

The RTDNA also encourages plenty of newsroom discussion about the role of social media in reporting and sourcing (and references the infamous Twitter reports after the Fort Hood shooting, which I wrote about here) and the importance of — say it with me — formal, written protocols for action if a problem involving social media were to arise.

These guidelines just drive home the point that with journalism — no matter what the medium — it is important to act ethically and to have a plan.

Complete guidelines are available here. RTDNA members can check out the “Law & Ethics: Social Media Edition” webinar.

Yes? No? Maybe?

Mashable had an interesting article last week about the 8 Must-Have Traits of Tomorrow’s Journalist.  The post focused heavily on the importance of being more than just a journalist. Tomorrow’s journalists will have to be journalists/programmers/photographers/videographers/designers/social media experts and more, and this Mashable article is just another one driving that point home.

There is one thing I would add to this list of must-haves – a rock solid sense of ethics.

In today’s world of breaking news on twitter and citizen journalism, information may no longer go through an editorial process before reaching the public. While instant access to information as it is happening can be a great thing, it can also change the dynamics of traditional journalism ethics when it comes to reporting.

Tiger Woods coverage aside, a recent example of this is the case of Tearah Moore, a solider from Michigan who tweeted during the shooting at Fort Hood. Tech Crunch has a great article about Moore and what her situation means for citizen journalism.

While this blog is for (hopefully/aspiring) professional journalists, not citizen journalists, it still remains that you have the same opportunity to publish breaking news, and the reality is you are competing with these citizen journalists to remain relevant to readers.

It can be difficult sometimes for a journalist to keep ethics in mind when they are working with a piece of breaking news content – and this will only become more difficult for tomorrow’s journalist.

The best way to act ethically in a difficult situation is to think about what you will do before it actually happens.

• Establish your priorities – Decide now what is most important to you: being first, or being right. If you’re the type that would rather ask for forgiveness than permission, that’s OK, just be prepared to accept whatever consequences may come from that.

• See what others have to say – The Society of Professional Journalists has an entire section of the website devoted to ethics. It’s an excellent resource when you find yourself in a questionable situation, and even has an Ethics Hotline where you can get advice or just talk about what’s going on. You can also look to your mentors for advice. We had a saying in the Chronicle newsroom – ‘What Would Cailin Do?’ -  in reference to our faculty adviser whenever we were facing a tough decision.

• Think hypothetically – I took a Media Ethics class last year, and 80% of the class involved reading/discussing hypothetical ethical situations and working through what we might do, as well as what the possible impacts would be of our decision. While we didn’t always arrive at a good solution, it helped me practice thinking ethically, and makes it easier for me to work through potential problems as a journalist now.

• Get it in writing – When you are able to establish definitive ethical guidelines, write them down. It gives you something to reference when you’re questioning whether or not to tweet that sensitive piece of information you overheard. If you work at a publication, ask what ethical guidelines they have in place.

While it might seem like the role of ethics in journalism is dwindling, it is imperative that “tomorrow’s journalists” keep ethics in journalism for it to maintain any sense of reliability. What role do ethics play in your newsroom? Have any journalists out there faced an ethical dilemma? What was the end result?

Social media = conversation

In this week’s issue of Metroland is an article I wrote about the Social Media Breakfast – Tech Valley event series that has skyrocketed in popularity in only three events. The series has become so popular that the 4th event in the series, taking place on December 4th and focusing on blogging, had 90 reservations within 5 hours.

Attendees of these breakfasts come from a variety of different industries — many are media professionals looking to hone their skills, others are business professionals interested in finding out how social media can help them improve sales, increase their customer base, or develop their brand.

Social media can uniquely benefit student journalists as well. Most student journalists are already using at least one form of social media in their personal lives, but social media can be invaluable when applied to work in journalism.  In addition to being another venue in which to post breaking news, social media can help student journalists and recent journalism graduates achieve the following:

• Gain Exposure — Chances are you won’t get a full-time reporting job right out of college. The economy sucks, the media industry is in turmoil, and you, along with many others, are vying for a dwindling number of positions. Chances are you will either work as a freelance writer or develop a very strong personal brand in order to set yourself apart. Using social media, you can establish yourself as an expert in your field. Be the first to answer the media-related questions of your followers on Twitter, share links on Facebook of interesting articles to show that you are knowledgeable in your industry, and use LinkedIn to brag about recent publications or a cool project you landed.

• Find Stories — Social media can be a goldmine when it comes for landing exclusive stories. For students, find the profiles or Twitter accounts of your classmates. Keep an  eye out, that way when the girl in your history class updates her Facebook status complaining of poor service in Financial Aid or raving about the new electronics section in the campus bookstore, you can follow up on the potential leads. This is also an easy way to develop sources for beat reporters.

• Develop Skills — Using social media can help you develop skills or learn programs and platforms you wouldn’t have otherwise encountered. It helps you get acquainted with the layout and tools of different blogging platforms, exposes you to tools like RSS feeds, as well as programs like Google Docs (and the much-talked-about Google Wave).

• Stay in Practice — Maybe one of the most beneficial but most subtle benefit of social media is that it keeps in you in practice. It keeps you writing — even if it is only 140 characters at a time. As student journalists, it is essential to hone your communication, networking and writing skills as much as possible, and being a regular participant in online conversations through social media will help you stay sharp.

To put these ideas in to practice, check out Twitter 101 for Student Journalists by fellow student journalist Emily Ingram.