I’ve done an extensive search on corporate social media policies and it inspired me to write a little post because, honestly, these companies that have robust policies for social media use know what they’re talking about, and some of what these policies outline should be adopted and used in both your personal life and your academic life.

Some Do’s:

• DO respond and engage in productive, positive conversation
• DO share links, articles, posts, and information that you think your peers would find helpful or interesting
• DO crowdsource with your peers
• DO post work you’re proud of and encourage your peers to provide their input
• DO post appropriate pictures

Some Do Not’s:

• DO NOT engage in negative conversation; it will get you nowhere
• DO NOT respond to inflammatory comments or rants
• DO NOT post confidential information (do I even have to post this one?)
• DO NOT post inappropriate pictures
• DO NOT allow social media distract you from the task at hand – prioritize!

The bottom line here is that social media can be used as a very helpful, efficient and educational tool — as long as it’s used properly.  One wrong move — or post — can land you in bad-reputation land.

You never know who’s watching; it could be your employer,  your professors, your classmates, or even your grandmother.  Use social media constructively; if you do, it can be your best friend while finishing up your degree.

[Learn more about online degrees from American Public University.]

Nicole’s Favorite Tip: I built a fairly large following of marketing folks on Twitter (I was a marketing major)… any time I had a question, needed advice, or input; I posted it to Twitter – without fail, I always got a lot of great responses and insight.  Don’t be afraid to seek the advice, input or help of your peers – whether they’re strangers or not – you never know, there might be someone just waiting to help you out and inspire you!

By N. Cooper

Hi folks! Check out my latest podcast that goes hand-in-hand with this post I wrote a couple months ago. How do you think Google+ can be used in the classroom?

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If you’re a fan of listening to a few tunes while you study, check out these free, online music players!

• Pandora Radio: A smart online radio service that builds stations based on your preferences, and plays you music you’ll like!
• MySpace: If you’re looking for a particular artist, song, or album, you may be able to find it and listen for free on MySpace.
• Last.fm: Another smart online radio service that saves your music preferences, check it out!

Happy listening (and studying)!

By: N. Cooper

When it comes to Facebook, different people have different preferences, opinions, and feelings on privacy and how they want to maintain their own accounts.  Some folks don’t like adding coworkers; others are fine with it.  Some feel as though they have nothing to hide and don’t mind adding just about anyone.

Personally, I prefer to keep my Facebook account somewhat private. I only add people whom I actually know.  I’m pretty picky about coworkers and classmates, and only once I graduated and finished school did I friend [a select few of] my professors.

Before sending a friend request to your online peers or professors, it’s probably best that you reach out to them via email (or whichever medium you’ve been using to communicate to date) and be sure that it’s alright to connect over Facebook (or any other social network).  Respecting others’ wishes, privacy, and personal preferences can go a long way… happy studying!

By N. Cooper