Using Social Networking in School Psychology Robyn B. Sullivan Lauren E. Sproull Linda A. May Burlington School District

Overview of Presentation History and background of social networking services NASP communities Using socially based sites professionally Facebook Twitter LinkedIn: The social networking service for professionals

Social Networking Services Online service, platform, or site Focus on building social networks and relations Shared interests Shared activities Real-life connections

History of Social Networking Services Early to mid 1990s Chat rooms User created websites “Modern” social networking sites Began late 1990s Allow users to create individualized profiles and find “friends”

NASP Communities Social networking sites exclusively for NASP members Based on interests/professional level Documents become searchable materials Able to get email updates Unlikely to be blocked by school-district servers

Facebook Developed in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg Largest social networking service 150 million users in the United States 900 million users worldwide Features User profile and “wall/timeline” “Friends” Share photos/videos/links/articles Events News-feed Groups Fan pages

Facebook: Benefits and Challenges Networking opportunities Easy to find users Professional fan pages Facilitates communication Challenges Students/parents also use facebook May be difficult to separate social from professional May be viewed as more impersonal/informal Generally blocked on school district servers

Twitter Social networking service that provides opportunity for micro-blogging 140 millions users Publicly introduced in 2006 Can “follow” the tweets of others

Twitter: Benefits and Challenges Receive updates from professional organizations “Retweet” Easy way for School Psychologists to communicate information quickly Challenges Limited scope/features

Using Social Sites Professionally: Facebook and Twitter “Netiquette” Set your privacy settings Check frequently Be mindful of posts Appropriateness Confidentiality Misrepresentation Use features appropriately (chat, “pokes”) Beware of photos

LinkedIn Professional networking site Launched in 2003 Worldwide 150 million users Features Resume Picture Recommendations Groups Follow companies Search for/post jobs

LinkedIn: Benefits and Challenges Professionally focused Easy to request recommendations Can post pictures, resume, skills and experience Can join groups and follow companies Facilitates communication with professionals Provides centralized portfolio of business contacts Can find information for potential employers/employees Challenges Less personal Not as many users as Facebook Cannot directly post comments (need to connect through Twitter)

For more information: Information from NASP on Social Networking: http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/39/6/Just-a-Click Away.aspx NASP Communications (includes tips to starting your own webpage): http://www.nasponline.org/communications/index.aspx NASP Communities: http://www.nasponline.org/communities.aspx Facebook: https://www.facebook.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/