Best Practice with Social Media
Case Study
By Jordan Appicelli, Andria Belisle and Makenna
Schluter
Click to continue once video is done.
Social media is about sociology
and psychology more than
technology.
Brian Solis (2007)
Reasons For Using Social Media
Networks
Social 89%
 Entertainment 79%
 Educational 26%
 Professional 16%
 Other 5%
The majority (89%) of students use social
networks for social and entertainment.
26% use it for educational reasons and
16% utilize it for professional reasons
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(Martin, 2009)
Examples of Social Media
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Facebook
◦ 69% and 99% of college students
Twitter
◦ “119 million accounts (300,000 new users every day); 3 billion
tweets per day”
LinkedIn
◦ “A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second”
Youtube
◦ Average user spends 15-20 minutes per day on the site
(www.mashablebusiness)
Blogs
◦ BLOG=Better Listing On Google
◦ Blogs will become the new must-have executive accessory, just
as email is today. They amplify any senior executive’s
communications from one-to-one to one-to-many. It’s a nobrainer if you think about it.
(Weil, 2006)
Social Media in Responsible and
Educationally Relevant Ways
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Research has found a positive relationship
between social network use and collegestudent engagement
(Heiberger, 2007 & Higher Education Research Institute, 2007)
◦ A higher percentage of frequent users of social
networking Web sites participated in and spent
more time in campus organizations than less
frequent users.
◦ More of the frequent users interacted face-toface daily with close friends and felt strong
connections to them.
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Using Twitter in educationally relevant ways
in a first-year seminar course increased
student engagement and improved grades
(Junco, Heiberger& Loken, under review)
How Social Media Can Enhance
Student Learning Outcomes
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Salutary effects of Web 2.0 tools on student learning: 3
categories
Learner participation and creative practices
◦ Focuses on the ways web 2.0 tools encourage
students to engage with each other around certain
practical tasks such as identifying, analyzing and
evaluating information, gathering data and integrating
digital materials to express and share their creative
works.
◦ Example of incorporating social media into course
activities
 ‘Tweet’ four to five discussion questions before
class
(Greenhow, 2009)
How Social Media Can Enhance
Student Learning Outcomes

Learners’ online identity formation
◦ Constructing and presenting an integrated identity is a
dynamic process that occurs with or without social media.
But forming one’s identity online involves different risks
and rewards.
◦ Constructing one’s identity within the constraints and
norms of the medium can be an especially self-conscious
experience.
◦ Engaging in social media often involves activities that may
help students better understand themselves, such as
learning how much information about themselves to
disclose, learning to receive positive and negative feedback,
seeing oneself as having the capacities to produce as well
as participate and to critique as well as create, and actively
adopting different roles in the learning process.
(Greenhow, 2009)
How Social Media Can Enhance
Student Learning Outcomes
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Community involvement and formation
◦ Entails a kind of interactivity that differs from the
kind of learner participation described in the first
category.
◦ In contrast to seeing others simply as peer
traders of digital content whose significance does
not extend beyond an online relationship,
community involvement and formation are
educational outcomes concerned with
establishing enduring relationships with others.
(Baxter, 2011)
How Social Media Can Enhance
Student Learning Outcomes
Community involvement and formation continued
 Social networking sites not only help
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students overcome the kind
of isolation that otherwise might lead them to leave school, but
they also provide shy students with information about others that
actually facilitates face-to-face encounters.
Social media facilitate how students locate and identify with
campus communities of varying scales that range from the
institution as a whole to those meeting the needs of niche
populations.
Social networking sites are not only effective at linking people
with common interests, but depending on the network, also can
provide members with access to people with diverse points of
view that may be otherwise unavailable to people from
homogeneous backgrounds.
Social media excel at helping members plan the face-to face
interactions that are vital to sustaining community.
Social networking sites help students develop leadership skills
ranging from low-level planning and organizing to forms of
activism that promote social change and democratic engagement.
(Baxter, 2011)
Problems/Incivility with Social Media
1. Career Downfalls
• Wrong branding
2. Lack of self-exploration
3. Misinterpretation
• Shortening of communication
• No non-verbal communication
• Stereotypes
• Ambiguity of the medium
• Demographic differences in use
4. Cyber Bullying
• Privacy invasions
5. Procrastination Tool
(Rucker, 2011)
(Rucker, 2011)
(Rucker, 2011)
(Rucker, 2011)
(Rucker, 2011)
(Rucker, 2011)
(Rucker, 2011)
Recommendations For Faculty
1. Faculty must help students think critically about information they
find online
2. Help students think about the unintended consequences of what
they post online
3. Faculty need to discuss and model online civility, discuss online
privacy issues, and weave this info and conversation into their
courses (Chickering & Junco 2010)
(Rucker, 2011)
Helping Students Define Their
Personal Brand
What is a personal brand?
