There are literally hundreds of social media platforms in existence, and you can’t use all of them. It will drive you mad, or you’ll spend so much time clicking and liking and sharing that you’ll never get anything done. It’s best to pick one or two and use them well then to use two dozen and only post or listen once every few weeks. This isn’t a step by step guide to picking the perfect platform, there’s too many variables for that, but I want to present some basic and relevant principles to doing so. Social networks do their best to show that everyone in the world is using them and that they’re intensely relevant to your needs, when that sometimes, even often, isn’t so. So here’s a few tips.
Look for A Successful Space
If you’re trying to connect with say, philosophy professors and graduate students, the Public Philosophy Network isn’t a bad place to do it. But with only 800 members, your reach is pretty limited. There are more on Academia.edu or Twitter, and there’s a lot more activity there. Most twitter users, for example, log on once every few hours, and many multiple times an hour. It’s part of their routine. It can be harder to stand out on platforms with a larger user base, but that activity is something you can use to grow. Look for large, active networks, or small, specialized ones that boast an active user base.
Define Target Audience
Are you trying to connect with students? Other academics? Journals and associations? Random awesome people? Some platforms, like Twitter, hold all of these in abundance, if you can find them. Others cater to a more specific audience. You’re unlikely to find scholars on Tumblr, or journals and associations on Pinterest, but if you’re looking for hilarious pictures of cats or wonderful recipes, those are good places to visit. Ultimately, you have to go where your audience is. This doesn’t just mean space, it means time. Most scholars don’t post much between 9 and 5, because they’re sitting in meetings, teaching, or meeting with students. On the other hand, universities and associations usually only tweet between 9 and 5, because that’s when people like me are on the clock to post things. If you want to get your post noticed by an institution, it’s best to send it between 9 and 5, otherwise it’ll be buried in their feed by morning.
Consider the Nature of Your Content
If you want to feature staff or student profiles of 500 words or more, Twitter might not be the best place for it. If your content is image heavy, you’ll find a lot more traction on Tumblr or Pinterest than you will on Academia.edu, because they feature images more prominently. Having a platform that frames your content right and delivers it in a way that your audience is looking for can make all the difference.
There are a lot of options out there. Take some time and hunt around for the ones that work for you, and don’t be afraid to pursue more than one, or to play around on others. Just be sure to keep your goals in mind for each network, and to modify your content for each one so that it works for you there.
The month of May does not exist I’m afraid, between between conferences and Headshots from the Heart, I’m going to suspend these Thursday posts. I’ll be back in June with more talk on communication, social media, and its value in higher education. See you then!
