Communicating using Social Media

Social media is a powerful networking tool used by people of all ages, from all walks of life, in almost every corner of the globe. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are now being used for a number of different purposes. Students now use these sites to find jobs, teachers use them to network with professionals in other parts of the world, and school administrators use sites like Facebook and Twitter to connect and inspire the people in their local communities.

Social media is a fast, free and easy way of reaching the parents, teachers, students and staff members in your community; it’s about finding out what your community really wants and then using social media sites to deliver that information in a way that is ideal for your parents, teachers and students!

Get Started – Right Now!

Twitter is great for online updates of “what’s happening” in your district. Use Twitter to “tweet” about budget FAQs, “Did You Know?” or “Just the Facts.” Twitter is more than a social networking site - it is networking at a high level and creating and engaging customers.

You can use Twitter for customer relations, crisis/reputation management, event advertisement/coverage, service/program promotion, etc. Ask your administrative team or board members to help you with Twitter topics.

Make a “Tweet” Plan

• Make a Tweet Budget Topic List: A list of budget topics that you could tweet about, for example: highlight frequently asked questions/answers, “Budget - Did You Know?” or “Just the Facts.”
• Identify Resources: websites, articles, or information that you can link to from your tweets.
• Don’t Stress: You only have 140 characters of space to fill – about one sentence w/ a link.
• Schedule Your Tweets: Pick a time to login to Twitter and tweet everyday, for example: Tweet w/ coffee in the morning, Tweet w/ lunch in the afternoon, Tweet after school.
• Be Spontaneous! You can tweet more than once a day! We recommend that you Tweet at least twice a day during a crisis.
• Tweet About:

o Resources or tips
o Insights, expertise – become a thought leader!
o Program updates
o Event information/updates
o General information
o Changes
o Educational videos/blogs
o Ask questions

A district Facebook page can be designed to provide a more casual platform for people to see announcements and get instant feedback on news alerts and articles.

Get Started

• Create an account on Facebook
• Add your school to your profile
• Search based upon your school name
• Create a Group on Facebook
• Add content and links to your website
• Invite students, alumni, faculty to join your Group
• Consistently add content to your Facebook page

Blogs
Create a blog using https://www.blogger.com/start or http://wordpress.com/

A Blog allows administrators to reach out to students, faculty and parents, distributing information quickly and accurately. By making a districts can dispense information to students and parents online, which allows them to access it during their free time and in the comfort of their own homes. Using text, pictures, and attachments the blog makes for an easy log of daily events, upcoming happenings and crisis communication.