◦ “A unique promise of value”
 Why create a personal brand?
◦ Puts you in charge of leaving a footprint
◦ Create a competitive edge– How you
separate yourself from others
 Know yourself
◦ Values, Strengths, passions, attributes, other
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Types of Branding
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Personal
◦ “Personal Branding is permission to be yourself, your
best self. It’s about authenticity, differentiation, and
relevance” (William Arruda, 2012).
◦ Developing your personal identity
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Professional/Academic
◦ Developing your professional and academic
reputation
◦ How can you use social media to enhance your
academics and professional growth?
“Personal brands are very much a part of
professional brands” (William Arruda, 2012).
How To Promote Branding:
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Why build a brand?
◦ Establishes credibility and visibility
◦ Capitalize on your professional, academic, and
personal strengths
Know your Purpose
 Know your Audience (professionals,
employers, colleagues, customers, friends,
family, classmates, etc)
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Steps to Build Students’ Online
ID/Brand:
1.) Evaluate
◦
Google Yourself
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Online ID Calculator (www.onlineidcalculator.com)
2.) Diagnose
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Volume (Total number of responses, # of relevant responses)
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Relevance (Consistency with expertise)
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Purity (Common/Famous name, any digital dirt)
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Diversity (Bios, articles, videos, blogs, etc)
3.)Plan
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What your brand???
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Create the right mix (Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs, Twitter)
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Content/Identity Content rules (QUALITY TRUMPS QUANTITY and WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE KNOWN
FOR?)
4.) Implement
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Create a GoogleProfile, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc
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Consider starting a blog
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Upload professional YouTube videos
5.) Evaluate
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Re-Google yourself and complete the Online ID calculator again
WHATS YOUR “BRAND EQUITY” (Kaltved, 2011)
Congruence
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Between professional and personal
Friends, employers and others will look to see
◦ Are you being true to yourself
◦ Do you portray yourself consistently
◦ Are you being fake in one or the other
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It will only benefit you to portray yourself
similarly in both
It’s ok to be a bit more laid back in the personal
social media
Not sure how you look? Have a friend or
outsider look at both and give you their
perception
If Not Congruent…How To Delete
Digital Dirt
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Evaluate your Online Identity:
◦ Google yourself
◦ www.onlineidcalculator.com
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What is your ONLINE ID?
◦ Does it represent your brand?
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Become Digitally Distinct
◦ Vacuum it up (pictures, personal
information, etc.)
◦ Sweep it under the rug (privacy
settings)
◦ Credibility is key
◦ Cleaners
 Honestly.com,Vizibility.com,
Businesscard2.com, peoplepond.com
(Arruda, 2012)
Guidelines To Prevent Inappropriate
Use:
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Know what your after and what your purpose is
◦ POST (People- who are you trying to reach, Objectivewhat’s the main thing you want from them, Strategywhat kind of social interaction will lead to your goal,
Technology- what tool will best support that interaction
Monitor Exposure
◦ Visits, views, followers, fans, subscribers, brand mentions
Status Updates/Messages/Engagements
◦ How many people actually did something with your
message? (clicks, retweets, shares, replies, comments, etc.)
Influence
◦ Look at whether engagement metrics listed above are
positive, neutral or negative (Does it represent your
brand?)
Congruency between personal and professional brand
It all relates back to your identity and your brand!!!
Suggested Policy Development Process
Create a social media policy committee
comprised of institutional stakeholders with a
diverse background with social media experience
 The process should be aware of the fact that
social media can be beneficial to student
development
 The policies should allow users to explore their
online identities while making participation
expectations clear
 The finished product should be accessible, free of
jargon and reflect the institutions values, beliefs
and mission
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(Junco, 2011)
Policy Content
The tone of the policy should make the
student feel that the institution is giving
information to create a better online
experience
 Explain that other campus policies (code of
conduct, etc.) apply to social spaces as well
 Acknowledge the benefit of open sharing,
diversity of opinion and debate
 Include an explanation of the limits of privacy
 Include information on the perception of
‘tone’ in online communications
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(Junco, 2011)
Policy Content Continued
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Clearly state:
◦ The expected, positive behaviors
◦ The behaviors that are considered negative and
possibly dangerous
◦ The sanctions for negative actions
Include resources if things go wrong
 Recognize the role of faculty and staff in
modeling appropriate online community
behavior
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(Junco, 2011)
Why Does This Matter?
