It’s hard to get away from social media. Traditionally teachers were able to keep
their public and private lives quite separate, however that’s increasingly
difficult as students often try to “friend” you on Facebook. Do your students
really need see or “like” photos of your kids? No.
Rather than seeing this as an issue, I realise that this is
an opportunity: Students are willingly engaged, they care, and most importantly they are coming to me. Teachers can use
social media marketing techniques to influence and transform students’
lives in a way that would not be done easily in the classroom.
Of course, there are many risks. And the burden of
responsibility is disproportionately heavy on the teacher rather than the
student – however these risks can be mitigated with prudent management.
All social media tools use predictive technology that will
suggest that you friend/connect/follow other people based on your
connections. You do not want your students
contacting your children. Some things you must keep secret.
Holding two contacts is a little controversial, and it
technically breaks the
Terms of Service.
Facebook inc is
aware of the practice, and is
publicly disapproving, although
I notice they have not yet cracked down on the practice as many people have
multiple accounts as identities for their kids or pets. So for the moment it’s
a taboo. Both Zuckerberg and the NSA dislike multiple identities for roughly
the same reasons.
Google+ has done much better to separate people's identities
by creating “circles” that allow you to publish different post to different
audiences. Unfortunately nobody (other than Google employees) uses Google+, so
you will have to go where your audience is and stick to Facebook.
Logging in and out of different accounts is a pain, but if
you use different browsers for different accounts you can easily segregate the
two. For example, you can use Google Chrome for your public account and Firefox
for your private account and remain simultaneously logged into both. This trick
also works for smart phones but is less effective.
TIPS TO MAKE IT WORK
The chances are that you are already using Facebook, however
don't know how to turn your favourite toy into a rugged work tool. It’s up to you to exercise soft skill and
lead by example. Unlike the classroom or
LMS, you cannot control the social media ground.
The key is to maximise
your message impact. Think about what marketing messages you receive on Facebook
already – what things annoy you, and what things do you actually like?
The key difference between social media marketing and
regular advertising is a sense of “being sold to”. Avoid sounding plastic at
all times. Our whole lives we have desensitised ourselves to advertising. Indeed, the court is expected that a
reasonable person would be able to tell the difference between a genuine
message and advertising that constitutes a “mere puff” (Carlill v Carbolic
Smoke Ball Co 1893 Court of Appeal UK). Craft
updates that really “sound like you”. Develop your own persona and use this
voice, avoid merely parroting the corporate line.
Remember your audience (the students) do expect to be spoken
to as students, so its ok can give them instructions. Just avoid “barking
orders”. NEVER insult your audience.
This makes you a target for attack. I have seen many teachers complain on
Facebook that students are stupid, or are lazy - this is a great way to get
fired!
If you do have a situation that could explode, alert a
senior immediately. You never want to be seen to be covering up the truth.
Avoid being positive
about everything. Provide commentary
where appropriate. For example, I teach taxation, and while I remain
politically neutral, I do regularly comment on the taxation policy of the
government of the day. Some things I promote, but others I am very critical of.
Students expect teachers to be able to apply their learning to the real world,
and thus commentary demonstrates your mastery of your field, and also makes the
learning realistic. You need to exercise tact; avoid being a shock jock.
Be passionate about
your field. I constantly post about how much I love accounting. I make
light of the matter, and even list
Lucca Paccioli as my
grandfather. It’s a light hearted way of
protecting my real family. Always love what you do. If you want the students to
care, so should you.
Never use a linking tool that posts to twitter and Facebook
(or elsewhere). Your audiences on each platform are very different. For the
same reason, never use an RSS link feeder.
Do post links to
interesting things you read on the net that are relevant to your field.
Always make a quick comment on the link that contextualise why students should
read the link.
Unless it’s part of your strategy, avoid ranting about politics or sport. You might love Hawthorn, but most of your
audience do not. If you really must post about sport, try to segregate your
audience somehow or ensure it’s not sport-spam.
Never send friend
requests to students. Let them friend
you. They consider this to be “THEIR” playground, and so you are a guest in
their space. If they friend you, they probably want to read what you have to
say. If they don’t like it, they don’t have to read it.
Don’t get upset if
they unfriend you.
NEVER never never force students to use social media. Remember,
it’s not your space to pollute with work.
I wish people a happy
birthday as it makes them feel special. Although, I don’t post my own
birthday because I don’t want them to know, and it may invite presents from
students that others might construe as “bribes”. Presents to teachers are not
uncommon in Asian cultures.
Make ALL your posts
publicly available. Most modern classrooms are designed to be visible from
the outside. This transparency means that it is difficult for unscrupulous
students to level false accusations against teachers, and likewise difficult
for teachers to misbehave in private. Your dealings on Facebook should remain
the same as your interaction in the classroom - open door and transparent at
all times. Assume nothing you do using
your work account is private. If a student has a private matter, invite
them to e-mail you using your work address rather than Facebook chat messenger.
Be clear to them that you do NOT have to give instant replies.
Occasionally you will be criticised, so develop a thick skin. If remarks are inappropriate, simply delete
them, however if the complaint contains any validity, you should address it
publicly. If you are attacked, sometimes it is better to draw on your infantry
of social capital and invite the discussion of others – many will support you.
Many times silence is the best option.
Stand up to bullies
when you see another person being victimised. The chances are that you won’t
see it, but always provide the moral leadership.
Update regularly.
I try to make one post every working day. An abandoned account shows students
that the account is probably a decoy, and that students will keep searching
until they find your real account. To ensure consistent updates, I use scheduling software to update my social media channels with my key central
themes. This gives my message on track, and I randomise schedules over
daylight hours to make it look as if I am on Facebook as much as my students
are.
Encourage past
students to give advice to current students. This has helped me build a community where
the class content can be discussed, and seniors can help juniors. This is
especially true when past graduates let new graduates know about jobs!
Networking is important.
Avoid posting 20 messages consecutively and nothing for
days. This looks like spam. Timing is important so space out your message intervals. Try to leave at least 90 minutes
between posts, but don’t post more than 6 times a day. If you do have lots of
ideas down, use a scheduling tool such as Buffer.
Photos generate more
engagement than videos or text. Again, keep it real. Good photos taken from
a smart phone generate more engagement than professional photos that look like
an advertisement. Photos shot on campus make for great engagement.
Celebrate their
achievements. Like every photo of them on their graduation day.
One idea per post. Longer or more complex writing goes into
a “note”.
You need to understand that different social media platforms
tend to attract different audiences with different attention spans. While this
might be work for you, it’s a playtime for them. So keep it short and snappy!
Posts less than 2 lines long are almost always read. Paragraphs are
not. If you need practice, learn to
tweet.
Social media is a risky environment, but ignoring it is likewise
foolish. Even if you do not have a social media presence, you can still be the
target of some very nasty attacks. I believe it is always better to show
leadership and always be on the front foot.Displaying judgement, being tactful and maintaining dynamism
are key points.
