Arif Fazel School of Molecular and Cellular Biology Academic Advisor IlliAAC Conference 2012 December 14, 2012 Tweet Us, Like Us, Watch US! MCB Goes Viral

Social Media Refers to the interaction of people in which they create, share, exchange and comment contents among themselves in virtual communities and networks. Popular means by which we get our news these days.

Changing With The Times The generation that is coming through our campus now and in the future are all tech savvy. Many of them grew up with computers and the internet and have been exposed to them at home and as early as elementary school. The way in which we get our news these days has changed.

For the most part we are getting our news from Facebook timelines, twitter feeds, e-newsletters. These days everyone is on the go and no one has time to sit and read. Today everyone is fine with just knowing the headlines. Changing With The Times I just wanted you all to know that I’m leaving Facebook. This ride has been a blast and I’ve made a ton of friends who I really do consider friends in the truest sense. Your humor and wit is amazing. I’ll miss all of you, but I’ve decided I need to spend more time with my family. So….see you after breakfast.

Increase in Social Media Social media was a way to stay connected and get reconnected with old and new acquaintances. Then as different forms of social media began popping up the reason for its use has evolved. Now we get our news and updates in various forms and at the same time.

Social Media in Advising Many programs here at Illinois and all across the country are using Social Media in their advising programs. The use of Facebook, Twitter, Newsletters and blogging have become the most popular. At the same time formal websites are still maintained and updated.

Idea with using these methods is to not replace the face-to-face time we spend with students. But to enhance that experience. Social Media should be used as a tool that supplements what we do. Social Media in Advising

 Steps for implementing Social Media usage in your program. Goal: What is your intended outcome? – Develop a clear and unified message/process – Who is your audience? What type of information are you trying to send out? Explore and define what type of media is appropriate – Video, images, audio, , etc. PUBLISH!  Have fun with it. Social Media in Advising

Don’t be boring, use long messages, redundant Keep it simple, to the point and most of all entertaining. Social Media in Advising

What are we doing in MCB? LIKE US MCB Advising Program STAY UP TO DATE / NEWSLETTER

and MCB POSTIVES Most students use Facebook Great way to reach students, colleagues and friends. You don’t have to “friend” people in order to get messages out to others. Develop a sense of community. NEGATIVES Run the risk of spamming Need to be aware of when you post and how often. Getting too personally involved

Facebook Stats 181 Likes

Facebook Stats Posts: Size of the bubbles represent the number of posts published each day by our page. Weekly Total Reach: number of unique people who have seen any content associated with your page.

Facebook Stats Reach: How many people saw our posts on our page. Viral: People who saw our information because it was shared by a member of our page.

Short and to the point – Messages can be no longer than 140 characters – Easily include images or link to sites for further details. Can link Twitter to other social media outlets – Whatever you do on Twitter will automatically be done on Facebook for example. Can post more frequently Start a trending topic using #’s

Follows

Tweet From Anywhere, Anytime Just like with Facebook, Twitter is widely used by people on the go. Many types of mobile applications for Tablets and smartphones. Presenting at the 2012 #IlliAAC Conference! #IlliniAdv

Twitter Stats 56 Followers, 11 Following, 281 tweets Ways to increase stats: -Using key #’s -Following, mentioning, and re-tweeting those with large followers.

MCB Advising Blogging: is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries ("posts") typically displayed in reverse chronological order. As blogging as increased many user friendly not overly technical webtools available – No need to know HTML or FTP coding – Simply type, add media, and publish

Idea for a blog was initiated with registration issues. Blogs allow you to post frequently and keep things in chronological order. One can follow/subscribe to get updates Started with Webtools but have moved to WordPress. MCB Advising

Blog Content is regularly updated. Not formal. Interactive. Informative and educational. Interactivity about industry/customer issues. Some people have a blog. Website Content is static. Formal/professional. Interactivity does not exist. There is only one-way communication. Transactional. Communication about products and/or services. Almost everyone has a website.

U. of Illinois has a program now that allows you to create WordPress blogs for yourself or program. Can also track stats like with other social media using Google Analytics. MCB Advising

Final Thoughts Times are changing and we need to change with them. DON’T try and do everything or too much!

Final Thoughts Pick the right type of social media that: -You know and can manage -That your target audience frequents Remember that this is a tool and not a replacement for what we do.

Keep In Touch @MCBAdvising Facebook: Arif Fazel or MCB Advising Program Blogs Personal: MCB: YouTube: Arif After Hours.