Deanna Peluso's slides from her lecture at Simon Fraser University Department of Graduate Studies lecture on how to use social media, like twitter to propel student's graduate careers, and how to navigate the basics of social media networking.

1. Social Media to
Propel your
Graduate Career
Deanna C. C. Peluso
B.A., M.Ed, PhD (Candidate)
Faculty of Education, Arts Education
Personal Blog: www.dccp.ca
Research Blog: www.rymeyouth.ca
@dccp
Thursday, 22 March, 12

2. Social Media is a
Participatory Culture
• It is a place where creative barriers are low
• You can be limitless at what you can talk about,
express and learn
• It can be incredibly daunting though! Isn’t it all about
just telling people what you ate for breakfast? And
reading what celebrities are doing?
• Much more than that. It can be your best learning,
communication, and collaboration tool that will lead
you to a community of people in your respective field!
Thursday, 22 March, 12

3. Website: http://whattheklout.virb.com
Thursday, 22 March, 12

4. A Careful Balance
• Social Media Profiles are viewable by anyone and
everyone that wants to (including future employers)
• A level of professionalism and credibility is necessary
• Don’t post anything that you wouldn’t cringe at
during a job interview
• A careful balance between posting/creating
accessible, interesting and relevant content and your
own personal style
Thursday, 22 March, 12

5. Academia.edu
Thursday, 22 March, 12

6. Academia.edu
• Great for: If you intend on continuing in
academia (e.g. research and publications)
• Great for: Showcasing Scholarly-specific
achievements & following other colleagues
• Not great for: really, anything else
My use: an addendum to my personal
website, twitter and research websites
Thursday, 22 March, 12

7. Twitter is your Friend!
• Computers are not just a way to interact with technology, they are a way
to transform how we interact with other people!
• Twitter allows provides you with opportunities within the online
community to learn, make contacts, create a web presence where one
is the “go-to” expert (e.g. tweeting content that will be of interest to your
field of research/work, and sharing knowledge with that community)
• Fantastic learning opportunities that I personally have encountered by
being involved in hashtag chat groups (e.g. #phdchat) and finally to build
a social network of contacts that will provide you with opportunities to
find jobs or fine-tune your knowledge
• Tweet-ups at conferences
• Even something as simple as following companies one is interested in
working for.
Thursday, 22 March, 12

8. Finding People/Content to Follow
People
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9. Finding People/Content to Follow
Organizations
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10. Hashtags & Relevant Tweets
hashtag search
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11. Tweet & Retweet Items of Interest to
your Field... and the followers will come!
Interesting Info with
hashtags #
Personal Blog Posts
Quoting Retweet &
Personal Content
Retweeting
Thursday, 22 March, 12

12. Personal Website
• Aside from all these social networks to enable
communication, you need a place to showcase
your CV, portfolio and your accomplishments
• While LinkedIn, Academia.edu and various other
sites can help broadcast your skills and
accomplishments, having your own personal
website is key!
• Especially before going to speak at conferences,
teaching lectures etc.
• A way to create your own place for people to view
what you want, in the way you want (e.g. without
ads or your “friends”)
Thursday, 22 March, 12

13. Your site should mirror your over all goals and strategy
Personal Website
www.dccp.ca
Thursday, 22 March, 12

14. ONE Key Piece of Advice!
• The biggest thing about twitter, and your entire
virtual presence is consistency
• A well balanced social media presence that is
consistent across the board will transform how
colleagues, future employers etc. recognize and
view you as a person
• Note: employers see a LOT of resumes! How
do YOU stand out?
Thursday, 22 March, 12

15. Consistency & Balance
• Avatars aka your personal brand
• Well balanced content - not just retweeting
other people’s posts
• Don’t make your
tweets and blog posts
just about work/school
add your own - make sure there are
personal flair to pieces of YOU in there!
tweets (employers are looking
for unique as well as
knowledgable)
Thursday, 22 March, 12

16. Resources
@dccp www.twitter.com/dccp
• How to Set up your Twitter Account:
http://sabridv.wordpress.com
• Twitter and Canadian Educators:
http://www.cea-ace.ca
• How Social Media is Changing Education:
http://sproutsocial.com
• 5 Tips to Use Social Media to get a Job:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Thursday, 22 March, 12