Guidelines for Professionals and Practitioners

Pamela Rutledge, PhD, MBADirector, Media Psychology Research Center

prutledge@mprcenter.org

@pamelarutledge

2012 APA Annual Convention, Orlando, FloridaAugust 2, 2012

Pamela Rutledge, PhD, MBA• Director, Media Psychology Research Center• Faculty, Massachusetts School Of Professional

Psychology And Instructor, UCIrvine Ex• Blogger, Psychology Today, Positively Media• Interests: Transmedia narratives, visual and data

design, designing for optimal engagement • Expert source for the media on psychological

implications of emerging and social technologies

The Big Questions1. What is your digital presence?2. What do you want it to be?3. How do you manage your digital

presence to support your professional goals and ethical standards?

It’s A Social World

• Social media has benefits and pitfalls

• You have a digital presence whether you know it or not

• You can’t control it, but you can actively participate and monitor it

Key Point #1There is a difference between a digital presence and social media

Digital Presence vs. Social Media• Digital presence = public online

impression– Multiple sources– Additive impressions

• Social media are tools– Like any tool, you have to use them for them to

work

Key Point #2Different types of social media have different properties

Social Media are Information Organizers

• Information searches– Google, Yahoo, Bing

• Folksonomy: Tagging and Curation– Digg, Scoop it!

• Blogs/Microblogs– Blogster, Twitter, Posterous

• Wikis– Collaborative databases, like Wikipedia

• Social Networking Sites– Bounded communities

Key Point #3Social media strategies start with a strategy, not with a Facebook page

Social Media Strategy• Tools are only useful if you know

– what you want to do– what tools will get the job done.

• Online networks are like offline ones– People use Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and

LinkedIn to meet people, share resources and connect with colleagues

Key Point #4Social media are are not a waste of time unless you allow them to be

Social Media: Total Time Suck?• Social media networks are not a waste of

time unless you allow them to be• Networking opportunities• Great way to build social capital • Be very clear on WHY you’re doing it and

the outcomes you want to see

Key Point #5You need a mission statement

Mission Statement: Questions to Answer• Why am I on social networks and what will

I use them for?• How do I want to build my personal or

organizational brand using social media?• What outcomes do I want to see from my

time?• How does social media fit into my overall

strategy?

Mission Statement: Types of Goals• Promote your business or practice• Promote your brand• Promote a cause or organization• Build a community around issues important

to you• Provide information based on your area of

expertise

Mission Statement: Your Social Media CompassExample:I use social networks to share my perspective, knowledge and expertise, connect with and learn from other professionals, and to build my personal brand to expand my business opportunities. By using social media, I want to increase blog traffic, consulting and speaking opportunities, create a market for future book sales, and recruit for the academic programs where I teach. To achieve this, I create and build my personal brand online by being honest, authentic, responsive and by making sure that anything I write, say or do publicly is consistent with my professional interests and personal values.

Key Point #6Creating a social media policy

Social Media Policy: Why?• Writing out a social media policy is

important because:– It forces you to think it all the way through– It allows you to articulate your policies to your

clients– It provides a blueprint to evaluate future

choices and decisions

Social Media Policy: Examine Boundaries

• What information is public, what should be kept private

• What are the rules for researching customers, clients and co-workers

• How you can be contacted and when

• What information is appropriate for clients and co-workers to share with you

• How you will handle clients and co-workers finding out stuff about you

Key Point #7Choose your tools carefully

Choosing Social Media Tools• Know what they do

– Privacy– Access– Time requirements– Technical facility

• Evaluate tools against your social media policy

• Make sure you can maintain them in a way that supports your goals

Access Control Potential Completely Public

Mostly public

Mostly private

Website x    

Blog x    

Twitter x   x

LinkedIn x x  

Facebook x x x

Flickr x x x

Pinterest x    Professional sites (i.e. faculty profiles, company profiles)   x  

Curation tools (Scoop, paper.li) x

Google+ x

Sample Evaluation Grid

Key Point #8Connect your tools so they feed each other

Key Point #9Build relationships

Key Point #10Think before you speak

So Many Tools, So Little Time• Social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn • Blog accounts like Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr,

Posterous• Microblogging sites, like Twitter,• Bookmarking accounts like Digg, Reddit,

StumbleUpon • Curation accounts, like Scoop it! Pinterest• Photo sharing, like Flickr • Community creation like Ning.com • Presentation sharing, like SlideShare• Video platforms like Blip.tv, YouTube, Vimeo, and

Viddler• Audio platforms like BlogTalkRadio.com

When Does a Facebook Page Make Sense?

Displaying Expertise Relevant to Platform

Conclusion• Social media tools allow you to build an

effective online presence in multiple ways if you:– Create a social media mission statement– Design your strategy and goals– Pick your tools based on what they can do to

support your strategy– Be honest, consistent and engage (but don’t

lecture)– Have fun

THANK YOUFOR QUESTIONS OR COPIES OF

THIS PRESENTATION:

Pamela Rutledge, PhD, MBADirector, Media Psychology Research Center

prutledge@mprcenter.org

@pamelarutledge