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Educating Students by Taking Social Media Conflict Offline

Educating teens on social media use and responsibility is quite the challenge – with the immediacy and constant availability of social media, teens tend to use social media to vent frustration, share conflict, or even sometimes with the intent to harm a classmate’s reputation. Most times, teens don’t have malicious intent – they are simply posting their thoughts to social sites because that’s what they know.

In Alberta, they are taking a more focused approach to taking social media content offline to resolve content and education both parents and students. As they realizing that most social media postings and conflict are not necessarily criminal in nature, but need to be addressed, they have focused on intervention techniques that take the social conflict offline for resolution.

The RCMP, who is heading up this initiative, does not (yet) monitor social media to identify such content; instead, they rely on parent and student reports of content that is deemed problematic. From there, they formed a community justice forum which brings teens (and parents) together to discuss issues raised online. A recent article sums up teen social media conflict quite nicely:

“A lot of the issues are interpersonal conflict being dealt with in an inappropriate way,” says Kading. “Even as adults we are learning socialization skills all the time. I think a lot of the time, the conversations (our officers have) on an informal basis with young people can serve more effectively than if we have to go a formal route.”

Schools can learn from this example and even take a more proactive approach through social media monitoring. While it’s almost impossible to capture any and all conflict, location based monitoring can help monitor social media content that is posted while within the school boundaries. By identifying potential issues, schools can proactively engage at risk students or address student conflicts as they arise. This can help educate students on the reality and permanent nature of online content, and make them think before they post. The schools can provide students with tools for handling conflict offline, thus building relationship skills among their student body.

While this will always exist, finding ways to education the teenage set on social media responsibility and offline interpersonal relationships can be effective in raising responsible young adults.

Job Seekers: Is The Resume Dead?

Whether you’re just out of college and ready to start your career, or you’re looking for a change, you may have noticed that job seeking is changing. Part of it has to do with technology in general, such as online applications vs. postal mailing of resumes and cover letters, and another has to do with social media. In a way, the “human factor” is somewhat removed from the process, at least in the initial screening stages.

CNN Money recently published an article talking about these changes as they related to college students who are gearing up for graduation. The article talks about how fewer companies are conducting on campus interviews, instead turning toward automated screening processes for the initial phase of the application.

The reduction in on campus interviews stemmed from the recession back in 2008, but even as the economy stabilized, companies did not see the value in visiting campuses as much as they used to.

What are they doing instead?

Some are reporting that they rely on automated software programs such as HireVue, a software program that assists with employee selection. Some companies prefer this method for several reasons:

It is automated, meaning less time HR Departments spend sorting through resumes and applications.

According the HireVue’s website, software programs allow for company-specific application processes that are more streamlined and focused on the position candidates are applying for versus standard resumes.

Additionally, incorporating video introductions gives employers a quick glance into a candidate’s personality before they get to the interview process.

Companies are finding that resumes are becoming less effective in learning about candidates and predicting the success of a new hire.

In addition to such automated technology, social media is also giving employers a level of insight into a candidate at the beginning stages of the process.

The message is essentially this: companies are using technology and social media to lift the burden of traditional hiring processes, and job seekers need to be aware of this. In addition to being able to provide a strong application, job seekers must also take the following into consideration:

Resumes may be on their way out the door: when seeking a job, really think about whether it could be a good fit. Long gone are the days of mass mailing a resume to see what sticks. With automated processes, it will be important to make sure your qualifications align with the job you’re seeking.

Get comfortable with technology: just as automated screening tools are coming into play now, it won’t be long before video is the new job application. If you’re not familiar with web based recording, it might not be a bad time to get comfortable with recording yourself on video. It might be the best first impression you can make when companies request it!

Find out how employers may see you: companies are turning to social media as much as automated processes, so it’s best to make sure that your social persona online matches with who you really are (or at the very least how you want employers to perceive you!). You can do something as simple as a Google search for your name (or name and city/state if you have a more common name) and review the first 3-4 pages of results, or use a social media monitoring service to conduct an online background check.

