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why would a geography student want to:- lurk on a geography newsgroup or listserv?- read geography journals or newsletters?- join/attend geography associations and conferences?- surf geography-related websites?The common element here is that all these mediums provide a view of what professionals are doing in the discipline. Anyone who is interested in geography as a potential profession, can find exceedingly useful information in those sources, even beyond the inherent interest the topic has for a person interested in the field.. Why? The listservs and newsgroups recently have come to form the backbone of professional networks in many fields, perhaps even more than associations (where you may meet colleagues only if you attend the annual professional meetings). Subscribing to listservs and news groups gives everyone a chance to learn what issues and questions are current in the field, and to see professionals reacting and responding to those issues and questions. By learning who is working in the field, and doing what where, students can find people to answer some of their questions about the field. Some of those professionals are also potential mentors, who might be able to suggest further opportunities for interested and eager students. Job listings also show up on many listservs, often before the "official" listings show up. By paying attention to all these sources, students can learn the terminology ("buzzwords") of the field, and what skills are most frequently used and mentioned (thus being able to learn what skills they will need to perform as professionals, as well as to learn the appropriate "keywords" for their resumes.) As a student learns and becomes knowledgeable and more able to contribute to the network, he or she then can become known as a professional, and attains the priviledges and responsibilities of being a professional, whose skills and qualities (often called a "reputation") come to be recognized by others in the field .
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