SHARING

SOCIAL MEDIAacademic 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. 127-130.

Jeffery Loojeff@jeffloo.com

guest lecture for LIB 100, Wake Forest UniversityNovember 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 online People view and may respond

Discussion may begin

Common examples

BlogsMicroblogging

Social networksVideo sharing

Presentation and document sharing

BlogsWebsite where authors post regular entries like commentary, description of events, multimedia, etc.

Readers can leave comments.

Example tool: Blogger, http://www.blogger.com

Wake Forest News Center, http://newscenter.blogs.wfu.edu/

MicroblogsLike a blog, but the entries consist of a very short sentence, image, or video.

Example tool: Twitter, http://twitter.com/

deaconfootball, http://twitter.com/deaconfootball

Social networkingTechnology for maintaining social relationships.

Think Facebook.

Example tool: LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com

Wake Forest University Boston Area Alumni Network, http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=86871

Video sharingWeb sites where you can upload, share, and view videos.

Example tool: YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/

Wake Forest University Channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/WFUniversity

Presentation and document sharing Web sites where you can upload, share, and view presentation slides and other documents.

Example tool: SlideShare, http://www.slideshare.net/

Wake Forest University ITSM, http://www.slideshare.net/UniversityITSM

Class objectives

Social media for sharing academic and professional information1. Recognize the value and risks2. Implement social media3. 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 imageWhat 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 shareShare 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 shareDo not break copyright.

Learn more about copyright at: http://zsr.wfu.edu/services/research/guides/copyright/

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: http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/

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 lifehobbies

leisure activitiespersonal pursuits

your family and friendsetc.

Professional lifework

researchwriting

work-related ideasetc.

people you trust friendsfamily

close work colleaguesetc.

Private audience Public audiencestrangers

peersgeneral public

casual colleaguesetc.

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. 2010. What’s Your Personal Social Media Strategy? Harvard Business Review. November 2010, pp.127-130.

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. 2010. What’s Your Personal Social Media Strategy? Harvard Business Review. November 2010, pp.127-130.