Things are changing rapidly, and it’s important for job seekers to stay on top of the latest trends in hiring. It’s competitive out there; having any advantage possible can make a difference in landing that dream job!

Social Media: 1st Amendment Vs. Company Discretion

When it comes to social media, it can get tricky for businesses. When companies utilize social media to engage with customers, they always run the risk (and often deal with) negative comments. Some of it is warranted, and some of it not so much. The tried and true advice has been to not delete the content, and, when applicable, to address the issue publicly to show strong customer service.

However, a company does have a right to monitor comments, much in the way that message boards and forums pose the disclaimer that they have that right. Has a company been sued over this?

It appears that this recently happened. Earlier this month, the City of Beech Grove and the Beech Grove Police Department recently shut down their Facebook pages due to a lawsuit related to limiting freedom of speech.

So what happened?

The ACLU filed a lawsuit in late June on behalf of two women who say their Facebook posts were deleted by the police department. They also claim they were subsequently blocked from posting on the page.

The women claim this is a violation of their First Amendment Rights.

The City of Beech Grove states that the women posted content and/or questions on the police department’s page that were unrelated to crime or similar content, which was the purpose of having the Facebook page.

This is an interesting suit, and I will be watching to see how it plays out. The ACLU believes that people have the right to post any content they’d like on a Facebook page; the city believes that people have the right to ask questions and post negative content, though as it relates to the scope of the page. They do not believe that people should be limited with regard to their criticism, but instead state that there are other Facebook pages the city offers for people to offer more generalized comments, questions, and opinions.

Maybe they should not have removed the posts. The other option could be to reply to the posts with a link to the appropriate page to pose their question to. According to sources, the Facebook page in question did include a disclaimer as to the page’s purpose back in June:

“This Facebook site was created to pass on information to you and to try to keep you informed as to what is occurring in our City. We will not entertain negative comments towards anyone, nor will we host arguments between individuals. We do not care who you are, we are trying to inform you. If you decide to make unpleasant comments we will delete you.”

I don’t believe the lawsuit will win in court; there is free speech, thanks to the First Amendment, but there is also a responsibility of social media users to follow a page’s or site’s terms of service. Not unlike a message board or forum, unrelated content is routinely removed; if, in fact, the women who are suing posted content that went against the purpose of the Facebook page, the city had a right o remove it. However, in the name of customer service, it might have been better to address it with the women rather than simply delete without reason. At any rate, I do not think this will hold up in court.

What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

Why You are Missing Data in Your Social Media Monitoring Program

Social media moves fast, and users’ posts are getting shorter and shorter, more often just images without much text. Consider the following:

69% of social media posts about a brand, product, service or event do NOT contain the name of the subject being posted

More and more images are being posted without text at all

Abbreviations and/or “nicknames” for brands and products are being used more often in social media posts

If you’re using a traditional social media monitoring program, you may be able to capture some of the content that is included in the above statistics; for example, if you are aware of hashtags or “nicknames” for your brand, you will be able to include these in your search parameters. However, it is likely that you will be missing out on the other content.

This is one of several reasons for including a location based monitoring program in your social media research efforts. By essentially creating a virtual fence around you locations or events, you can capture much of the content that does not contain text directly related to your brand.

Why is this important?

In the case of event hosting, using a virtual fence to monitor posts coming from the event area can alert administrators to real time content. In some cases, this could help with pinpointing issues as they arise for quick assessment and resolution.

It’s a great way to engage with visitors and customers while they are in the middle of an experience with your brand, service, or event. Reach out to those customers with a simple “thank you” or, better yet, reward them with a coupon for future (or current) use.

Event planning and building a contact list can be difficult; using location based monitoring will give you more insight into who attends the event. Find out who attended through location based monitoring, connect with them on social sites, and encourage them to sign up for an email list so they can stay connected.

