The concept of a professional Facebook page is a smart idea, since most employers will always have Human Resources do a social media background check on potential employees. This way they can see a generic page instead of your entire personal life. The reason is it smart for me, personally, is that I would way rather have my personal Facebook page blocked to viewers other than my friends, but still have the ability for potential employers to access basic information about me. Hopefully it will benefit my chances in future career advancements. Also once I am in my future goal job, as a High School CTS teacher, this concept of a professional Facebook page could be flawless with communicating with the students, since every teenager seems to have Facebook. This way I could easily post homework or school related announcements on the page without having to personally be friends with them on Facebook. (Since that can easily start to overstep Teacher - Student boundaries) Overall I definitely think it is a tool that is useful in multiple ways and will be something that I intend to use presently and once finished school and working towards a career.
Another useful thing about it is convenience, social media has made access to useful information easier and faster than ever. Twitter, for example, can now have a greater impact than the evening news since it can be streaming as it is happening. Also, in regards to Facebook pages, it is seamless for public figures, organizations and large companies to get new plans, ideas, and concepts out to the general public. If there is any sort of announcement to be made it can simply be done through Facebook and twitter so it can access everyone at a rapid rate. One major step taken for social media is the police even using it to aid them in solving crime and protecting the community, one
article has framed this concept with talking about the Windsor police to utilize this tool for their benefit.
Below I have included a screenshot of my professional Facebook page, also you can access it directly at this link
Paige Powers Facebook, and while you are browsing here is a link to my friend's
Rebecca Miller, along with her
blog.
Photo taken by Paige Powers, 2012
I feel your perspective on the use of Facebook is identical to mine. It is so crucial to remember the entire realm of consequences that comes with being active in the social media world. If your Facebook walked into an interview, their silly pictures and comments on their "BFF's" wall would leave employers with their eyebrows raised. However, there is nothing wrong with having opinions, friends, and fun, but employers are looking for a professional. A Facebook page is a great way to be found online, with information you have selected to be viewed. I think it shows that you are prepared, in touch with todays focus on social media, and happy to show the professional world who you are. I'm happy to see you acknowledge the importance of "Teacher-student boundaries" and how to maintain them while still connecting with students.
ReplyDeleteEven though I don't have anything morally wrong on my personal Facebook profile, it still isn't professional, so I'm glad we learned about the usefulness of a professional Facebook page. I'm sure more and more companies are using Facebook to try and get a background check on potential employees, so it's great to know that I'm prepared!
ReplyDeleteYour comment on how social media often has a greater impact than the news made me realize how many times I have discovered breaking news from Twitter or friends on Facebook. Not all of us have time to sit down and watch the news on TV, so it's nice to be able to be in-the-know just from checking an app on my smartphone or laptop.