How to Gain More Social Media Followers When You Need To

I know, I know.  Anyone who has a social media presence in leadership and does it for the right reasons knows that its not about how many followers you have on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or how many “Likes” you get on Facebook.  The quote above says it perfectly.   Leading and growing is about inspiring and leading staff, students/clients and community/stakeholders.    But at times, having more followers can be more important that inspiring and leading.  The number of followers you have dictates how many you can lead and inspire.  Increasing the number of followers and/or subscribers to a social media account will actually help this cause.

In many positions, it can be difficult to inform people of a new hire’s social media presence.    That’s why it is important to follow some strategies to increase stakeholder’s awareness of a new social media opportunity that can help increase their knowledge base while also inspiring and helping others.  For example, when new personnel are hired in school districts, especially large districts, it can be difficult to make others aware of the new personnel’s social media presence.  If you follow the different strategies listed below, this will help increase awareness and help gain traction to increase followers and ultimately help tell your story:

Own and Know How to Use a Smartphone/Mobile Device - I put this first because it may be the most important aspect of increasing social media presence.  Being able to post and tweet instantly has a huge advantage over waiting to post when you get back to your office or have access to a computer.  Having AND knowing how to use a Smartphone or mobile device allows you instant access to posting and sharing information with stakeholders.  Having the ability to take pictures, tell a story and immediately upload to social media sets the stage to increasing everyone’s presence on social media.

Follow Others - Whether it is Twitter or Pinterest, it is imperative to follow others who are using social media in your business, organization and/or district.  This may require you to search a staff member’s name and type “Twitter” and/or “Pinterest” next to their name while searching, but it will give you more people to follow who already work in your organization and can help spread your message. More times than not, people you follow will follow you back.

Share ideas, tweet links/post links to articles/posts - Brad Currie, Billy Krakower and Scott Rocco said it best in their book 140 Twitter Tips for Educators, “A way to gain followers is by sharing ideas. Tweet links to articles and blog posts you find interesting, share quotes, facts, or simply a note about something awesome that just happened in your school/district.  As you consistently share relevant information and interesting ideas, more people will want to follow you” (p. 24).  A great way to do this is by using Flipboard (website or app) to create magazines of articles/posts of your favorite topics.  You can share these through your social media accounts and tag people, companies, and organizations.  I would also suggest finding hashtags and including them in your posts to allow more users to see the posts. Here is a video on how to use Flipboard:

Participate in Twitter chats - I still tell people to this day when I speak at various conferences and keynotes, the key to my growth as an educator has always been participating in chats, especially #satchat and #ohedchat.  Chats allow you to share your educational philosophies and beliefs with others while gaining large amounts of professional development in a short amount of time.  The key is not to just “lurk” in chats (watch the conversation and don’t participate), but to get involved and share resources while creating dialogue.  As the authors of 140 Twitter Tips for Educators state, “The more you participate in a Twitter discussion like #satchat, the more likely you are to gain followers, especially if your message resonates with participants” (p. 24).

Connect with Others Who Use Social Media - It really is simple math: when a person Retweets a tweet and has 1,000 followers, more people will see the tweet than when a person who has 10 followers Retweets the same tweet.  Connecting with others who actually use social media will help your social media presence.  Find the people in your organization/business who use social media and connect with them.

Tweet/Tag Local Businesses, Companies, Government - Our local businesses and government entities do a great deal for all organizations.  Use social media to keep them aware of the great things you and your staff are doing.  Find ways to thank them for all of their contributions to your cause and tag them in posts.  A simple Retweet or Like by their organization will greatly increase your presence. For example, I regularly tag @CityOfGahanna in tweets about our @LincolnFabLab or events we have going on at school.

Tweet/Post Athletic Scores and Performing Art Events - As 140 Twitter Tips for Educators explains, “Twitter has become such a prevalent part of our culture that professional and school athletic departments, teams, and athletes now keep their fans up-to-date on the latest news in 140 characters or less” (p. 45).  Use your business/organization/school district social media accounts and hashtags while posting the events.  Also tag local media outlets (radio stations, TV stations) to keep them aware of the events.  They will often Retweet or re-post to share with thousands of their followers.

Tweet/Post Great Things Happening in Your Organization - This is a no brainer.  Tell your story because you don’t want someone else doing it for you.  Let everyone know how proud you are of the great things going on.

Have Others Tag You in Tweets - Sometimes it may be awkward to ask others to “Share the Love!”, but sometimes that’s exactly what you have to do.  If people in your organization are using social media, simply ask them to include you on tweets/posts.  Please don’t be shy in this area.  If you are serious about helping others and increasing your presence to do so, then have the conversation.

