What don't I know about social media?

Organizations who use social media need someone who understands which ones get traffic and those that bring no added benefit.

 

I'd say the major benefit of social media is instant interaction with followers/people who like a page. If it's a university, it's likely they hammer Facebook/Twitter and the other social sites are offshoots. I could see Youtube being beneficial as well. Social media isn't exactly rocket science and honestly, it's pretty easy. Sounds like you have a lot to offer for a full-time position. I'd focus on your strong points (writing, photograph, etc.) and where it can add and develop social streams. Good luck.

 

If your phone isn't an Iphone or a Droid, I would leave it in the car.

 

I'm asking this as well, pern.

We have someone whose main job it is to handle our Facebook page and our forums. We're not really encouraged to branch out there, although I'll occasionally work our Twitter account and post a breaking news update on there.

One guy who seems to get social media is Daniel Victor, who works for Pro Publica and formerly was at Philly.com and TBD. Follow his Twitter feed and his blog, he's always mentioning stuff about "community building" that really goes over my head in some ways, but seems pretty informative too.

 

Ha. That's actually pretty prescient. When I interviewed for the part-time gig, they asked if I was a smartphone guy or not. Thankfully, I was able to pull my iPhone out of my pocket.

 

Social media only sounds easy if you don't know what you are doing. Most people think it has to do with just Facebook and Twitter but it really extends to its inception with forums, blogs, photo sharing sites, video sharing sites and more. Even newspaper comments can be considered social media.

What's big right now in social media - besides your obvious ones like Facebook and Foursquare, are sites that offer short form blogging. 2011 and 2012 have been huge for sites like Pinterest and even a solid year for MySpace.

Here's a fact for you: MySpace has more active users than Google+.

 

oh and big pern, if you have any specific social media questions shoot me an email. I'll be happy to answer them for you. I'm currently employed as a social media planner for one of the biggest full-service ad agencies around.

jon dot gunnells at c-e dot com

 

Also, here are some reading materials:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgigaom.com%2F2012%2F01%2F12%2Fbigger-than-google-myspace-isnt-dead-yet%2F&h=_AQHJ_jCzAQHZWqjXoyI3W4IV6F13Edxq82YKgB9kgm7pNA

http://mashable.com/2012/01/10/pinterest-business-consumer-engagement/

http://mashable.com/2012/01/10/google-launches-social-search/

http://blog.eladgil.com/2011/12/how-pinterest-will-transform-web-in.html

 

Facebook needs a good blog option. Not the notes crap, a real blog function. Too much to ask, I guess.

 

How can a university focus on social media? How can you be effective in the job with every department wanting a social media presence?

Social media replaced SEO as the new snake oil.

 

You'll obviously be meeting with the director of marketing, so buzzwords are key: brand awareness, campaigns, referrals, community, link building. It will also be good to have a true grasp of the theory behind it. The reason they want to 'focus more on social media' is because it's cost efficient. Gone are the days of building microsites for events and/or organizations within an institution. It's much more cost effective and plainly more impactful using social media to accomplish what those sites would barely achieve. It's about enhancing the institution's appeal, reach and audience through the means in which they're already using. Good luck, and remember, the ability to write clearly, efficiently and effectively is the most basic and perhaps most important skill a social media marketer can have. I bet you have that on her...