Facebook, Science, Business & Professionalism

Image Source: Google.com/images and
their source was from Forbes.com

Since Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook, with three of his friends, in 2004 it has grown to become the largest social media tool used by the vast majority of the world. Over 800 MILLION people use Facebook to stay in contact with friends, family, employers, coworkers, clubs and much, much more.Zuckerberg created Facebook originally for use just around campus, like we use it today, but it quickly caught on and he slowly started to expand Facebook outside the Harvard campus. Anyone can sign up for Facebook, permitting they agree to the terms and declare that they are over the age of 13. Photos from anywhere, of anyone, can be added as the user pleases and they can also post about anything they choose. Not everyone has discretion when it comes to what should and shouldn't be posted on Facebook though.

Personal Screen Shot of my Facebook Page

Yes, Facebook can be used as a communication tool between people the users know, but it also can act like a reference for future employers. Despite high profile security settings, there is always a way to see what people are hiding behind the lock and key. Often times an employer knows someone that is friends with the applicant and it takes a simple engine to find your page and start learning. I personally have my security settings set to the highest possible, but I am also very conscientious about what gets posted to Facebook with my name attached to it. One of the tools Facebook offers is the ability to make a separate page from your profile; it is sort of similar to Google docs but it has the functions to personalize it a bit more than a normal Google doc. To the right is a screen shot of the page I made separate from my profile but with the same account. My page contains information about myself, past employers, volunteer experience, and any interests that would be relevant to employers who would be hiring me in the future.

The demographic of Facebook users ranges widely from Jr.High students to Powerful and well known politicians and corporations. This social media tool is a great way to get advertising out to the public, as well as keep the public informed of upcoming dates and activities that are going on in their communities. For large corporations you can almost be guaranteed that if and when you apply for a job with them, you will be searched on Facebook at some point before you get hired. If you are lucky enough to not be "crept" during the hiring process, you can count on them searching you at least once while you are employed with the company. As explained in this article, there is a level of professionalism that needs to be maintained, but at the same time, what is wrong with 'being real'? Facebook offers lots of great tools for both our social lives and our professional lives, but we all need to keep in mind that we can only be so safe when sharing our information on the WWW because if someone wants to find dirt on you, they will.


For the time being, don't drive yourself nutty about changing your profile settings to ultra security; don't go deleting those pictures of you holding a beer at the local pub with friends, and don't go deleting the people you have barely talked to because your being paranoid; just be mindful of what your next status is going to be about.

Until next time,
Kelsie

Intro to Social Media

Hello Everyone!

Source: Tait Photography. I did a volunteer
photo-shoot for a friend who has just finished
her certificate for makeup artistry.

My name is Kelsie Gilks. I am a 2nd year Family Ecology Major with a Community Nutrition minor. It is my fourth year of university but only my first year at the University of Alberta. I am from Calgary but over the last four months Edmonton has become my new home. I recently became a member of Alpha Psi, a local sorority on campus, and am loving every minute of it.

Social media plays a huge part in my daily life. I currently use Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. All of these social media tools help to keep in touch with my sorority sisters about upcoming events as well as keeping up to date with friends and family all over the world. Facebook consumes a large majority of my time because I am constantly checking for updates from friends, about events, or posting new status' for myself.

Alpha Psi has become a big part of my life and I enjoy all the time I spend with my sisters doing a variety of different events. There are four basic founding pillars that help us grow as women, philanthropy being a big one of them. Below is a picture we took when we went down to the river valley to collect garbage in early November.

Source: Sorority sister. This is a picture of my pledge class after picking up garbage in November.

When I am done my degree at the UofA I hope to be working interactively with families in organizations like the Blue Flame Kitchen. Though it has been around since the 1930's not a lot of people know what it is or how it works and social media can play a huge role in marketing the organization so more people learn about it and the great tools it can provide to people who want to learn the hands on approach to cooking. You can check out their website here.

Social media has helped me to network myself more around campus and get to know the people who are in my class. So far the people I have met in class are fantastic and I can't wait to use social media to get to know them more. Hilary Baker is one of a few people I have had the pleasure of meeting and she is taking Animal Science; though our paths are very different we get along very well and twitter has been a tool to try and help break the ice that comes with meeting new people. Check out Hilary's blog for more information about her studies! I can't wait to see what the rest of the semester brings in terms of teaching more about social media!
Thanks for reading, take care!
Kelsie