Slides for a presentation on what works in social media for academics, given Oct. 24, 2017 to the CHIMPS Lab at Carnegie Mellon University's Human Computer Interaction Institute in the School of Computer Science.

1. What works
in social media
(for academics)
Cori Faklaris
aka
@heycori

2. 1. Why bother with social media?
3. What are the “tricks of the trade”?
2. How can you get noticed?

3. About
me
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◦ “Doer of Things No One Else Wants to Do”

4. Jena Kingsley,
“Social
Networking in
Real Life
-SOCIAL
EXPERIMENT.”
YouTube video.
Published Jan.
20, 2015. Last
accessed Oct. 7,
2017 at
https://youtu.be/
_pyJlERCrJE

5. 1.
Why bother with
social media?

7. Screenshots of
first page of
results on
Google for
search terms
“Cori Faklaris”
and “Jason
Hong,” using
Incognito Mode
to control for
cookies and web
history influence
on algorithm’s
results return.

8. 3 social media
sites to know as
a U.S. academic
Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

9. “
Clara Chung-wai Shih
CEO + co-founder of Hearsay Social
Author of The Facebook Era: Tapping Online Social Networks to Build Better
Products, Reach New Audiences, and Sell More Stuff (2010, Prentice Hall)
9

10. 2.
How can you get
noticed?

11. Tip 1:
Claim
your
name(s)!
○ Use a permanent email account when
registering your social media accounts.
◦ Primary email for personal accounts is best, i.e.
GmailName@gmail.com, Name@FirstLastname.com
◦ “Neutral” email for group or shared accounts, i.e.
labname@school.edu, smm@yourbusiness.com
◦ Write down the login information for these accounts in
a password-protected Excel or Google Drive doc.
○ Check availability of your name(s) on sites.
◦ https://knowem.com/, search bar on social media sites
◦ Username is search term: FirstLastname, LabName.
○ Register accounts on all relevant services,
especially legal and/or professional names.
“Social media management: 3 steps to
claim your name on social networks.” Flint
Group. N.d. Last visited Oct. 7, 2017 at
http://www.flint-group.com/blog/claimin
g-name-social-media/

12. ○ @heycori: the handle I’m
“known for” going back to
AIM/AOL days.
○ @CoriFaklaris, my legal
and professional name
(people will search this).
○ … not quite sure why I
registered this one.
I have three usernames registered on Twitter:

13. Tip 2:
Fill out
your profile +
contact info
○ Always include your professional name
somewhere so people know this is “you.”
○ Use a professional-looking photo of your
face so people can recognize you offline.
○ Fill out all of the text input fields.
○ Add cover images or backgrounds that tie
in with what people know you for.
○ If you won’t be hanging out there regularly,
direct people to the places where you
know you will be active.
Don’t look
like a
spammer,
bot or fake
account!

14. What I did right:
✔ Reserved my professional
name so no one can
impersonate me
✔ Directed people to my
active Twitter account +
website (more links there)
✔ Filled out all text fields and
photo spaces to show my
authenticity to viewers
Some info is out of date or
misplaced. Good thing I am
checking up on it now!
Ex 1:
A “set it
and forget it”
account

15. What I did right:
✔ Reserved my “handle” and
labeled it with my “real”
name - no one can take it :-)
✔ Short bio with keywords
that signal what I post here
✔ “Tagged” the institutional
accounts I am associated with
Signals of an “influencer”:
✔ Follower count + ratio
✔ ID verification mark ✔
Ex 2:
A “personal
brand” account

16. What I did right:
✔ Reserved my professional
name - LinkedIn includes this
name in the profile URL
✔ Headline describes my
career aim in one sentence.
✔ Updated my info so people
know my career progress
✔ Members-only fields
function as online resume/CV
Only one recommendation
though - looks like I need to
ask for a few more!
Ex 3:
A “professional
brand” account

17. http://blog.impactstory.org/7-tips-to-supercharge-your-academic-linkedin-profile/

