During a recent webinar, a social media manager for a school asked this question:
“I can’t see Facebook when I’m at school, so it makes it impossible to view comments as they are coming in on our school page. How do I get the administration to let us use Facebook at school?”
Uff da. I live in Minnesota, so I can use that saying.
I’ve worked with so many schools like this. The schools know that they need to use social media, but they still shut down access to it internally. They definitely aren’t singing “Kum-ba-ya” around the campfire with all of the social media platforms.
My response to this concern is always that people can access it at school, they just don’t access it through the school WIFI. Or if you are a student, you just figure out a way around it…
Fear of social media is common, but there are practical steps that you can use to guide your school to accept it. For the best advice on this topic, I always go to my friend and mentor, Kristin Magette, APR. Afterall, she wrote a book on the topic!
Her best advice is to manage risk through the 3 Ps:
- Policies
- Procedures
- Professional Development
To grab the full understanding, I recommend purchasing her book. Embracing Social Media – A Practical Guide to Leverage Risk and Leverage Opportunity.
