Social media networks are great tools for keep in touch with your friends. Millions of people use them every day to post about what they had for breakfast, or to let everyone know that they have a toothache. But if you take a different approach to how you use them, these services can suddenly become extremely useful academic tools for students as well.
You should start thinking about treating these tools differently than you have been up until now.
One of the most important and beneficial things you can do with social media as a student is to start building professional networks as early as possible. Try things like sharing and replying to content from industry professionals, or engaging in relevant public discussions. Be friendly with as many (professional) people as you can. Start making a name for yourself. Create your online presence.
Here are some things you may not have tried with your Facebook or Twitter accounts.
Twitter:
Twitter isn’t just a place you can post all of the profanity you don’t want your mother to see on Facebook; it’s your gateway to a flood of news and information about almost any topic you can think of. I highly recommend that students follow some influential people and companies from their area of interest on Twitter. This is a great way to have updates, trends, news, and relevant opinions delivered directly to you 24 hours a day, even if you don’t want to participate directly yourself! If you DO want to make your own posts, Twitter is a great starting point for putting your name and opinions out into the professional community, 140 characters at a time.
Facebook:
Facebook can be quite a useful tool for managing your interactions with people you work closely with on a regular basis. Facebook ‘groups’ are quick and easy ways to set up accessible and private communications between you and whoever you want to include in the group. Some suggested uses are for project teams, study groups, or classes. You can also store documents in these groups (although you can’t really organize them). You should also make a point of ‘liking’ any official Facebook pages maintained by your school as they’ll usually provide regular information about events and services they’re offering.
DisJointed 