Location based monitoring can give better insight into general consumer sentiment and can enhance your social media monitoring efforts. It can also give insight into your competitor’s customers as a new form of competitive intelligence.

As social media users become more and more brief in the content they post, it will become more difficult for businesses to capture this data. Enhancing the program with a location based tool will likely improve results and open up new ways to capture sentiment and engage with customers.

A College Student’s Guide To LinkedIn

As the parent of an incoming college student, it’s time to start thinking about the future. Whether you’re in your last year of college or your first, thinking about graduate school or starting a career after four years, it’s important for students to start building their professional online presence.

I’m not the only one thinking this. At my daughter’s college orientation, the school was big on the fact that the students need to start building their resume from the moment they step on campus, whether that’s through looking forward a year or so to internships, obtaining employment while in school, or even paying a visit to the College Career Center. They stressed the importance of this to parents, though I think it fell on deaf ears among the students.

However, this is important and should not be overlooked. Just as these students were told (over and over again I’m sure) that their online represents them while in school, this will become even more important as they enter the workforce.

If you’re a college student or the parent of one, these are some of the questions you may have – they seem to be the most common ones:

First, what is LinkedIn? The best way to explain it to the college group is by telling them it’s as though Facebook and a resume had a baby – a social site for your professional side.

Why start one now? Many recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn to find new hires. It’s easier to start a profile now and build on it over the years rather than panicking senior year and trying to remember to add everything you’ve done that will be important for employers to know.

What if I don’t have time to update it? No worries, it’s not like Facebook, Twitter, or even Instagram – no one needs to know what you ate for breakfast or that you were late to class. This site is for professional updates, like updating your work history, sharing articles that are relevant to your future industry (and you), etc.

LinkedIn provides a great basic how to guide on starting a LinkedIn profile – it’s worth taking a look at. If you’re nearing the end of your college career, they also provide an app to help you with your resume building and job search. Below are some other helpful tips on getting started:

Profile picture: this is important. Add a picture so you don’t have the default shadow person picture. As the LinkedIn guide (and everyone else) will tell you, make sure it is a picture that has a basic background and looks professional. You may look great on the beach or with your best friend, but save those pictures for the other sites.

No one wants to know what you did in 8th grade: start the LinkedIn profile with the start of your college career. There is no need to add high school information (unless you want to display that to make connections with those who attended your high school) or awards you won in junior high. Think of this new chapter as the start of your professional life and document events and work from college on. That being said, DO include work history from your high school years, at least for now.

Everyone likes a well rounded person: colleges will tell you that employers prefer well rounded candidates over those who only have one focus. Make sure you detail any volunteer work you do, events you help with, or organizations you join. A description of what they entail will go a long way in helping others understand who you are and what you’ve accomplished.

Slowly make connections: LinkedIn is not like your other social sites where you want to connect with everyone and their mother; start slowly and make good connections. A great place to start is your parents, if they have profiles. Look for teachers you had in high school that you worked closely with (and perhaps can or have written a recommendation for you) – now that you’re out of school, it’s okay to connect with them on social networks. Also look for your bosses from high school jobs. Be wary of accepting some invitations – those that seem to be spammy, don’t have a lot of information on their profile and have a generic shadow person profile pic, or those who you do not know and you wouldn’t have much in common with professionally. Just like any other sites, there are spammers out there, so choose cautiously.

Include your LinkedIn URL on your resume: as you build your profile, you’ll be able to add so much more to it than what is on a resume – use this to your advantage! If you created a great project or presentation related to your field, add it to your profile. Think of it as a resume on speed – you can add much more content and add your URL to your resume so future employers can take a look at it too.

Starting to build up your profile and connections is a good first step. Once you have that in place, take some time to look at other people’s profiles and check out some of the groups – there’s something for everyone. As you get further into your college career it will be time well spent for both. Learning now how to make the most of the site will serve you well as you finish up college studies and prepare for your future.

Any questions? Need help or suggestions? Feel free to contact us any time!