Creative Gen-Y students benefit from new social networking tools

Near baby boomers like Chris Gray of Trackahead.com and Jim Carella of Artzuno.com remember how students used to present themselves to potential schools or employers. First, you mailed your cover letter, application and resume. If granted an interview, you put on a suit and drove to the appointment. Then, if you were a creative person, you schlepped a bulky portfolio along, too.

But times have changed for Gen-Y'ers. For those born between 1980 and 1995, email, cell phones, Ipods and Facebook are as much everyday items as pencil and paper. And with that in mind, a few savvy business people set-out to meet the needs of the new generation. What they and their teams came up with just might revolutionize the way students move on to the next chapter in their lives.

According to Chris Gray, president and CEO, "Trackahead was started to create a social network that could be utilized by students, educators and community partners alike." Gray reports that the educators his team spoke with felt that existing social networks were an inadequate solution for communication with students. Also, students wanting to interact with colleges and companies didn't want to have to share personal pictures and correspondence from their social networks to do so.

On Trackahead, all students can create a multi-dimensional on-line portfolio. Gray says, "Of course, all students can benefit from a multi-media platform that lets them present a one to two minute video. This allows potential educators and employers to get a better chance of seeing them than a resume or application allows." He adds, "this is particularly important to performing arts students who need to be able to feature videos, presentations, photos and other images to showcase their craft."

Take for example, Andrew Boutselis, a junior at Campbell High School in Litchfield, NH. Thinking about a career in journalism or film and inspired by his social studies teacher Dennis Perreault to "think for himself," Boutselis created a video entitled, "Disposable Heroes." Boutselis says, "I posted the video on Trackahead primarily for feedback beyond the classroom."

He adds, "if you post your video on sites like YouTube, it becomes another number in an ocean of movies. Placing it instead on an education based creative tank like Trackahead gets you feedback from other people similar to yourself. Plus, it adds to your portfolio and makes your profile to colleges stand out."

Like Trackahead, Artzuno.com provides an avenue for young up-and-coming artists to share their talents with the world beyond family and friends. The slick website commands attention with its color schemes and ease of navigation. But perhaps, most unique about Artzuno is its artist-friendliness.

Explains one of its founders, Jim Carella, "Unlike other on-line music and art-for-sale sites, Artzuno.com profits solely through advertising revenue. That means, each painter, illustrator, potter or musician nets at least 90% of each sale with only a small percentage taken out for credit card processing."

While Artzuno.com is for artists of all ages, it's recently gained traction with teens. Carella's daughter who attends North Gwinnett High School in metro Atlanta has been helping her dad promote the site to her classmates. According to Carella, "About 70 students from North Gwinnett are visiting or posting their work on Artzuno.com." He adds, "as art is subjective, parents can be assured we review content periodically and that inappropriate work for minors or certain religious groups has a warning box attached to it.

Like Trackahead, Artzuno offers additional resources to help young artists create a strong personal brand for themselves. Trackahead is content rich with articles on career and employment, videos, blogs, forums and groups.  Artzuno is event focused with social networking, virtual auditions, news and classified advertising opportunities.

Both sites have all the bells and whistles the near baby boomers who created them didn't have when they were trying to get into college or their first job. Both Jim Carella and Chris Gray are banking on the fact they've added everything Gen-Y students, artists, their educators and stakeholders need to get ahead. They encourage everyone to join in and become members at trackahead.com and artzuno.com