Tips for How to Best Communicate with your Student

in the World of Social Media

When Mom or Dad

Asks to be Your

Facebook Friend

Shift Happens

The class of 2012 has grown up in an

era where computers and rapid

communication are the norm.

They have seldom utilized landlines

during their adolescence.

.They will continue to live on their cell

phones and communicate via texting

The Class of 2012 Mindset List

WWW has never stood for

World Wide Wrestling

IBM has never made typewriters

Caller ID has always

been available on phones

The Class of 2012 Mindset List

Students in the Class of 2013 were

• 7 when Google was founded

• 10 when iPods, BlackBerry’s, and Wikipedia were introduced

Preferred Means of Communication for

College Students

source: eroi.com

…..e-mail is a dying channel, especially among

students...students are using email primarily to sign up for

social networking sites and receive e-mail alerts.

37%

11%26%

11%

15%Text Messaging

Instant Messaging

Email

Social Networking Email

Social Networking IM

Chico State Graduating Seniors’

Media Use

Social Media Used by Parents• 75% Texting• 58% Facebook• 18% LinkedIn• 15% Skype• 5% Twitter• 2% Blog

Used by their Students• 88% Facebook• 79% Texting• 65% MySpace• 15% Skype• 5% Twitter• 5% Blog

Social Media Used by Parents and

Students

2009 Parent Communication Survey

307 responses for a 5.7% response rate. Parents had children

in all class levels; 34.8% had children who were freshmen

How Often Do You Communicate with your Student?

• 14% More than once per day• 11% Once a day• 50% Several times per week• 20% Once a week• 4% Less than once a week• 2% Every few weeks

2009 Parent Communication Survey

Please Rate Your Communication Methods

Frequently: Phone Calls and Texting

Occasionally: E-mail and Face-to-Face

Seldom: Mail

Never: Social Media

Advice from Parents to Parents received 224 comments from current parents

“Give them space but agree on an appropriate amount of communication time. Let them be in the driver’s seat about that as long as they are honest about it. Learn how to text if you don’t already. They will respond to it. Forget Facebook. They make fun of parents who do it.”

“Take the cues from your student. Some like more

communication than others.”

“Send them little goodies in the mail now

and then.”

Advice from Parents to Parents received 224 comments from current parents

“Stay connected without stalking.”

“As a freshman it’s important to contact students often to make sure everything is going good. I think texting is great along with a weekly phone call to check in with them. I think several visits throughout the year is good as well.”

“If you have webcams on your computers, you can use Skype for video calls. It’s free on the internet. You can see them and they can

see you, the house, pets. etc...”

Advice from Parents to Parents

“…discuss how you will communicate with your child and how often before they go to school

… Leave them a media of their own that they can use for communication among their friends.

…we all need our privacy and don’t necessarily need to have each other know everything.”

TEXT--Unlimited TEXTing Plan--Learn to TEXT--TEXTing is least interferring--TEXT often--Text! Text! Text!--TEXTing is fun, easy,

and cool.

There Are a Few Parents Who Feel......

• “I started with “if I am paying for your tuition, etc. I should have access to all your information.”

• “Our children must allow us to be friends on internet social sites.”

• “Threaten them that if excess drinking and bad grades happen they will be back at home in their boring room going to boring community college. My kids know this is what will happen in a split second. My husband and I will follow through with every threat and we have no problems.”

However, the Majority of Parents Feel

“Give the kids their space”

“Find out how they communicate”

“Help them, do not control them”

“Have an open dialogue with them as to why you want to stay in touch”

“Take the cues from your student”

“You have to trust that you did your job”

“Don’t be a helicopter parent”“Find a way you like to

communicate together”

“Let go”

“Don’t take everything personally”

http://myparentsjoinedfacebook.com

Tips for Communicating with Your Student on

Facebook

•Talk to your student before you “friend” them

•Determine boundaries for both of you

•If you are already “friends” determine if your online relationship will change as your student transitions from high school to college

Tips for Communicating with Your Student on

Facebook

•Discuss privacy settings and limited profiles

•Avoid family humiliation

•Don’t “friend” your student’s “friends”

•Once it’s on the Internet, it’s permanent