Published: May 1, 2020 by Havilah Steinman

With the majority of people at home during the pandemic, social media has become even more pervasive in the way we interact, build community and job search. San José State University iSchool’s American Library Association Student Chapter (ALASC) recently hosted the live virtual webinar, Internet Me Is Doing Great, and the recording is now viewable on their YouTube channel. See below for highlights of this timely and informative event!

Aisha Conner-Gaten, instructional design librarian at Loyola Marymount University and Jessea Young, digital collections librarian at Loyola Marymount University shared incredible insight on how to put your best foot forward when designing your digital footprint, target your audience and amplify yourself in the best light.

Who Do I Want To Be On Social Media

Conner-Gaten encouraged attendees to plan ahead of time what kind of tone to exhibit on your social media channels. Do you want to be formal and professional, sharing informative articles in your field? Or, do you want to be incredibly targeted on networking, by constantly asking for feedback and asking questions? The underlying purpose of these decisions is to decide how you specifically want to engage with different types of personalities online. She encourages LIS professionals to not be afraid to create a dialogue with people you may have not spoken with before, especially if they are posting about things you’re interested in.

Build ‘Followership’ and Interaction

Conner-Gaten works very hard on her Twitter account and is a firm believer in deciding who your audience is, and who you are targeting your tweets to. Picking an audience not only guides your content, but also your hashtags. One specific example for the Library and Information Science professionals is #LISProChat. The best way to ascertain more hashtags is by spending time reading what people in your field are posting and seeing what hashtags they use. But who should you follow? She has some suggestions:

• April Hathcock @AprilHathcock
• Annie Pho @catladylib
• Emily Drabinski @edrabinski
• Eamon Tewell @EamonTewell
• Derrick Jefferson @geekandahalf

Once you’ve found users on Twitter sharing content you’re interested in, retweet their content. Tweet at them and ask some questions. Create a conversation, and you’re well on your way to building a professional social media extension exhibiting your skillset. 

The Mirror to Amplify Yourself

Young shared she believes we use social media as a mirror for ourselves and others. One day your followers may be your colleagues, so practice self-policing of your content. Even if you have excellent points, remember to be gracious to those you are conversing with. If you’re having a bad day, go private and don’t share as much. If you’re mad about something, research that topic and share your perspective objectively to create academic currency.

How Do I Share Blog Posts?

Conner-Gaten shared the first step to getting traffic to blogs is to link the blog in your social media profile bios. She also suggested submitting blog posts to other blogs, such as Hack Library School and I Need a Library Job. Additionally, the American Library Association and the ALASC are always looking for bloggers. Finally, don’t be afraid to cross-promote a blog that’s already been written and isn’t getting much traffic on your own site. 

Some Social Media, or None?

Conner-Gaten believes that having at least one social media profile in addition to a LinkedIn profile is paramount. LinkedIn is pretty static, and not that social. Social media interaction doesn’t need to be super complex, but it should be consistent. To be part of the LIS community and know the current trends, plan to have at least one profile you’re interconnected too. 

Get Involved with ALASC

I hope you’ve found some helpful tidbits about social media today! The American Library Association Student Chapter is always open to new members, bloggers and volunteers. You can follow them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and their RSS feed.