Expert speaks on social media perks

Twitter. Facebook. Instagram. 

These prominent social media applications are just three of many that are affecting and changing the ways in which college students can market themselves today.

Kate Brodock, executive director of social media at Syracuse University, spoke to Fairfield students about how the increase in social media usage can actually help individuals market themselves as products in a positive way. Today, people can promote themselves by blogging, engaging in Facebook and Twitter conversations and connecting with professionals on websites such as LinkedIn, according to Brodock.

In just one minute an average of 175,000 users sign into a Twitter account, according to Brodock. Since the use of social media is growing at such a fast pace, it is important to know how to brand yourself online.

“People can use Twitter for strictly professional purposes, social purposes or both,” said Brodock. “The website is known as a ‘glorified sentence’ that can range from ‘I had a burrito for lunch’ to ‘I’m here to talk about Buddhism.’”

So how can students focus on positive personal branding?

Brodock stressed the importance of knowing how to brand yourself before you engage in social media websites. An example of this involves college students tweeting about underage drinking. It is difficult for these students to gain an expert feel after tweeting about a subject as unprofessional as that, according to Brodock. 


But for Twitter, the most important personal branding feature is the hashtag symbol the website offers.

By placing the hashtag symbol in front of a word in a tweet, users can garner the attention of people who are interested in what they are tweeting. Individuals searching for that particular subject can find the tweet by typing it in the search bar.

Brodock advised student users to apply this tool to gain attention for tweets relating to professional topics instead of drinking, partying and other unprofessional discussions.

The audience was full of people from a variety of ages and experiences with social networking. Brodock covered a vast array of material ranging from Twitter’s definition to more complex areas involved within the website to alert students about the benefits of this form of social media.