Social Media: The Pillars of Your Profile

TL;DR:

This post includes an activity to help you set up your profile on social media.
Break down the list of 3-5 things you want your network to know about you. The list becomes the pillars of your profile.

Let’s get it right out in the open: I have a love-hate relationship with social media. Twitter. Instagram. LinkedIn – oh my! Sometimes, I’d rather get a root canal. Why? Because there are so many moving pieces to navigate, manage, and explore. I remember the first time I begrudgingly made a Twitter account. I was early in my teaching career pursuing my master’s degree. It was my last semester and graduation was the light at the end of the tunnel. The first assignment…creating a Twitter account to begin a journey toward becoming a “connected educator.”

And…as they say…the rest is history!

This activity is always challenging when you first begin because you are trying to see yourself as a 3rd party looking in. Who are you? Why would someone have a desire to connect with you? What do you care most about? Click To Tweet

There are a multitude of tips and tricks to utilize social media more effectively as a connected learner.

However, when we discuss getting on social media, many teachers reach out to say they took the plunge to sign in and create an account but do not know what to actually do next. What steps come after sharing your email and first name with a social media platform? How do you ensure you are getting what you are actually seeking from your platform? What are you supposed to share outside of a filtered photo of your lunch?

The answers to all these questions may take more than a blog to explore, but there is an activity I do with educators as they are early in their profile set up and I encourage you to try it out!

Activity:

Create a list of 3-5 things you want your network to know about YOU. Consider…when someone should think of your account, what can they expect to see from you?

This may include:

Family/pets
Personalized student support ideas
Resources for teachers/admin tools
Motivation
Personal opinions

As I went through this exercise myself, I began imagining how I wanted to be portrayed and seen by others. Who is Rae?

Well…I hope to be seen as authentic and transparent. I want to always be real and honest with the people I connect with. No fake smiles here! Let’s share how it is! I also very much value the opportunity to amplify others’ voices. There is so much to learn!

Connect with others who can share their expertise, insight, and passions! When you connect with me, my hope is that you also connect with others.

And lastly, I want to be seen as someone eager to find a solution. Need to vent? I may not be the best option for you. It’s not that I can not complain with the best of them, but then after a good session of negativity, the conversation must shift toward finding a solution—maybe a solution to the feelings exchanged or the problem at hand. Regardless, carrying a solution-seeking mindset continues to be important to me.

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With all of this in mind, I broke down my list of 3-5 things I wanted my network to know about me:

Personal posts: life updates & dogs
Personalized student support ideas: mastery learning & community engagement
Resources for teachers/admin tools
Sharing others voices & ideas/positive new connections
Motivation/food for thought

This 3-5 list then becomes the pillars of your profile.

Use this list to help you identify what to post, how to write your bio, what pictures you share, and/or who you connect with. You see, because even if you share a love-hate relationship with social media like I do, you can still put good into the world. It may be tricky to navigate new platforms or schedule posts, but connections with other passionate educators can change your life forever.

Happy Connecting!

See the full series here!

About Rae Hughart

Rae Hughart is a Middle-Level Math Educator in Illinois, the Chief Marking Officer for the Teach Better Team, and author of Teachers Deserve It (20) and Teach Better (19) books available on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. In 2017, Rae was honored with the Illinois State University Outstanding Young Alumni Award – inducting her into the University Hall of Fame. In 2018, Rae was honored again by winning 1st place in the Henry Ford Innovator Award for her work within educators communities to build unity between local businesses and schools. And in 2021, Rae was selected to give her first TEDx Talk called “Better Than Youtube,” emphasizing the true value of educators. You can learn more about Rae or book her for Professional Development opportunities within the Teach Better Speakers Network.