18. What I did right:
✔ Reserved a Facebook
profile URL name (in this case,
my “handle” heycori)
✔ Short bio wording is
consistent with other
accounts but adds tidbits
about my personal life
✔ Used professional photo
but changed the cover photo,
added a favorite quote, etc.
Lots of work info though - it’s
not completely “casual.”
Ex 4:
A “casual”
account

19. Tip 3:
Find +
follow
model
accounts
○ Look up your colleagues in the search bars
of social media sites.
◦ Follow, connect with or friend all of them :-)
◦ Notice why you find pleasure in reading the posts of
certain accounts. What types of posts do they share?
How do they mix in links, photos, videos, commentary?
◦ Try out what seems to work for them.
○ Click on lists of followers or connections of
these colleagues to find more models.
◦ Follow, connect with or friend the ones you seem to
have the most interests or people in common with.
◦ Notice whether and how other the audience engaged
with their content - through comments,
likes/favorites/reactions, shares, etc.

20. Chris Harrison
Twitter: @hciprof
Adrian David Cheok
Twitter: @adriancheok
Casey Fiesler
Twitter: @cfiesler
Here are 6 “real”
people you can
follow + watch ...
danah boyd
Twitter: @zephoria
Jeffrey Bigham
Twitter: @jeffbigham
Benedict Evans
Twitter: @BenedictEvans
20

21. You can also
search for posts
with hashtags like
#AcademicTwitter
21

22. Ex 5: The @pikachu_hudson Twitter account

23. Ex 6:
The
@cmuhcii
Twitter
page’s
follower list

24. Tip 4:
Post
something
every day
○ Choose one social media account as your
primary focus of energy and time.
◦ Block out 10 minutes each weekday for this work.
◦ Take 5 minutes to scan for a link to post - maybe a recent
reading, a video you watched, a meme you laughed at or
saying that you found inspirational.
◦ Type in or copy/paste a link to this content, with a
personal comment that speaks to why your attention
was drawn to it or why you think it has value for others.
◦ For the rest of this time block, reply back, comment on
others’ posts and follow at least 10 other accounts.
○ Choose two more for weekly maintenance.
◦ Block out time once a week (on the weekend?) to post
to these secondary social media accounts using this
method for each of the two, for a total of 20 minutes.
Real talk:
this means
at least
90 minutes
each week

25. Tip 5:
Cross-
promote on
all your
materials
○ Include info for your social
media accounts, with links,
on all your other accounts
and materials:
◦ List accounts prominently on your
website.
◦ Include accounts at the top of your
resumé and curriculum vitae.
○ And don’t forget:
◦ Your business card.
◦ Email signature.
◦ Presentation slides.

26. No more than 2 in-line tags per post
Avoid posting divisive sentiments
Sarcasm doesn’t come across well
RTs may still be read as = endorsements

27. 27
President Barack Obama jokingly
mimics U.S. Olympic gymnast
McKayla Maroney's "not
impressed" look while greeting
members of the 2012 U.S.
Olympic gymnastics team in the
Oval Office, November 15, 2012.
(Official White House photo by
Pete Souza. From
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:
Barack_Obama_with_artistic_gym
nastic_McKayla_Maroney_2.jpg)

28. 3.
What are the
“tricks of the
trade”?

29. Consistency
The essence of branding
29

30. Consistency
means:
○ Showing up
○ Telling (+ showing) people who you are
○ Setting expectations for what you will give
them
○ Meeting those expectations
○ Regularly

31. Consistency
in social media
means:
○ Posting every day
○ Using the same names and photos across
multiple accounts
○ Being upfront in profiles about your intentions
and goals for your accounts
○ Posting content and comments that match
those stated intentions and goals
○ Building a system for making all of the above
happen no matter what*
*within reason :-)

32. Copy, paste and modify
where possible …

33. … even link your LinkedIn account to your Twitter account ...
1. 2. 3.

34. … so that you
can push your
posts also to
Twitter once
you share them
on LinkedIn.

