TWITTER AND SOCIAL MEDIAFOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL USE

REPUTATION VS. REALITY

What Is Social Media?Forms of electronic communications where users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages and other content.–Merriam-Webster, 2004

Reputation: Common Place, Unprofessional, Place to “vent,” or for personal use only

Reality: Social Media has experienced rapid growth for professional usesContributes to branding, job process, project research, audience feedback, culture

Reserve your name on social platforms: http://namechk.com

Make your usernames, handles, photos easy to identify

Always be aware of your employer’s social media policy

BASIC TOOLS

Twitter Facebook

LinkedIn Instagram

Reddit

“SEO”= Search Engine Optimization

Some sites are cached higher on Google web results

This includes many top social media sites

Google Search

First Impression:This is what I look like.

I study “HIS,” history

There aren’t many of me out there.

PRO’s:Professional Sources are 4/6

CON’s:Personal purchasing account still shows up.

TWITTER

Professional Twitter: One of the first search hits that comes up

Bio: Think of your “elevator pitch,” or introduction at functions

Functions: tweet/retweet/favorite/reply/message

Hashtags: #connectivephrase (ex: #HIS6983 #thatcampfl #digitalhumanities)

Tagging: @username will send notification, indicates conversation that is public, acts as a mention (ex: @myfriend is here with me at #thatcampfl )

Punctuation breaks the link for hashtags or tagging, defeating purpose

140 characters: appears constrictive

Adding links:http:// tinyURL to condense URLs or http://bit.ly

TWITTER CONT’D

Real Time Projects: WWII in Real TimeBritish historian and Oxford grad Alwyn Collinson, ongoing until Aug. 2017

Crowdsource Questions: “Does anyone know where I can find @thisauthor’s book on #subjectmatter?”

Credibility: Blue Check of Legitimacy

Main focus is entertainment or publicfigures, but reaching new topics

Phone Q&A:Jessica Gillespie,Social Media Producer Orlando Sentinel@orlandosentinel53.1K followers

FACEBOOK

<> Facebook users worldwide

Professional Pro’sMake contactsPost a portfolioCreate pages to manageReaches largest audienceIntegrated into current day culture easily

Streamlining existing facebook for professional use

Security features to screen content

Professional pages: advantages vs. disadvantages

Groups

FACEBOOK GROUPS FOR PROJECTS

Ex: Historic Sanford Florida Uses

Audience already collected

Uploading and sharing sources

Comments allows interpretation, input for sources on additional information

Links to articles

Mentions personal connections for possible oral histories, history harvests, etc.

FACEBOOK AS PUBLIC HISTORY

National Council on Public History

“#Facebookis10 and making videos for all of us based on its top picks from our pages. Public historians, what do we think about this? Is it a kind of public history?”

#Facebookis10 video highlights user’s history through timeline display

Feedback was split negative versus positive: How much agency given to an algorithm?

However: facebook is acting to document our social media lives, at least. Will that become a source for history for future generations?

LINKEDIN

Exclusively for Professional Use

Personalized URLLinkedin.com/in/name

Can link to sites, projects, articles

Embed in your blog, twitter, etc.

Online resume but has tools to build physical one

Groups, Discussions help connect

Endorsements from Peers

Apps: Cardmunch to build professional contacts

INITIAL VIEW VS. FULL PROFILE VIEW

INSTAGRAM

Photo sharing app used exclusively on phones or tablets

Kim Garst “9 Tips for Making Instagram Your Professional Secret Weapon”

Photos help add the personality often lacking from branded social media

Engages your followers/audience and can appeal to emotions

- Sync with twitter name

-Connect work regularly with images and encourage feedback

- Promote special events

-Engaging hashtags (only use 2-3 tops though)

- Don’t post too often, 2-3x day should be a maximum

INSTAGRAM IN USE

Connecting images by location using “maps” feature

Tags such as #UGA#specialcollections etc. to connect.

Abuse: Hard to distinguish subjectNo contextToo many hashtagsConflicting/confusing hashtagsWhat is there to add to the conversation?Quality over quantity on feedback

REDDIT

A social news and entertainment website where users can submit content

Develops communities and define a topic

Different threads fit topics

Can be narrow or broad

Potentially useful for finding sources on the web if you are part of a community with shared interests

Be skeptical and careful of sources, but many posted with links

ETIQUETTE

“Never Say Anything You Wouldn’t Say In Front Of Your Mother”

Example:#HasJustineLandedYet Debacle of Social Media Misuse: “The Tweet Read Round the World” Dec. 2013

@JustineSacco posted a racist joke on her twitter just before boarding an 11-hour flight from London to South AfricaWhile in flight the “joke” was shared beyond her 200 followers to over 1,500 retweets

Justine worked as a communications expert for IAC, a company that operates large websites such as CollegeHumor and Match.com #HasJustineLandedYet reached 56,000 tweets had the hashtag

Apps were tracking her flight progress midair as IAC deleted employment history

IDENTITY PROTECTION

Starting Fresh

Justdelete.me Offers color-coded difficulty levelAnd instructions for each site

Registering Personal Accounts UnderPsuedonyms or Incomplete NamesFacebook: “First + Middle”

Allow time for website to clear archives

Be selective what you share with general public for location, vacation plans, safety concerns

ADDITIONAL TOOLS

Blogging and MicroBlogging

WordPress, Tumblr, BloggerOpportunity for Expanded Content“Micro”: Smaller Content

Networking Tools

-CardMunch Phone AppStores contact information from business cards-Great for event networking

Messaging Apps:Skype, Kik, WhatsApp

Pinterest:Pin links and online sources to category “boards”Heavily DIY focused

Funding Tools:KickstarterGofundme

Can get funding for history projects from public donations