Social Media 101: Tips From a Recent Seminar

Earlier this year, I taught a class called Social Media 101 to introduce older adults to the basics of three frequently used social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Below is a summary of the class content:

Positive and Negative Effects- Social media is a lot like credit cards. If used responsibly, there are positive impacts: convenient purchases and money-saving rewards points (credit cards) and education, collaboration, and community building (social media). On the flip side, if used in negative ways, credit cards can result in overspending, debt, and anxiety related to unpaid bills. Negative impacts of social media include privacy and time-use concerns, connecting people to do bad things, and mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and FOMO (fear of missing out).

 

Outreach Potential- Facebook and YouTube are the most widely used social media platforms. If Facebook were a country, it would be the largest in the world with a “population” of about 2.6 billion users, which exceeds the populations of the world’s two largest countries, China and India. It is, therefore, not surprising that many businesses and non-profit organizations actively engage with Facebook, in addition to millions, or in the case of Facebook, billions, of individual users. India has the highest number of Facebook users, followed by the United States and Indonesia.

 

“Whys” for Social Media Use- Effective social media users have a “why?” In other words, one or more reasons why they take the time to use one or more social media platforms. Common “whys” include: to stay connected with friends and family, to obtain local and national news, to promote a brand/business or get hired for a job, to learn new information, to follow respected thought leaders, to share opinions, and to be part of a group of people with similar interests.

 

Social Media Game Plans- Each social media platform needs a game plan. For example, will its messaging be “professional/business use only” (e.g., LinkedIn), “personal use only” (e.g., Facebook), or both. If someone wants to combine personal and professional messaging on one social media platform (e.g., Twitter), will they use one account or two? Answering these questions is especially important when someone has a business-related account. Posting personal information on an account meant for business can confuse followers and raise questions about the account owner.

 

Messaging “Guardrails”- It is useful for social media users to determine their “wheelhouse,” i.e., topics that they will post messages about because they are an area of interest and/or expertise. In addition, content creators should determine “off limits” content, such as politics or controversial topics. Having these “guardrails” established in advance can help users determine what (and what not) to share online and to “stay within their lane.” Examples of guardrails are: positive words, pretty pictures, useful information and links, no politics or controversial topics, and no shaming or blaming.

 

Visuals Increase Engagement- Visuals attached to a social media posts “slow people down” and increase the odds they will stop to read the text of a social media message. Research has found that visuals increase social media engagement  (i.e., likes, comments, shares, direct messages) by about three times  Examples of social media visuals include stock images, personal photos, hand-drawn sketches, PowerPoint jpeg images, images created using online platforms such as Canva, bitmoji avatars, photo collages, charts and tables, and short video clips called gifs.

 

Strong Profile and Quality Photos- Social media platforms provide an opportunity for users to describe themselves within a designated number of words. Personal descriptions should be consistent with a social media user’s game plan (i.e., is the platform for personal or business use?). Retirees will typically have different profiles than workers and will likely list leisure, versus career-oriented, pursuits. Experts in web design recommend using two high quality (1,500 x 1,500 pixel) photos or logos for the head shot of the account owner and the header image at the top of the page.

 

Requests to Connect- Whether they are called followers (Twitter), friends (Facebook), or connections (LinkedIn), social media platforms have mechanisms for people to reach out to others and connect so that they are able to view each other’s content. Similarly, there are commands (e.g., “unfollow” on Twitter and “unfriend” on Facebook) where people can “disconnect” from each other. Before accepting a request to connect, answer four key questions: Do you know the person? What is his/her relationship to you? Do you have things in common? and Is he or she a positive person in real life?

 

In summary, social media can be a force for good…or not. It depends on how you use it. 

This post provides general personal finance information and does not address all the variables that apply to an individual’s unique situation. It does not endorse specific products or services and should not be construed as legal or financial advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

 

 

Facebook at Its Best: Education and Collaboration

Facebook (FB) has had its fair share of criticism in recent years. Concerns include privacy breeches, failure to monitor and take down divisive or questionable content, and encouraging FOMO (fear of missing out), unhappiness, and even depression when FB users are exposed only to the curated best side of others and become anxious about “likes” for their content.

Much like credit cards, FB has two sides: as a negative tool with harmful effects and bad actors and 2. as a positive tool for education, positive collaboration, and information sharing. I'm going to do a 180º turn from Facebook's many "issues" (nobody says problems anymore!) and share a positive example of how FB helped members of my Florida community.

In February, I taught a class at a local community adult education center and heard a story about a fraud case that I felt I had to share with others, to warn them. So I posted the following message on the community FB page:

 

I just heard a true story from a local older adult (read: someone just like us) while teaching a class this morning. The person's credit card information was recently hacked by someone who placed a skimming device on a gas pump at a local gas station within 4 miles of our community. The victim only has one credit card and is now without any credit card access for a week or so until a new card arrives.

Here are 4 take-aways for everyone to consider:

1.   Consider paying cash for gas. I always pay cash for gas (to avoid possible skimmers) and at restaurants (to avoid dishonest waiters who could skim my account number- or take a cell phone photo of it- and commit ID theft). Nobody touches my credit card but me. It is a risk reduction strategy.

2.   If you use a credit card for gas, a red-flag for skimming machines is when you have to swipe your card multiple times to get the transaction to go through. If this happens, stop swiping and notify gas station staff of the issue with the pump.

3.   If you use a credit card for gas, try to use pumps closest to where gas station workers are. According to ID theft experts, pumps farthest away from where workers can see them are more likely to have skimming devices placed on them. The victim used a pump on the outskirts of the gas station.

4.   Have a second "Plan B" credit card just in case unexpected events like this happen.

Again, a true story from a local older adult that we can all learn lessons from.

From, there, community members shared additional cautionary advice related to credit card and online security. Not only did they discuss skimming devices, but also personal security strategies, RFID (radio-frequency identification) sleeves, and contactless “tap and go” credit cards that have the icon used to identify Wi-Fi on them. They also shared tips and fraud warnings of their own. Below are some examples:

¨    Another credit card tip. We use a credit card just for online purchases. It has a low line of credit attached to it. This way, if the card number is compromised, it will be easy to spot.

 

¨    Most credit cards allow you to set up alerts when the card is used for a transaction above a set dollar amount. I have all of mine set up to notify me of any transaction over 1 cent. So, I get an immediate text message whenever my cards are used. I've caught scam transactions this way and immediately contacted the credit card company.

 

¨    If you tap and pay with your card, it uses a different technology. You cannot be skimmed with tap and pay.

 

¨    Be careful using the drive-through cash machine at your bank also. Our debit card was compromised at our own bank. The drive-through machine is serviced by an outside vendor. Lesson learned. A branch of the bank in question is located close to our community.

The FB posts reminded me of a threaded discussion for an online college course where students are expected to read what their peers have posted and contribute new information to the conversation that adds value. However, in this case, the posts were not being graded. Instead, they were completely organic, positive, and helpful. 

Facebook (and other social media) has the potential to live up to its promise of connecting individuals in a positive way. My initial post about credit card fraud is an example.

This post provides general personal finance information and does not address all the variables that apply to an individual’s unique situation. It does not endorse specific products or services and should not be construed as legal or financial advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.