The exponential growth of social media has changed how we communicate. Technological convergence have enabled content to flow between different platforms and online spaces enabling opportunities for anyone to become creators, curators, critics and conversationalists. The ubiquitous use of smart mobile devices making this increasingly possible to do so when we want and where we want. How we can use these spaces and places to develop new channels for communication, collaboration and to develop a valued online presence will be the focus of this talk.

1. Open Places and Social Spaces
Realising the Global Potential of Social Media and the
Value of a Professional Online Presence
Sue Beckingham | @suebecks
Guest Lecture | Sheffield Business School

2. What we will cover
• The importance of knowing what digital
impressions you leave on the web
• The value of social networking and
developing your online profile
• How graduate employers use the web to
recruit and select and what that means for
you
• Using social media in your search for
graduate work and career development

3. New channels of communication are
augmenting the traditional

4. And potentially superseding some...

5. The world is
getting smaller
as digital social
communication
tools connect us

6. Using Social Media
we can all be:
creators
curators
critics
conversationalists
collaborators
communicators

7. BUT: Individuals perception of
social media is not always the
same...

8. That Twitter
twaddle...
Why would I
want to know
what you had
for breakfast...
Are you a duck?

9. Or a rabbit?
Twitter connects
me with my
professional
learning network
Twitter enables
communication
and
collaboration

10. „Education is not about
adaption to an already
existing environment, but
the creation of an adult
who will look beyond his
own environment’
(Vygotsky,1997)

11. Allocating time
to explore
Nothing is a
waste of time if
you use the
experience
wisely.
Auguste Rodin

12. BLOGGING
SOCIAL
NETWORKING
MICROBLOGGING

13. There is an ever increasing spectrum of
social communication channels

14. https://conversationprism.com/
Solis 2013

15. Different levels of involvement
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Creators
Conversationalists
Critics
Collectors
Joiners
Spectators (‘Lurkers’)
Inactives

16. Passive
Lurkers or
Empowered
Listeners?

17. Trans-disciplinary Skills
New channels >>

18. Enterprise Social Networking
http://www.entrepreneur.com

19. B2C companies that blog get
88% more leads/month than
those who don’t.
Business blogging is an
increasingly sought after skill
B2B companies that blog get
67% more leads/month than
those who don’t.
Data: Hubspot 2013

21. You need to be mindful of who is
observing your online actions

22. Unlike conversations in physical
spaces we leave a digital footprint
each time we visit online spaces.
A clear awareness of what our
online presence looks like is
therefore very important.

23. !
http://www.alexa.com/topsites/global
will find your digital
footprints!

24. Social media ranks highly

28. Make sure
you are in the
YES pile of
job
applications!

29. Understanding
professional
online protocols
is key...

30. Connectedness
“People need to learn how to
connect to new people on a
regular basis. No person has all the
knowledge needed to work
completely alone in our connected
society. Neither does any company.
Neither does any government.
We are all connected AND
dependent on each other.”
Harold Jarche

31. Connections
students
YOU
service
providers
business
advisors
colleagues
family
YOU
specialism
acquaintances
friends

32. Purposes of Networking
Transactions
• buying, selling, getting a job, getting a contract, advertising, etc.
Relationships
• business, music, friendship, romance, hobbies, college, etc.
Awareness
• campaigns, aid, human rights, climate change, politics, etc.
Care
• medical, recovery programmes, mental health, self-help, etc.
Knowledge
• learning networks, research, personal development, etc.
Entertainment
• music, video, sports, etc.
Religion and spirituality
• online religious practice, religious groups, spiritual paths, etc.
The Tracker Model
(West in D'Souza 2011)

33. A “social network” can be defined as a set of nodes or
actors (persons or organizations) linked by social
relationships or ties of a specified type.
A tie or relation between two actors has both strength
and content. The content might include information,
advice, or friendship, shared interest or membership,
and typically some level of trust.
Castilla, Hwang, Granovetter and Granovetter. 2000

34. The strength of interpersonal ties is a combination of
the amount of time, the emotional intensity, the intimacy
(mutual confiding) and the reciprocal services which
characterises the tie.
Granovetter 1973:1361

35. However… weak ties can uniquely serve as
bridges to other worlds and thus can pass on
information or opportunities you have
not heard about.
(Hoffman and Casnocha 2012:06)

36. Six degrees of separation theory
Anyone can be connected to any other person on the
planet through a chain of acquaintances and that we are
just six introductions away from any other person

37. The Power of 2nd and 3rd
degree connections
1st
YOU
2nd
3rd

38. Three degrees is the magic number because when
you’re introduced to a 2nd or 3rd degree connection,
at least one person in an introduction chain
personally knows the origin or target person
1st
YOU
2nd
3rd

39. Using social media in your search for graduate
employment and career development

41. Guardian Careers Live Chats
http://careers.guardian.co.uk/

42. Access to CEOs globally

43. Groups

44. Alumni connections via

45. LinkedIn is in the Top 10 most visited
websites in the world
Nearly 5.7 billion people searches on
LinkedIn in 2012 alone
It’s not simply what you know or who you know BUT who knows YOU

46. Create
opportunities
to experience
mock online
interviews and
meetings

47. Video CVs
Use YouTube as a
search engine to find
good exemplars to
learn from

48. Testimonials
http://www.youtube.com/user/SheffBusinessSchool

49. Presentation inspiration from
SlideShare is the world's largest community for sharing presentations.
60 million monthly visitors and 130 million page views.
It is amongst the most visited 200 websites in the world.
Embed your own presentations in blogs, websites, LinkedIn profile.

50. Make good use of social
bookmarking to build and
share useful links

51. Increasing your
leverage
Being seen to know and willing to
share important things first, with
an increasingly smart and influential
network, is the way to become
successful in an online world
Euan Semple

52. You are confined
only by the walls
you build yourself
Andrew Murphy

53. Open Places and Social Spaces
Realising the Global Potential of Social Media
and a Professional Online Presence
The exponential growth of social media has changed how we communicate.
Technological convergence have enabled content to flow between different
platforms and online spaces enabling opportunities for anyone to become creators,
curators, critics and conversationalists. The ubiquitous use of smart mobile devices
making this increasingly possible to do so when we want and where we want. How
we can use these spaces and places to develop new channels for communication,
collaboration and to develop a valued online presence will be the focus of this talk.