The trend is moving toward more institution staff and faculty having accounts on Facebook and other social networking sites. Thousands of educators are already engaging one another on Facebook and seeing the networking benefits among themselves and their students, a few of whom are writers/readers of this blog.
Though many advisors already have accounts, some are unsure of how to get started, so here’s a step by step guide to get you started on Facebook. I am focusing on Facebook since it’s the dominant choice among college students.
Step 1: Sign Up
Visit www.facebook.com
Step 2: Sign Up
Click on "Register"
Step 3: Sign Up
Fill in your information.
- As an employee of an institution, you want to mark yourself as "in college/graduate school" then it will pop up another list to mark if you are "undergrad, grad, alum, faculty or staff."
- You can use any email address to register for Facebook and no longer is it restricted to only .edu addresses. (Though joining a particular school network may depend on your .edu)
Step 4: Confirm your Email
Go to your email account and confirm your email.
Step 5: Search for your Associates
Connect with other people at your institution. You can either search with your institution email ( e.g. johnsmith@osu.edu) or you can click on "Find current or past university classmates."
Step 6: Edit Profile
Set up your profile. Click on "edit" at the top of the page.
Step 7: Edit Profile
Input personal information. Start with the "Basic" info and work your way across from "Contact" to "Picture." You only need share what you feel comfortable sharing. If you are unsure as a professional what you should or shouldn’t share, read this and this articles to start.
Step 8: Join Networks
On the top of the page click on the arrow to the right of "Networks." Then click on "Join Networks."
Step 9: Join Networks
In Facebook, networks are the large groups you affiliate yourself with. Currently, networks are based around Workplace, Region, High School and College. Enter your school email and Facebook will detect your institution network for you. Then click "Join This Network."
Step 10: Join Goups
Within each network and across multiple networks are a plethora of groups on any topic from "Addicted to Taco Bell" to "Abolish Monday." Within the 10000′s of random groups are several directly related to student affairs. Try these to start:
- Student Affairs Professionals Unite (2,300+ Members)
- Student Affairs (1,025+ Members)
- Student Affairs Professionals (1,376+ Members)
Step 11: Celebrate Your Genius
Once you are up and running on Facebook, take some time to do a little dance, sing a little song and celebrate how cool you are now that you have a Facebook account.
That’s it! You’re done for now.
Stay tuned for Part 2 where I share some of the advanced things you can do on Facebook.