35. Track and
schedule
posts using a
management
platform like
TweetDeck …

36. … or by
integrating
your social
media
accounts
with a service
like Buffer.

37. Also consider when NOT to post …
37
http://time.com/money/3019899/10-facebook
-twitter-mistakes-lost-job-millennials-viral/
http://www.whatsnextblog.com/worst-911-b
rand-tweets-ricenfl-debacle-apples-launch/

38. Check up regularly on how accounts appear
38
To others in your life
-- Seek branding feedback
-- Enlist editors or
“second eyes” to help
head off misfires
-- Tag people mentioned
With privacy settings
-- Check post visibility
-- Review the privacy
settings on accounts
-- Ask before posting
news about others
In search results
-- Use Incognito Mode to
see “pure result” to
random stranger
-- May find critics or
citations of your work
that you aren’t aware of

39. 2:1
The “golden ratio” on social media
39

40. Aim for an
observable
2:1 ratio of:
2 1
Curation
Original posts -
not a quote/RT
Shares/retweets
of others’ posts
Self-presentation
Professional or
“on-brand” posts
Personal
comments or
moments
Content type
Displays visual
component
(image, GIF, etc.)
Just text, no
“preview card” or
other visual
Follower count
Accounts
following yours
Accounts that you
are following
40

41. Snapshot of
recent
@googledocs
Twitter
timeline

42. Snapshot of
recent
@nycjim
Twitter
timeline

43. Uh-oh …
I’m not
following
my own
advice!

44. Use a service
like
ManageFlitter
to help you
identify
accounts to
unfollow.

45. Never pay for followers or engagement
45
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/xw8y
v3/russian-vending-machine-fake-instagram-likes
https://www.gq.com/story/joe-mande-one
-million-twitter-followers

46. ’Net effects
Why you want to connect with relative strangers
46

47. Network theory
and sociology
In Chapter 9, “Python for Social Networks.” Last visited Oct. 8,
2017 at
http://gawron.sdsu.edu/python_for_ss/course_core/book_draft/So
cial_Networks/Social_Networks.html
Person
I can
help
Me
Influencer

48. Zachary’s
karate club
Not actually Zachary’s
karate club. Source:
“Karatekas hone their
skills at the dojo” in
Wikipedia Commons,
grabbed Oct. 9, 2017 at
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Dojo#/media/File:J
JS_Dojo.jpg

49. Zachary’s
karate club
factions
In Chapter 9, “Python for Social Networks.” Last visited Oct. 8, 2017 at
http://gawron.sdsu.edu/python_for_ss/course_core/book_draft/Social_Networks/Social_Networks.html
Also see Zachary, W. W. 1977. “An information flow model for conflict and fission in small groups.” Journal of
anthropological research, 452-473.
“bridges”
between
factions

50. Granovetter’s
successful
job-seekers
A job fair at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo, draws a crowd Sept. 1. (Air Force File Photo) In
http://www.nellis.af.mil/News/Article/284407/not-too-soon-for-spouses-job-hunt-before-moving/

51. Granovetter’s
successful
job-seekers
In Chapter 9, “Python for Social Networks.” Last visited Oct. 8, 2017 at
http://gawron.sdsu.edu/python_for_ss/course_core/book_draft/Social_Networks/Social_Networks.html
Also see Mark S. Granovetter. 1973. “The strength of weak ties.” The American Journal of Sociology. 78. 1360–1380.
“bridges”
between
groups

52. You do the
math …
○ A larger social network will have value.
○ A more diffuse network will have value.
○ Efforts to make connections outside of your
“small world” will show an ROI.
○ Cultivate “bridges” to other networks.
○ The larger and more diffuse your network, the
further your communications can travel.
○ Your large network will draw more people to
connect with you, reducing your effort.
○ Start networking as early as possible.