Relation to Theory
Perry’s (1981) Theory of Intellectual and Moral Development
•Facebook.com
has become a trend and a way for students to
portray themselves in an informal, impersonal way. By utilizing this
application, professionals can better understand where a student
may be developmentally.
•Status updates with specific views can show the students
intellectual development. Are they dualistic, multiplistic or are they
moving through relativism towards commitment? Example of a
relativistic status:
•Initial status- "I voted NO to raise fees for any amount, you
should too“
•End status- "The students have spoken! The referendum
passed, in spite of my past views we will move forward to
improve the programs"
(Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn, 2010)
Relation to Theory
Astin’s Theory of Involvement
•Students
learn more the more they are involved in both
academic and social aspects of college.
•The
amount, both quality and quantity, of the involvement
will influence the amount of learning.
•Social
media is one aspect of social involvement and
learning.
•Events, updates, networking
and sharing information can
lead to more involvement outside of social media.
(Hutley, 2001)
Relation to Theory
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Chickering’s Vectors of Student Development
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Developing competence
◦ Intellectual, interpersonal and physical skills
◦ Confidence in ability to achieve what they set out to do
◦ Example: Stating sexual orientation on social media sites
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Managing Emotions
◦ Recognize personal feelings
◦ New patterns of expression and control
◦ Example: Tweeting feelings about different subjects in a respectful and appropriate
manner
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Moving through autonomy toward interdependence
◦ Ability to cope with problems without seeking help from others
◦ Recognition of the need for interdependence
◦ Example: Writing about experiences via one’s BLOG
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Developing mature interpersonal relationships
◦ Relationships with trust and genuineness
◦ Respect and appreciation of others
◦ Example: Accepting ‘friends’ that one knows and trusts
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Establish identity
◦ Maintain inner sameness and continuity across settings
◦ Example: Presenting the same identity across different mediums
(Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn, 2010)
Relation to theory
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Career:
1.) Happenstance:
 Encouraging students to reach out to employers through
social media and take a PROACTIVE approach
2.) Hollands:
 Use your interests as part of promoting your brand
3.) Myer’s Briggs:
 Use your personality as part of promoting your brand
“79% of hiring managers and recruiters reviewed
online information about job applicants. 70% of
hiring managers rejected candidates based on
what they found.” (Garone, 2009)
References
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Arruda, W. (2012). Personal Branding-Do You Have Digital Dirt. Retrieved February 15, 2012, from REACH:
Where Branding Gets Personal: http://www.personalbranding.tv/personal-branding-do-you-have-digital-dirt/
Arruda, W. (2012). Retrieved February 14, 2012, from William Arruda.com: http://www.williamarruda.com/
Baxter Magolda, Marcia B. & Magolda, Peter M. (2011). Contested Issues in Student Affairs: Diverse
Perspectives and Respectful Dialogue. Social networking and student learning: friends without benefits. Stylus
Publishing, LLC., Virginia.
Chickering, Arthur W. & Junco, Reynol. (2010). Civil Discourse in the Age of Social Media. About Campus,
September-October.
Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn (2010). Student Development in College: Theory, Research, and Practice.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Garone, E. (2009). Five Mistakes Online Job Hunters Make. Wall Street Journal.
Heiberger, G. (2007). Have you Facebooked Astin lately? (Unpublished master’s thesis). Department of
Counseling and Human Development, South Dakota State University.
Higher Education Research Institute (HERI). (2007). College freshman and online social networking sites.
Retrieved from http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/PDFs/pubs/briefs/brief-091107-SocialNetworking.pdf
Hutley, K. (2001) Alexander Astin’s Theory of Involvement: A Summary. Retrieved from
sotl.illinoisstate.edu/conf/astin.shtml
Junco, R. (2011). The need for student social media policies. EDUCASE review, 46, 60-61. Retrieved from EBSCO
database on February 13, 2012.
Kaltved, D. (2011, October 18). Minnesota Career Development Association Round Table Discussion: Personal
Branding. (A. Belisle, Attendee)
Martin, C. (2009). Social networking usage and grades among college students, 3, 1-7. Retrieved from
www.unh.edu/news/docs/UNHsocialmedia.pdf
Rucker, J.D. (2011). [Is social media ruining students April 25, 2011]. Is Social Media Ruining Students. Retrieved
from www.soshable.com/is-social-media-ruining-students/
Solis, B. (2007) Social media is about sociology not technology. Retrieved from www.
Briansolis.com/2007/08/social-media-is-about-sociology-not/
Weil, D. (2006). The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get it Right.
Penguin Group.