Introduction to Social Media
Contents
• What is social media
• What is and can social media be used for
• Social media in the University and within Student Services
• Creating a social media presence
• A couple of issues
• Social media and disability
What is social media?
• generally known as an online technology that facilitates social interaction
• its aim is to enable, inspire, influence and engage
It’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate…
Years to 50 million users
• Radio = 38 years
• TV = 13 years
• Internet = 4 years
• iPod = 3 years
• Facebook = in less than a year had over 200 million users
• iPod application downloads = 1 Billion in 9 months
Social media allows connections with people who share a common interest.
These can be used to:
• share and test ideas, participate, inspire, contribute, collaborate,
• Communicate, ask questions, collect feedback
• Research - new developments, sector based news, vacancies and opportunities, social change
• Information – News, locate or learn something
• Develop and engage professional and/or academic networks - people/employers/groups
• Allows users or members to produce content in a meaningful way – in any format…. blogs, audio, video
Motivations at the University
“ solution to providing an inclusive environment to promote the work of the
school.Students want to feel a sense of belonging and ownership of their school and recognise the
importance of an online presence."
"students need to have an online professional presence
and using external services for academic and professional purposes helps students to understand this and helps
develop their digital skills and literacy"
Product Design
University of Brighton social media presence
www.brighton.ac.uk/socialmedia
Facebook: Brighton Business SchoolStudent Folio: Graduate Degree Show Flickr: Research Poster CompetitionYoutube: University of Brighton
An opportunity for students to ask questions, us to reply….to give information
Its not all positive .. but it does allow us to pick up on issues or concerns
Advantages for Student Services
Assuming the students are engaged:
• Quick and cheap way to get information to students at stages within the lifecycle
• Repeat messages, pick on up on common themes
• Students supporting each other
• Allows students to lead the agenda
• An opportunity to tap into the mindset and get feedback
•
Creating a social media presence
• Post meaningful, useful and respectful content
• Be useful and helpful, informative or inspirational
• Allow and encourage debate and opinion, listen and comment
• Add/share other content: news, events, useful resources
• Make contacts, get recommendations
• Find and join groups and discussions
• Follow, like or use hashtags (#)
• Promote: add your URL to your auto signature/CV etc
• SEO: add links / tags and keywords, your location, your name, your blog or LinkedIn URL.
• http://marioncurdy.weebly.com/
DO
• Know why you are doing it
• Choose the correct tool for the task
• Be consistent with naming and branding
• Post positive, useful content
• Respond quickly to interactions
• Check your sources before posting.
DON’T
• Create too many accounts to manage
• Post anything that may be too controversial, untrue or libellous
• Repeat yourself
• Upload anything that you wouldn’t want everyone to see
• Forget to proof read your posts
A couple of issues
(a) Your online reputation
‘It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it’.
Benjamin Franklin
The police were alerted to her comments …she was identified from her Facebook page …she had also posted pictures of herself tailgating other motorists, and photographed her speedometer showing a speed of 95mph.
She was suspended from her accountancy firm …
‘It was a spur of the moment thing and I'm sorry. I didn't realise it would ever escalate to this.’ – Emma Way
http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2013-05-22/cycle-tweet-girl-breaks-her-silence/
Your online reputation:
• The information you put up about yourself - personal or professional
• how you put content online, where you put it and when you do it….
• Information other people put up about you – personal or professional
• Includes comments others may make about you or your character, or professional work
• Photos you have been tagged in
• Being digitally non existent can be of detriment
Increasingly employers check out candidates online presence prior to interview -"77% of recruiters said they used search engines to find background data on candidates. Additionally, 35% admitted they eliminated a candidate because of what they found online." (The Guardian)
A couple of issues
(b) Your Digital footprint
Being online leaves a digital footprint
• Your activity is permanent, direct and immediate
• Information stored online becomes public by default
• You don’t control what your friends do with that content/photos.
• Search engines catalogue everything from blogs, press releases, social media updates…and these will come up in a web search – unless you set appropriate privacy settings
• You don’t own much of the content you put online
• Simply removing something from the web doesn’t always mean that people won’t find it.
• Check your digital footprint www.123people.com/ or www.google.co.uk/ etc
In the social media world, a persons disability is invisible
Social Media and Disability
http://www.slideshare.net/SezenKapanc/disability-social-media-15379803
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jan/17/disability-spartacus-welfare-cuts-campaign-viral
‘This carefully planned viral campaign steered by a tiny band of activists almost single-handedly put the previously arcane issue of cuts in disability living allowance on the public agenda’
BBC In Touch – the disabled view5th April 2011. www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/features/social_network_savvie.shtml
• ‘Twitter does away with the eye-contact element of a conversation. We’re all equal and I think that’s why people like it so much’.
• ‘In the past, papers like the guardian might have been a week old before they were available in a format I could read’.
• ‘I’m often ill and can’t afford to physically attend events, so I tend to use social networks as a way of engaging with other people in real life’.
• ‘I met lots of my Facebook friends through Ouch! The Suggest a Friend option led me to another message board poster’.
• ‘Without social networks, none of the current disability campaigns could happen’.
• ‘I like to get to know prospective employers on this unnaturally level playing field’.
• ‘I sometimes upload tutorials on how to do technical tasks or how to use a piece of assistive technology’.
Five disability people to follow on Twitter…according to @bbcouch
• Sue Marsh @suey2y. diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/
• The minister for disabled people @MinisterDisPpl or @EstherMcVeyMP.
• Francesca Martinez @chessmartinez
• Ellie Simmonds @EllieSimmonds1
• Neil Crowther @neilmcrowther www.neilcrowtherconsulting.com/blog.php
See also
• Disability Twitter List
• Influences and Hashtags
In summary:• Social media can be a powerful tool
• Social media isn't going away
• Not having an online presence can be a bad thing
• You are probably using these tools anyway
• Experiment, explore and try and keep up with the trends o Sign up for Facebook and/or create a professional Facebook
profileo Sign up for Twitter and follow University of Brighton accountso Follow the Disability influencers and hashtags
• Check your digital identity and manage your reputationo What can people find out about you? What have people said
about you? Is it a positive impression? Is there anything you wouldn’t want people to know about?
