Skills and Attributes for New Public Relations Professionals

Dave Fleet's blog post 14 Key Skills & Attributes for New Public Relations Professionals was extremely eye opening and incredibly relevant to not only our research class, but also the stage we are in now as PR majors with changes in technology happening faster than ever.
This article really reminded me of the first few chapters in the Solis book, particularly with the emphasis on this current transition between more traditional tools, skills and strategies and the newer methods that have presented themselves recently with the advent of online opportunities.
I appreciate that even though Fleet's focus is on the newer attributes he recommends for PR hopefuls, he still encourages knowledge of and practice with the older methodologies. I feel, no matter how technologically advanced our world becomes, writing will always be one of the most vital skills to have. Just as with writing, communication skills will never stop being important, and being attentive to details will continue to show readers your reliability as a source, as well as the degree of commitment you hold to your work.
I found it very interesting to read over his recommendations for 'newer' PR. I think the most common devices on the internet today (and by most common, I mean what most people are most familiar with) are the online social networking tools such as Facebook and Linkedin. I feel they're so famous because of the mass use they get (specifically Facebook) from not only people in the PR and journalism fields, but also, just the everyday person.
I, too, fall in line with the millions, perhaps even billions, of others around the globe who have Facebook accounts. And my entrance into the Facebook world wasn't inspired by college, classes, PR or even the consideration that Facebook could possibly affect (either negatively or postively) my job outlook in the future. It was influenced by the fact that my friends were doing it, it seemed 'cool' and fun, and I wanted to stay in contact with people after graduating high school.
Now, being able to recognize Facebook as so much more than a fun hobby and cool tool to update my friends on how amazing this episode of The Office is, I've already gained a much better understanding of what it can provide for me in the future.
But beyond Facebook and my recent practice with blogging, I need work--and a lot of it. Fleet mentions the importance of coding with HTML and PHP. He also stresses his belief that knowledge of search engine optimization is key information to have. This opens my eyes to the heavy reality that I need to start learning and using these tools now. And I can't simply test the waters with my feet, but rather dive head first in the deep end, submerging myself in every opportunity I can while I still have the chance. I'm still in college. This is the perfect time. Within a year, I'll be graduated and out in the 'real world' when knowledge of these things will really count and my expertise in them could make or break my prospect of a job offer.