53. A service like
Buffer will
collect key
performance
indicators
and analyze
this KPI data
for you.

54. Twitter may
also be sharing
these metrics
on your
account.

55. Reciprocate
Literally a “sharing economy”
55

56. Best practice
of “paying it
forward”
○ Pass along articles that you found helpful
in your own timelines or feeds
○ Tweet or post advice for people in your
field or those starting out
○ When people leave a positive review, try
to go back and leave a good review also
○ Tag people in comments or replies to make
sure they see interesting posts

57. Twitter culture
of reciprocity
outside system
architecture
○ “Follow Friday” tradition - post accounts
of people who you think others should
follow using #ff hashtag
○ Thanking people in direct message or
public posts for following you
○ Often, users will follow you back once you
follow them - paradoxically, to get followers,
follow more accounts!

58. #FF
#followfriday

59. Thanking for the follow
via direct message (at
least semi-automated
using CrowdFire app)
Thanks for connections
aren’t expected on
LinkedIn, but you can ask
for recommendations

60. Publicly visible “welcome” posts are a
good idea, especially after getting a lot
of new followers. If only a few
followers, could also tag them by name

61. Crowdfire is a
mobile-friendly
management
app that has a
free service tier
and useful
tools.

62. Be positive
Smiles, likes, hearts, puppies and rainbows :-)
62

63. “Liking” makes
the world go
’round
○ Introduction of the “Like” button on Facebook
in 2009 supercharged its user engagement -
quickly copied by Twitter as “Favorites”.
◦ Low-effort way to comment and/or give “props” to a
connection on social media.
◦ Signal to algorithms and humans that a post is worth
highlighting or engaging with.
◦ Now a series of “Reactions” that give more options, still
largely positive in valence.
◦ But: See Victor Luckerson, “The Rise of the Like Economy.”
TheRinger.com, Feb. 15, 2017. Last visited Oct. 8, 2017 at
https://www.theringer.com/2017/2/15/16038024/how-t
he-like-button-took-over-the-internet-ebe778be2459

64. How Facebook’s
News Feed
algorithm works
(in part)
Josh Constantine. “How Facebook News Feed Works.”
TechCrunch. Sept. 16, 2016. Last visited Oct. 8, 2017 at
https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/06/ultimate-guide-to-the-new
s-feed/ Also see Facebook’s blog and video on the subject:
https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2016/04/news-feed-fyi-from-f8
-how-news-feed-works/

65. ○ Wish people “Happy Birthday” and
“Congratulations” for milestones
○ Your profile photo should be
smiling
○ Easy positive content to share:
◦ Pets around the house
◦ Funny memes
◦ Reaction GIFs
◦ Kids at school activities
◦ “Dad jokes”
◦ Old photos of friends and relatives
◦ Good-news stories

66. Prompts on
LinkedIn will help
you with these
types of
engagements -
going so far as to
send automatically
written messages
privately

67. Found this through Google Image Search using “meme” :-)

68. Examples of “serious” presentations that can still spike click-thru

69. (Slide deliberately left blank)

71. You will get negative
engagement, too
It’s OK to just let it go
**Or delete/hide it**
But you can also address
or redirect it for “lurkers” …
71

72. “Thank you for your comment.”
“I’m sorry you had a bad experience.”
“That’s an interesting perspective.”
72

73. “Let me explain why I think this.”
“Here’s what we strive to do every day ...”
“Please see this link to learn more:”
73

74. Lots more we
could talk about
…
○ Neutral = negative? (Google Insights blog)
◦ Interruptiveness
◦ Irrelevancy
○ Reputation- or virtue-signalling
○ Social capital
○ FOMO - Fear of Missing Out
○ Tribalism
○ Anxiety and depression linked to
perceptions of social disapproval
○ “Voice” or tone in social media
○ Addictive behaviors

75. Zachary’s
Karate Club
CLUB
Screenshot of “Network
Scientists with Karate
Trophies” Tumblr, Oct. 9,
2017.
http://networkkarate.tumblr
.com/

76. Thanks!
Any questions?
You can find me at
○ Twitter: @heycori | Email: heycori @cmu.edu
○ Office: Newell Simon Hall 4605
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