Share Your Business/District/Building Account - If possible, it is important to share administrator rights to your business/school/district social media accounts.  I realize this may not be possible for everyone, but if you have ability to gain access to your business/district account as an administrator, I highly suggest you do that.  Many times I will post something I see in the classroom or in a performance on my personal account and also tag my school in the same post  Using my smartphone, I switch to my school account (in the matter of 2 clicks) and repeat the same post on the school account under my personal account.  While I don’t do this on purpose, it does increase the amount of followers on both ends.

Start a Blog - In my opinion, reflection is a key component in the growth of any professional.  Creating a blog and sharing your reflections will not only help you, but also help others.  Create blog posts and share your blog on social media (tweet, post, and pin the link to your blog).  Tag people in your organization and community.  Also tag professionals that you admire and have the same philosophy as you.  They may also share your post, thus allowing more social media users to see it.

Create Your Own Quotes - While I am not a big fan of this one, it does work.  You can use sites and apps like Canva to type in your own quote (or others) with a background image, tag others in the post, and share it on social media outlets.  Your quotes could help others think differently about a topic and reveal your insights on different areas.

Include All of Your Social Media Accounts in Your Email Signature - We all send email to large groups of stakeholders.  Why not include all of the ways that your stakeholders can connect with you in the signature of your email?  An example of mine is below:

-------

Bobby Dodd

Principal

Gahanna Lincoln High School

Twitter: @bobby__dodd

School Twitter: @GLHSLions

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GahannaLincolnHighSchoolLions

Blog: http://glhsprincipal.blogspot.com

Parents Blog: http://glhsprincipal.blogspot.com/p/parents-corner.html

RemindHQ: Text the number "81010" w/ the message "@glhsinfo" to receive text messages

Instagram: bobby__dodd

School Website: http://www.gahannaschools.org/Schools/Lincoln_High_School/SchoolLincolnHigh.aspx

If you are not going to use social media, then you are not going to have a social media presence.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to increase your followers if you are doing it for the right reasons.  Use the strategies above to get you started.  Find a few of them and really focus on using them to help tell your story.  You may actually be surprised who is listening.

5 Foolproof Professional Development Tips for the Educational Offseason

You hear the quote all the time from athletes around the world, “Champions are made in the offseason.”  For athletes, the offseason (or preseason) is when they get stronger, smarter, and better.  During the season itself, there usually isn’t enough time to put the required amount of work into the areas mentioned above.  They are simply too busy competing in games and matches.  While athletes practice and compete during their respective seasons, the offseason has always been known as the time where the expectations are to work and learn to prepare for the upcoming season.

If you think about it, the offseason for educators is the same as athletes.  While we may call it summer break and use a portion of the summer to relax and recharge, we also have an obligation to use it as a time to get stronger, smarter and better in our field.  With the help of social media, connected educators continue to grow during the school year.  But the summer is definitely a time when we don’t have so many things going on and can really focus on growing and getting better.

Follow the five tips below to have a strong offseason and help you improve as an educator:

 1. Create a Plan for What You Want to Accomplish this Offseason

We are all well aware of the research that states you have a better chance of accomplishing a goal when it is written down.  Be creative and plan a method of attack for your offseason.  Write it down.  What do you want to accomplish?  What do you want to learn more about?  Where do you want to get better?  Create a plan based on goals and efficiency.  Figure out what you need to do to get better and expand your learning.  If you want to read a certain number of books, then write it down which books you want to read and read them.  If you want to attend certain conferences, then plan for it. 

2. Focus on the “3 R’s”

These aren’t your traditional 3 R’s.  I’m talking about read, read and read.  Plan to read as many books as you want.  Learn how to use Flipboard and create magazines you can read each day to learn more about your passion.  Share what you are reading with others.  Use social media to share your thoughts about your readings.  Or share posts and articles you read via email with your colleagues.  When you read, visualize how you can use what you are reading to help your classroom and/or building.  Dedicate a portion of each day during your offseason to reading.  Last year I read The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity by Kory Kogon to help improve my productivity during each day.  This summer I have already read The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable by Seth Godin, and Leadership and the Art of Struggle by Steven Snyder. 

3. Go to Conferences and EdCamps

Try to go to every conference and edcamp that you can.  The professional networking and opportunities to get better are limitless.  Whether the conferences are national or local, it doesn’t make a difference. They are opportunities to grow. 

My favorite form of professional development is participating in a couple of edcamps during the summer.  For example, this year I plan on participating in the international #EdCampLdr day on June 30^th where there will be edcamps around the world focusing on leadership (Ohio’s#EdCampLdrOH will be at Clark Hall in Gahanna, OH once again!).  Take advantage of the opportunity to attend edcamps to learn from others in a nontraditional academic setting that will enable you to personalize your own professional learning.

