Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Marketing Yourself: Foundations for the Future Team Talks about Facebook

If you were not at Green Valley High School for the Baseball Parent Meeting, then you missed out on marketing specialist, Travis Cochran, of the Foundations for the Future team, giving some helpful hints to parents and athletes about how they can use Facebook to market themselves to both colleges and employers.

If you missed out...Here are the notes from the meeting:

Using Facebook to Market Yourself


      “What is a Facebook?”
o   Started as a college thing…Moved way beyond since its inception!
§  Was a book…like all things it moved to the internet and became interactive
§  Was for college students, anyone can join
 “Why should I join?”
o   Social Networking
§  It is not who you know…It is who you get to know!
·         Facebook is an online and popular way of networking.
·         Join an existing group established around shared interests.
§  Colleges, Companies, and Coaches are on Facebook
o   College and Employer Research
§  Learn about centers of influence before you introduce yourself to them.
§  Learn about values and key language before you write your essays or attend your interviews.
 “I’m afraid of losing my life to Facebook.”
o   Set a Facebook schedule for yourself.
o   Don’t keep Facebook open on your computer all day…it will tempt you!
 “I don’t want to get in trouble.”
o   Don’t put pictures/videos/links up that will get you in trouble.
o   Avoid the S.T.I.N.K. and P.U.
§  Stupid (do not upload anything that demonstrates poor decision making) , Threatening, Illegal, Nuisance (do not upload time consuming applications), and Kid-like (do not be immature)

§  Possibly Unprofessional
“I am afraid of somebody stalking me.”
o   Facebook has outstanding privacy control settings
o   Create Friend Groups
§  This allows you to organize your friends – it makes networking easier
§  It also allows you to choose which groups of people see which types of information on your page.
o   Only let friends see…
§  pictures, wall posts, contact information, or other.
"What can I do to make my Facebook useful?"
o   Pictures/Videos that demonstrate your athleticism.
o   Updates about your accomplishments academically and athletically. 
o   Remain involved.
o   Be Nice!