RESOURCES FOR STAYING CURRENT IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Rose Hayden-Smith, PhD, Extension Foundation Education Technology Fellow
“There’s another thing that I do to stay current in social media: I follow people and organizations that use social media well. I can learn from them in important ways.” – Rose Hayden-Smith
Social media platforms enhance existing features and add new features on a regular basis. It’s hard to stay current on every platform. I keep up by subscribing to the free blogs written by staff at companies that offer social media management platforms (such as Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Planoly, Later, and others). These social management tools help users plan, schedule and manage social activity on social media platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and
Pinterest. I’ve found that subscribing to these blogs ultimately saves me time, because the posts contain tips and information that I can use immediately in my work. The blogs produced by the companies referenced above cover many topics, including explaining various social media platform features, how to use them effectively, best practices, and analytics. They even provide tutorials, downloadable resources, user demographic information, and additional resources that will help you navigate the world of social media and marketing. While much of the information is oriented to business users, many of the tips can be applied to Cooperative Extension, and there are also specific resources for education and nonprofits. Here are some specific posts relating to social media use in education that I have found valuable:
Hootsuite: Social Media in Government: Benefits, Challenges, and How It’s Used Hootsuite: Social Media in Higher Education: 8 Essential Tips Sprout Social: Social Media for Education
Photo by Rahul Chakraborty on Unsplash
Other resources that I use in my blogging and social media work include:
The Pew Research website, especially the Internet & Tech, Media & News and Social Trends sections, which often provide data-driven information about technology in America, including demographics about social media and technology use. LinkedIn Learning, which offers a range of resources, including online courses. These may be free, depending on whether your institution has a license. There are a number of “groups” on LinkedIn that you can join, including a Social Media in Education group. Medium, especially in its Social Media and Technology topic areas. Recent reads I enjoyed include: Using Instagram as a Teaching Research Tool: Tips, Resources and Best Practices What’s Behind Facebook and Zoom’s Big Updates
There’s another thing that I do to stay current in social media: I follow people and organizations that use social media well. I can learn from them in important ways.
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