SHARING SOCIAL MEDIA academic and professional information through

This class is primarily based on an excellent article by Soumitra Dutta – What’s Your Personal Social Media Strategy, Harvard Business Review, November 2010, pp Jeffery Loo guest lecture for LIB 100, Wake Forest University November 30, 2010

What is social media? Technologies on the Web and Internet that allow interactive dialogue with other people. (Wikipedia, 2010) Many different types of social media, see handout p. 2. Share onlinePeople view and may respond Discussion may begin

Common examples Blogs Microblogging Social networks Video sharing Presentation and document sharing

Blogs Website where authors post regular entries like commentary, description of events, multimedia, etc. Readers can leave comments. Example tool: Blogger, Wake Forest News Center,

Microblogs Like a blog, but the entries consist of a very short sentence, image, or video. Example tool: Twitter, deaconfootball,

Social networking Technology for maintaining social relationships. Think Facebook. Example tool: LinkedIn, Wake Forest University Boston Area Alumni Network,

Video sharing Web sites where you can upload, share, and view videos. Example tool: YouTube, Wake Forest University Channel,

Presentation and document sharing Web sites where you can upload, share, and view presentation slides and other documents. Example tool: SlideShare, Wake Forest University ITSM,

Class objectives Social media for sharing academic and professional information 1.Recognize the value and risks 2.Implement social media 3.Consider appropriate use

Part 1. Value of social media There are potential benefits and risks

Communicate who you are Potential risks Misunderstandings Misuse of this information by others Concerns about your professional image Potential benefits Showcase your talent, work, ideas, etc Get recognition Forge connections with others

Engage with others Potential benefits Discussion Sense of community for assistance and feedback Potential risks Contacts may post information you don’t want shared Maintaining your social media may become a distraction

Learning from others Potential risk Relying on anecdotal information from your social network may introduce bias Potential benefits Quick and direct communication Collect information, news, and recommendations in a timely manner

Part 2. Getting started with social media See handout page 3 for details.

Address potential risks Inappropriate professional image Restrictions for sharing information

Managing your professional image What if a potential employer saw your online identity? 75% of recruiters and human resources professionals research job candidates online (Dutta, 2010) People have been fired for comments on blogs and Facebook

Permission to share Share information that you have permission to share. Be careful of confidential, proprietary, and extremely sensitive information. In general, if you have private information you want to maintain control over, think carefully before sharing via social media.

Permission to share Do not break copyright. Learn more about copyright at: You cannot copy, distribute, and adapt the work without the permission of the person /group who has copyright.

Permission to share If there is a Creative Commons License, you may have special permission to copy, distribute, and adapt it. Learn more:

Next steps 1.Google yourself. What does your online identity say about you? 2.Consider creating a professional online identity. Share your CV/resume, sample writing, sample works, etc.

Part 3: Appropriate use of social media Dutta (2010) Maximize potential and minimize risks by planning your communication between: different target audiences private public different spheres of your life personal professional

Personal life hobbies leisure activities personal pursuits your family and friends etc. Professional life work research writing work-related ideas etc.

people you trust friends family close work colleagues etc. Private audiencePublic audience strangers peers general public casual colleagues etc.

Discussion activity Divide into four groups: – Group 1: personal sphere + private audience – Group 2: personal sphere + public audience – Group 3: professional sphere + private audience – Group 4: professional sphere + public audience See definitions on handout page 5.

Discuss Focusing on your assigned life sphere and target audience, discuss: 1.What information might people want to share through social media? 2.Are there certain topics to focus on? 3.Are there certain topics to avoid sharing? Record your responses on handout page 6.

1.Compare your responses to Dutta’s evaluation (see next slide). How are they similar or different? 2.Report to your class: – A summary of your discussion – A summary of Dutta’s evaluation – Any differences and similarities

Source: Dutta, Soumitra What’s Your Personal Social Media Strategy? Harvard Business Review. November 2010, pp

Summary 1.Social media lets you communicate who you are, engage with others, and learn from others in an academic and professional capacity. 2.Take advantage of the potential benefits, but beware the risks. 3.If you choose to use social media technology for sharing your academic and professional work, address the potential risks related to your professional image and your responsibilities for sharing information. 4.Use social media safely and effectively by developing personal guidelines and restrictions for the different spheres of your life (personal versus professional) and with your targeted audiences (private versus public).

Reference Dutta, Soumitra What’s Your Personal Social Media Strategy? Harvard Business Review. November 2010, pp