Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Making Social Networking Work For You!

I would be lying if I said I didn't have a social networking profile. It is probably the same for you. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or another service doesn't matter; we have become children of the viral communication age. With every post or tweet we make, there are many observing, reading and judging, and it is very easy to give the wrong impression about yourself: drunken party pictures, indecent tweets, or even an online argument can greatly damage your reputation. 

Hopefully you realize that when you are on the hunt for a job and your resume is being distributed en masse, potential employers will look at and judge you based on what you post in an effort to determine the type of person that you are. Evaluating an applicant's online profile has become as much a part of the selection process as conducting the interview itself. 

So how can you make social networking work for you?

I recently found an article while looking for blog submissions and it really had me intrigued. Aimed at teachers, tutors, and education majors, 10 Amazing Ways For Teachers & Tutors To Use Twitter In Education provides fantastic suggestions to ensure your students (looking at you, education majors), clients, and business partners can get information without being drowned in memos or standardized forms. 

I'm not going to go further into the article and give away all of the juicy details as it is really worth the read, but it gives creative ideas and strategies on how to make your social networking profile work for you in the best way. It also gives suggestions on other profiles to follow, such as WW2 Tweets from 1941. This account, started by a history graduate from England, tweets in real-time events from WWII; looking at his profile you can tell it has certainly made an impact because today it has nearly 300,000 followers. (I myself am one). 

Regardless of your major or discipline, social networking can be used for educational purposes when you are a student and later in your career. This article will give you the steps and guidance, but only you can make social networking work in the best light for you. To quote the beginning of the article, "Twitter like all other social media is a virtual Aladdin’s cave. It is a gateway to riches. But just like in the story, this Aladdin’s cave is also booby-trapped. Use it right and you will come away with the genie of knowledge ready to do your bidding. Use it wrong and you will be a casualty of wasted time. So, ‘rub’ it just right." 

Enjoy the article, and enjoy your summer! Make sure to follow the Daniel Cannon Memorial Library on Twitter and "Like" us on Facebook!  'See' you all on Friday!

- Aimee Graham, Online Librarian - 
--edited by S.Hawes

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