Tip #3: Refocus their attention

Though many students have used social media, they may have only used it to communicate with friends and gain an occasional ego boost in the past. It will take some time for them to wrap their heads around the fact they can make or break their career on social media and that nothing is completely erasable on the Internet. It might also take them time to see the potential it holds outside of the social benefits.

The best thing you can do is set an example for them. Create professional accounts that reach out to others with similar interests. Show them the best company Facebook and Twitter pages out there. Take a field trip to a social media convention in your area. If you don’t put what they should be doing in front of them, they will never truly grasp the potential of social media.

Most students haven’t been exposed to different ways to use social media or don’t know how immature the tweet “Gettttttin drunk tonight after the game” sounds on Twitter or Facebook. It’s up to you to guide them in the right direction. They will need some refocusing. Prepare to be patient and explain why it’s important to keep a clean, professional, interactive image on social networking sites.