4. Try Something New

At times, during the school year, we tend to backoff from trying new things because there is always a learning curve that takes time.  Find a new site to explore.  Work with some different apps to see if they can help you grow.  Look into different social media accounts to see if they can help your professionally (Hint: Facebook isn’t what it used to be.  Many people are now using it to grow professionally).  Try using Voxer to connect with others around the world to see what they are doing to grow this offseason.

5. Make Goals for the Upcoming School Year

Use the offseason to create goals for your classroom and/or building.  If you already have goals for next year, figure out an action plan for how you will accomplish your goals.  Think of the different evidence you will collect to accomplish your goals.  The offseason is the time to pinpoint which data you will collect during the year and how you will use it.  Don’t forget to focus on what you want to improve for the upcoming school year and research what you can use to make that happen. 

While I am definitely a beach guy and love to hit the sand and surf during the summer, I also know my offseason is here.  Its time to get better at what I do.  Learn more, grow more, and help my school and district get better.  Professional growth is always available.  As educators, we have to want to get better.  We have to want to be the best we can be for our students.  What better time to do that than the offseason.  Remember, all men are created equal, some just work harder in the preseason.

The Personal Touch in Education

During a recent #satchat, the topic was helping young administrators prepare for the new school year.  While participating in the #satchat Voxer group this week (very cool professional development experience), I have been able to reflect on some of the days when I first began as an administrator.  One of the questions asked during #satchat was, “What was something that did not go well during your first year as an administrator and how did you change it?”  I pondered this question for a little bit and then quickly realized what I needed to change my first year.

Communication is vital in education.  Our daily and weekly interactions with students, staff, parents and community stakeholders are important for an effective and positive school culture.   My first year there were times when I forgot about the personal touch that is necessary in communicating in education.  While email, texting, and social media are great to push out information and communicate with a broad audience, it is imperative to discuss certain topics in person.  In an era when we are accustomed to communicating using devices, we need to remember our emotions, body language, and back and forth conversations help us express the correct tone necessary for the topic at hand.

 As the summer winds down and the new school year is approaching, take a look at how you plan to communicate with all of your stakeholders.  Focus on the importance of the topics and determine whether you will be able to successfully express your thoughts and opinions electronically or face-to-face.  If you ever have a doubt as to how someone may react to your response, communicate with him or her in person.  We need to remember that building relationships in the most important as aspect in education.  It’s easier to build relationships by speaking in person than by hitting “SEND.”

Ohio Educational Tech Conference: Presenter Information

Join me at the Ohio Educational Technology Conference at the Greater Columbus Convention Center to discuss technology in education.  Below is a list of presentations I will be participating in.  I will also be at the Ohio State ACT Conference in Columbus at the Renaissance Hotel on Wednesday, January 29th to discuss successful transitions from middle school to high school & high school to college.

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014
Ohio Educational Technology Conference
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, OH

OETCx

FRED Talks - Finding Real EDucation
"The 4 C's To Lead"
12:30-1:30 pm
Room 224

Join us for a refreshing twist on the traditional conference session. OETCx participants will offer a series of “lightning presentations." Each presenter will have 5 minutes to share an idea, broken down into 20 slides, which automatically advance every 15 seconds.

OETCx
"BYOD & 1:1 Best Computing Practices"
3:30-4:30 pm
Room 226

Some of the best and brightest edtech innovators from Ohio will be giving advice on implementation strategies for 1:1 and BYOD based on first-hand experiences in their districts. They’ll discuss some challenges they faced and go over performance metrics they were able to improve. Discuss the merits and virtues of BYOD and 1:1 with experts who are implementing and supporting these programs.


Wednesday, January 29th, 2014
Ohio ACT State Organization Conference
The Renaissance Hotel
Columbus, OH

Presenting "The Paw-sitive Path - Student Path to Life Readiness"
9:00-10:00 am
Room: Hayes D

Discuss the different practices we use to get students to transition from 8th grade to high school and high school to college. We will discuss our Advisory periods for college & career knowledge, college visits for each grade level, and local businesses visit Advisory periods to discuss careers. We also discuss our alternative school and after-school program that assists our students in making successful transitions for careers.


Wednesday, January 29th, 2014
Ohio Educational Technology Conference
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, OH

Presenting "Connecting Educators in Appalachia Ohio"
12:15-1:15 pm
Room: D235


Teachers and Administrators need to be able to communicate with students, parents, and community members in a variety of ways. The focus of the session will be communicating your classroom message to the students, parents, & community. Participants will learn how to use technology, professional development, social media and other outlets to communicate with others and to grow as teachers and administrators. We will focus on how to use Twitter, Texting, Facebook, Pinterest, blogging, videos, school web sites, and other technology to keep students, parents, community members, and PLN members informed as to what is going on in our buildings and districts. Participants will learn how to use social media and other technology to communicate their message and keep everyone informed. Participants will be able to use screencasts during the session to immediately apply the topics discussed to their classrooms.