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Social Networking

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Social Networking

Social networking refers to the use of online communication sites for the purpose of connecting with people of interest and sharing information. Social networking sites may be used by higher education to connect students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, prospective students and the greater community, to share information about the institution and to provide a connecting point for others to share information of interest regarding the institution and surrounding community.

College offices and departments that wish to use a social networking account to conduct college business are expected to follow the college's Social Networking Guidelines. The guidelines, tips and best practices discussed on this site are intended for college social networking accounts and do not impact personal accounts.

Register Your Office or Department's Social Networking Account

1. Determine the purpose of the social networking account(s) and the person(s) that will be in charge of monitoring and updating the account.
2. Sign up for a social networking information session by emailing Kaitlin Hines, Web Manager and Training Specialist, at kmhines@smcm.edu with the following information:
   1. Office/Department Title
   2. Name and Title of the person(s) that will be managing the account(s)
   3. URL to the account(s) (if created before November 1, 2009)
   4. Purposed account name
   5. Purpose of the account
3. Attend a social networking information session.
4. Create your account and start adding content. Be sure to develop a plan that includes checking the account on a daily basis, interacting with your audience and adding new content regularly. Social networking tips and best practices will be discussed during the social networking information session.
5. Once you've added initial content, e-mail Web Services at webhelp@smcm.edu to have your social networking account(s) added to the official St. Mary's College of Maryland social networking list, which will provide an index of all official College accounts in order to promote the accounts and establish credibility.

Training

No formal training sessions will be held. However, if you would like to make an appointment to learn more about social networking and how to integrate it into your department, please contact Kaitlin Hines to set up an appointment. Thank you!