Presentation given with Ciji Heiser at the 2013 NASPA Annual Conference in Orlando, FL March 2013

1. Social Media as a Tool for
Developing and Empowering Women
For Presentation at the
2013 NASPA Annual Conference
Ciji Heiser (@cijiann)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Melissa Robertson (@melpels)
Purdue University
Tweet with Us! #NASPA13 #wlsalt

2. Overview
• Why We’re Here
• Self-Assessment
• Needs of Women in Higher Education & Theory
• Finding and Giving Empowerment
• Social Media as Tool for Empowerment & Gains
• Discussion and “IRL” Examples
• How to Get Involved
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4. The Power of WISA
“It’s no surprise that we continue to
hear issues such as mentoring,
sponsorship, work-life negotiation,
negotiation skills in general, career
advancement, and intersections of
identity all come to the surface.”
“…a WISA woman commented about
how people shy away from claiming
the term “feminist”. Others shared that
owning their feminism actually
empowered them to embrace their
own identity more fully, and spurred
them to activism.”
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6. “A Voice at the Table…”
“Social media has given me a
voice at the table, connected
me with inspirational
professionals, expanded my
network, helped me connect
with my current job, and been
a composite of resources. I
have tutored students,
presented at national
conferences, written papers,
and coordinated professional
association social media
accounts; I know the value of
this tool.” – Becca Obergefell
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7. “Twitter Taught Me to Stop
Apologizing…”
“Well, I was thinking that we
should…”
“I believe that we could…”
“I think that it might be better if…”
Do any of those sound like
statements that would stop you in
your tracks?
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8. Social networking provides a safe haven, or rather,
Tweet with “laboratory” for exploration
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9. Blogs
#WISA
#WLSalt
#WLI
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10. For women not as
compelled to
network in
person, social
media networking
provides a
motivating
stepping stone, or
a tool, to learn
appropriate
methods of
connecting….
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11. “Rather than going home and
curling up on the couch with a bowl
of ice cream, I can curl up in a
#hashtag where people are saying
encouraging and supportive things
and walk away with something
more constructive, that I can do
something with, the next day.”
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12. How to Get Involved…
• Just jump in! This is your
community!
• Engage and interact with
Twitter and Facebook users
• Blog
• Participation in Knowledge
Communities, Committees,
etc…
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13. Presenting Your Best Self
• Twitter Bio: 160 characters – who you are, what you
do, what you enjoy, and a link
• If using professionally: Institution, link to
blog/Facebook/LinkedIn, Strengths and/or MBTI
• Separate the “trash” from the “treasure”
• Do spot checks on who is following you
• Google your name and Twitter handle occasionally
Tweet with Us! #NASPA13 #wlsalt

14. What Are You Showing the World?
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15. What Are You Showing the World?
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16. Networking Professionally
• Building and participating in community
• Making Connections
• Giving and asking for introductions
• Participating in conversation
• Asking and answering questions
• Recognition and motivation
• Book, article, and resource recommendations
• Pre-Conference Networking & Tweet-Ups!
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17. Join us for coffee and conversation at the
Women in Student Affairs Tweet-Up!
Tuesday, March 19th 5:30pm
Just after the
Annual Business Meeting
Starbucks on the
Lobby Level of the
Orlando World Center Marriott
See you there!
Questions?
Contact Melissa Robertson - Twitter @melpels - melissa.robertson10@gmail.com
Tweet with Us! #NASPA13 #wlsaltWomen in Student Affairs (WISA)
http://www.facebook.com/WISA.KC http://twitter.com/wisa_kc
NASPA l www.delicious.com/WISA www.wisakc.com
#wisa #wisakc

18. Let’s Stay Connected…!
Ciji Ann Heiser
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
@cijiann
Melissa Robertson
Purdue University
@melpels