In the May 2007 issue of Wired Magazine (the one with Heroes actor Masi Oka on the cover), a new type of position is mentioned in Jargon Watch.
Online Analyst
n. Hired by companies like Coca-Cola and AT&T to monitor what's being said about them on social networks and blogs, online analysts use the Internet as a vast upaid focus group.
I would think that many new college graduates would be perfect for this position with the knowledge of social networks, blogs, search engines, and maintaining a reputation online. Unfortunately, this isn't a widely available position and I could only find a perfect match for the position offered through New Media Strategies, a hot company out of DC. The downside is that the position requires 2-3 years of professional experience, so it would be more of a longshot for college graduates. Check out the NMS career page for internships and other positions to see if it is up your alley.
