Keeping it social (aka Thing 12)

This is what my personal twitter network looks like on 15^th August 2011. I used Twitter Mosaic to take the image

I am terrifically interested in social media and the psychology of its use for both professional and personal means.  At the University there are various example of good practice; lecturers connecting with students on individual courses, central units connecting with wider student groups, networking for staff, alumni, students and prospective students alike.  In our team we are exploring the use of social media to reach students; we have a Facebook site and post to the Twitter feed for the whole department.

There is a growing acceptance for online communication in our society now, and certainly here at the University.  For many it is a simpler way of getting access to the information that they would otherwise have to cross campus for.  This makes it even more important to get the message right(please also see the points made in my post about over-reliance on technology).  People using online methods to find what they want can often jump from item to item or scan quickly without checking details.  This certainly explains why queries can end up going to the wrong recipients.  I dare say there can be other reasons too, but I am aware of people clicking on the first link to contact someone, without checking that their business is in the area they need.  At least with Facebook and Twitter people are voluntarily signing up for something and therefore selecting a business they want.  There is a better chance that by putting yourself out there on these platforms you are reaching people that want to be reached.  Our students can also sign up for RSS feeds for our site.  This also suggests that we are then reaching an audience that wants to hear from us.

Facebook and Twitter do allow for a more social approach though.  I do not subscribe to the idea that social media allows for a casual approach, but a little more chatty and humorous perhaps.  Professionalism is key in my opinion.  We don’t need to “get down with the kids” to reach them; just be approachable.  Using social media means that we are accessible for those that respond well to the structures provided by the particular social media platform in question.  Not everyone finds navigating a website a straightforward experience.  Social media platforms provide an alternative.

We’re not on Google+ yet.  That is too new to commit to just yet.  Needless to say I don’t mind trying it out until it shows how useful it will be for work!