Your daily activity of surfing Facebook, tweeting, and checking in on LinkedIn could lead to a job

TAMPA - While some workers may get in trouble for spending too much time on Facebook, some companies are actually paying people to surf social media sites.

Many of us spend hours on the computer and now many employers want people to do just that.

"I think social media jobs are expanding and exploding," said Kevin Hourigan, CEO of Bayshore Solutions, a company that focuses on on expanding internet business.

Hourigan said in just the past few years, his need for social media experts has grown six-fold.

"People are seeing social media as another form of public relations," Hourigan explained.

Hourigan advertised on Monster.com, a job-seeking website. That website reports these positions are up as much as 75 percent.

Hourigan said the jobs are out there. The problem is finding the right person.

Often times recent grads know more about social media than the hiring managers but, "The challenge is those people who understand how to use the tools may not know how to apply that understanding to a good benefit back to the business," Hourigan said.

That's where college professors like Dr. Judith Washburn come in. She doesn't teach communication or even journalism. She teaches business at the University of Tampa.

She said that social media needs to be a part of virtually every curriculum.  "It has gotten more and more important."

It's why she educated herself on social media a few years ago. We found many teachers at college campuses doing the same thing.

"Social media should not be something that stands alone. How social media works best is when it is coordinated with all your other promotional effort," Dr. Washburn said.

In fact, Washburn invited Hourigan to University of Tampa to speak on the importance of understanding social media.

"I don't think social media is a fad or a trend.  I think it's here to stay.  I think it is going to evolve," Dr. Washburn said.

And they key is to evolve with it .

The bottom line, you can be an expert in any field, but you may also want to arm yourself with social media skills.