Page 370 - Keys To Community College Success

■ Stay connected to loved ones. Students might tweet or blog happenings to family
and old friends, post updates and photos, or make free phone calls. A budgeting
bonus: Most social networking tools cost nothing to use as long as you have Inter-
net access (try: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Skype).
■ Share your opinion. Blogs allow you to communicate to an audience on a regu-
lar basis, and creating a blog is usually free. Another tool, the forum or message
board, encourages individuals to come together and discuss a common knowledge
or experience (try: Blogger, MySpace).

TEN STRATEGIES
for success

Follow these guidelines to get the most from your time and energy on social net-
works and with social media.
1. Control your personal information. Read the privacy policy of any network you
join. Adjust security settings, indicating what information, photos, and so on you
want to be visible or invisible. Know what will always be visible to users.
2. Control your time. One quick check of your email can lead to hours spent online that
you should have spent getting something else done. To stay focused and in control:
● Create a separate email for alerts from your social networking sites.
● Set your status to “off ine” or “do not disturb” when you are studying.
● Set up goals and rewards. Try doing a def ned portion of your homework and then
rewarding yourself with 10 minutes on your favorite social networking site.
3. Be an information literate critical thinker. Evaluate what you read on social network-
ing sites or social media with a critical eye. Use the CARS test (page 133) to check
Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness, and Support of any source or statement.
4. Keep career goals in mind. With anything you write, think: How will this look to
others who may evaluate me in the future? Also, choose and post photographs
carefully, since some employers use social networking sites for background checks.
5. Use caution with forums and chat rooms. There is no way to know who is post-
ing on a forum or in a chat room. Consider using a name that differs from your
legal name or regular email address. Remember, too, that everything you write can
be copied and saved.
6. Watch your temper. Wait, and think, before you post on emotional topics. Forums
can turn into hostile environments. Snarky tweets and updates can come back to
haunt you if they are viewed by potential employers, instructors, or others who
may judge you by them.
7. Separate the personal and the academic/professional. You probably don’t want
an employer seeing that crass video your cousin posted on your page. Consider
having two prof les on a network if you want to use one to communicate with
students or advance your career.
8. Show restraint. Although it’s easy to get carried away, keep your purpose in mind.
For example, if one goal is to keep up with friends using Facebook, you are defeat-
ing your purpose if you have so many friends that you can’t possibly stay up-to-date
with them.
9. Understand what a blog or website requires. Blogs need updating at least weekly if
not more often, and require time and motivation. Websites can be even more labor
intensive.
10. Network with integrity. Treat others with respect. Search for, and use, information
legitimately. Cite sources honestly.

332 Appendix B: Social Networking and Media