Do College Students Really Know Anything About Social Media?

No…  I don’t think they do.  Yea, you can make the argument that every college student is on Facebook or Myspace, and they are constantly networking with one and other whether they know it or not.  But I really don’t think that matters, instead of an introduction to social media, Facebook and Myspace are just a necessary tool if you want to have any sort of social life.

So what is social media??  That is a good question, one that people outside of “the industry” might not understand.  Simply, social media is a collection of blogging, micro blogging, networking, or vlogging sites (I realize I may have left some out, but I think you get the point).  I am talking about sites like Twitter , Tumblr, or even Youtube.  Do college students use these?  If they do, it is only to watch some crazy shit on Youtube.

How can we fix this problem?  And it is a problem because there are so many opportunities for college students if they would take the time to learn about it.  I think I found a potential solution…  Or at least a step in the right direction.  I had a chat with Theresa Toste from Yoono the other day, and she told me about some of the cool things they are up to.

Yoono is holding Social Media Camp(u)s around the country.  They have already done SMC at MIT and UT, both of which were very succesful and got great feedback.  The idea is to use Social Media resources like Facebook to promote the events, and then get a conversation started both online and in person about the other sites that are out there, and what they can do for you.

They are hiring interns at universities across the country that are required to start a blog, plan and hold at least two events a semester, and promote social media news and current events online.  I wish I had the opportunity to do this in college, but I guess I am doing it now and I haven’t been out of school that long.

Why is it important for college students to be utilizing these tools?  Theresa made some great points in my conversation with her.  She talked about how important someone can be to a company if they are able to start, or maintain a blog.  Also, she talked about how twitter has become a marketing tool for many companies and if a employee is comfortable with the site, and is capable of launching a marketing campaign through twitter then they are a step ahead.

Schools also need to step up…  College students should get an introduction from career centers or professors about how to use social media to further their careers.  Social media sites can open their mind to education outside of the classroom, and is not just for pictures of their friends drunken weekend excursions (even though those are fun to look at sometimes!).

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Tags: Social Media, social media campus, yoono

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