The document provides guidance for faculty and staff on utilizing social networking platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn to enhance their professional presence and promote their institution. It outlines best practices for creating professional pages, engaging with students and colleagues, and leveraging applications to share content related to education and research. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balance between personal and professional use of social media.

1. Social Networking For Faculty and Staff: Branding Yourself and Your Institution Presented by Laura Short University Relations Specialist [email_address] (715) 232-2384

2. Social networking Social and professional networks are becoming widely used by all age groups. You can use these sites to position yourself as a resource for others; and in the process, benefit your institution too.

3. A professional presence on Facebook made easy University Communications can provide you resources for your individual profile, group or page. An automatic feed on news produced by our office that is specific to your academic area. No work on your part if you use Notes application. Stout does this with Chancellor Communications. Minimal work on your part if you use an RSS or Twitter application. Stout does this with news feeds.

4. Other tips for a professional Facebook site Start a group or a page on the topic of your academic discipline. Encourage students, alumni and colleagues to become members or fans.

5. What’s the difference between a page and a group? Pages are publicly viewable just like Web sites. Pages can have applications on the site. Page administrators have access to demographic data on fans. Page administrators can send updates to fans, which appear on fans’ Facebook home pages.

6. What’s the difference between a page and a group? Groups can restrict access to allow only certain members. Group sites cannot use applications. Group administrators do not have access to demographic information on members. Group administrators can send messages to 500 members or less, which appear in members’ e-mail.

7. Please note: Let me know if you set up an academic page or group to which I can link from the official Stout Facebook page.

8. Other tips for a professional Facebook site Encourage members/fans to post “class note” type information on the Wall to build community. Info on student work, current careers, job openings at their companies, jobs they seek. Start discussions on the Discussion Board about your academic discipline. Current trends, predictions of future trends, current news and events.

9. Other tips for a professional Facebook site Post events that may be of interest to students or colleagues. Conferences, workshops, campus lectures. Select applications that can be used in a professional manner (for individual profiles and institutional pages).

10. Professional-type applications Applications that allow you to embed slideshows, video or photos of you or your students at work. YouTube application examples: Moebius Transformations Revealed (University of Minnesota: 1.5 million viewers) Intestinal Fortitude –From Flying Spaghetti to Donut (University of Minnesota: 1500 viewers.)

11. Professional-type applications Use the Reviews application to encourage friends or fans to talk about how Stout, or your courses/program, impacted them. Use the Digg application (individual profiles) to point students and colleagues to articles, videos, photos of interest to your field. I use Digg to compile social marketing articles

12. Professional-type applications If you blog or microblog about your academic field, use an RSS or Twitter application to import your posts. Or use these applications to import Stout’s news entries that are specific to your area. Use a bookshelf application to share a recommended reading list.

13. What if you don’t want a professional Facebook site? If you would like to keep your Facebook presence social, but would still like a professional presence, then: Set up categories of Facebook friends with different privacy settings for each. For instance, you can set up a “Work” category of friends who only can see your Info tab, but not your Wall. Use Facebook for social networking and LinkedIn for professional networking.

14. LinkedIn LinkedIn is the most professional or business-like of the social networks. It seeks only resume-type information. No embarrassing photos to worry about. LinkedIn is not just for jobseekers. It is a place to brand yourself as an excellent resource on a particular topic. Good for you. Good for Stout.

15. Why LinkedIn? Typically more publicly viewable than an individual Facebook profile. Your name will rank high in search engines. Tips: Choose the personalized URL option during setup. Fill out all sections as completely as possible.

16. Position yourself as an expert Use the Recommendations function (similar to Reviews application in Facebook) Write recommendations Request recommendations Graduate school advisers Current and former students Fellow researchers Conference attendees

17. Position yourself as an expert Start a group on the topic of your academic discipline or join an existing group. Allow group members — students, alumni, and/or colleagues — to post “class note” type information to other members(similar to the Wall application in Facebook). Answer questions in your area of expertise posed by other users (similar to Discussion Board in Facebook).

18. Use LinkedIn applications To embed slideshow presentations on your profile. To share your conference travel itinerary with colleagues. To link to your blog or Stout’s news blog. To initiate private, secure online workspaces to collaborate with colleagues. To share your reading list.

19. Three more opportunities under Additional Information tab Under the Additional Information tab, you have three opportunities to link to online information. Use them. Here are ideas: Your Web site . Your Facebook institutional page. Your blog, guest blog entry or Stout’s news blog targeting your academic area. Your Twitter feed or one of Stout’s feeds. A reading list (LibraryThing.com).

20. Three more opportunities under Additional Information tab Your Digg, del.icio.us or other social bookmarking account that tags articles, video or photos of interest to your field. A YouTube video (remember examples from University of Minnesota). Your Flickr account. Your online portfolio. An article you wrote, or one that profiles you (think University Communications).

21. Conclusion Remember University Communications is here to help you. Contact us with story ideas (that you can then link to). Particularly looking for stories that tie into popular culture. Example that garnered 10,000 hits: Science of Santa: NC State Researcher Says St. Nick Can Deliver Presents in One Night

22. Social Networking For Faculty and Staff: Branding Yourself and Your Institution Presented by Laura Short University Relations Specialist [email_address] (715) 232-2384