A look into how social media can help advance higher education, learning and student engagement. This presentation was given at the Montana Post Secondary Educational Opportunities Council Summer Conference on August 7, 2014 in Helena, MT.

1. A look into how social media can help
advance higher education, learning and
student engagement
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2. What is Social Media?
Social media is an internet-based form of communication.
Social media platforms allow users to have conversations,
share information and create web content.
There are many forms of social media:
● Blogs
● Micro-blogs
● Wikis
● Social networking sites
● Photo-sharing sites
● Instant messaging
● Video-sharing sites
● Podcasts
● Virtual worlds
...and more!
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3. • A conversation with your audience
• Gain customer feedback
• Elevate your brand.
• Provide timely information to the masses
• Engage students, staff and faculty with
your department and each other
• Communicate with friends and family
• Learn new things
• Develop your interests
• Be entertained
• Broaden your knowledge in a particular
field
• Build your professional network by
connecting with other professionals in
your industry
At the departmental/university level:
Benefits of Social Media
On a personal level:
On a professional level:
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4. Assess your department’s needs:
Why do I want to use social media?
How can this help my students?
Do I have time to update the accounts
on a regular basis?
What value can I provide to students,
professors, staff and alumni?
What are other departments using?
Look at our listing of social media
accounts on campus to see what other
departments are using, although your
needs may be different than theirs.
Which Tools Should You Use?
Before you start an account, learn as
much as you can about the platform!
If you don’t know how to use a certain
platform, take a week or two and learn as
much as you can about the platform.
Already have an account but cannot
access it?
Do NOT create another account! It will
confuse your audience. Instead, try to
find the manager of the account and ask
for access.
You have a social media account but
rarely use it.
Delete it!Source I
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5. 1. Listen 100% of the time!
2. Add links to your department’s accounts to your email signature!
3. Promote your presence via newsletters, emails and departmental gatherings.
4. Create a ‘voice’ for your platforms.
5. Begin to share content that resonates with your audience!
6. Patience.
7. Find influencers and engage with them!
8. Be accessible!
Promoting Existing Accounts
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6. Timely Content
• As soon as you have an update, create a post with accurate information!
• Try to include some sort of media - photo, infographic, video, etc.
• Engage with your audience.
Promoting Existing Accounts
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7. Quick Tips
● Create a strategy
● Schedule posts but also be aware of current news
● Read, read, read
● Meet with others on-campus about social media
● Create meaningful yet concise posts
● Include media (photos, videos, infographics, etc.)
Promoting Existing Accounts
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8. Response and Engagement
Source: Altimeter Group, based on the U.S. Air Force’s Rules of Engagement for Blogging
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9. The False Start
An organization sets up social media
accounts and it posts loads of content
for about a month. Then the
presences fall silent, never to be
revived.
The Auto Flow
Setting up your Twitter client to
automatically follow anyone who
follows you or anyone who mentions
your name.
The QR Code to Nowhere
QR codes have a prominent place in
your printed materials and link back to
Social Media Failures
The Twitter “Set It and Forget It”
Scheduling outgoing posts all at once
and not logging in again until the
following week...when it’s time to
schedule the next round of tweets.
The “Carpet Bomb” Update
Posting the exact same update to
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
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10. ● A quick history of hashtags.
● Keep them short and simple!
● If you do not want your tweets to be rendered useless and uninformative, do not
use more than 3 hashtags.
● Hijacking tweets is also a big no as it disrupts the trend stream when people are
searching for information.
● As for using random words, no one is actively looking for #lol.
● And lastly, hashtagging #every #word #in #a #sentence is not necessary.
Hashtag Tips
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11. ● Unique hashtags are perfect for photo-taking contests or brands!
o Although it’s considered bad form to use a brand’s hashtag just to receive more
views on your unrelated photo.
● Don’t do an entire post consisting only of hashtags.
● If all else fails, utilize your brand!
o (e.g. #UMontana,, #MSUBillings, #CarrollCollege, etc)
Hashtag Tips
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12. Instagram
● In an effort to streamline the hashtag system, Instagram has a banned list of
hashtags (mainly NSFW words).
● Do take part in the various memes such as #throwbackthursday, it’s all in good fun!
Facebook
● Certain privacy settings can render hashtags useless unless your posts are public.
Google+
● Google will auto-tag some of your posts. If you rather not add additional hashtags,
you can change your settings to your preferences.
Hashtag Tips
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13. Nerds for Nature
● Novel citizen science
● Trying to change, learn and improve the
environmental sciences!
● #morganfire02
o Flickr, Twitter or Instagram
The Power of the Hashtag
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14. Nilam A. Patel
@nilamapatel
nilam.patel@montana.edu
x4594
Questions?
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