Last week, a close friend from grad school (years ago) “found” me on FaceBook, and we’ve reconnected. All these connections and reconnections are the result of the new “social media,” which is fast becoming the new paradigm, even for academics, connecting to the rest of the world.

Social Media Trends

Unsurprisingly, the use of social media has doubled since 2007, but I am surprised that Nielsen Online shows older population segments increasing fastest. For example, FaceBook began with18-to-34-year-old university students, but by now, nearly a third of users are 35-49 and a quarter are 50 or older. LinkedIn gains about two million users every two weeks.

If we consider the number of Internet users accessing “member communities” (think Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn) as a measure of social networking, then its use exceeded use of email (66.8% vs. 65.1%) in 2008. Internationally, the demographics of social networking is twice as large as in the US, and it continues to grow faster than here.

Why is this happening? 

As one of those “older” folks, I considered the term “social” networking ironic, as if face-to-face networking isn’t social. But it’s more likely an emphasis on the surprising potential to interact “socially” online as if it were face-to-face, even though you may never meet in person.

Our very success as a species has come from our super-social ability to interact cooperatively to accomplish and build. That includes all kinds of cooperative groups – from knitting clubs, small towns, corporations, educational institutions - to nations.

The apparent success of social media websites such as LinkedIn, FaceBook and Twitter are simply examples of that characteristic human trait, and Web 2.0 technology is accelerating the trend. None of my initial examples could have happened five years ago, and academics who refuse to use social media are effectively barricading themselves in the ivory tower. To use it effectively is to have choices.

Safety vs. Paranoia

While many fear the new social media, it merely brings this human habit to the Web, and we have new rules of engagement to learn. Just as our children can learn not to accept rides from strangers (face-to-face), we can learn what safety means in this new world (online).

Within LinkedIn, the key to controlling our interactions with “strangers” is in the Account Settings. If you’ve not learned the basics of LinkedIn (even if you’ve had an account for years), visit the Learning Center now. You’ll find it in the footer of every page, along with “About,” “Blog” and other sections. Within it, the Beginner’s section has a brief video (and diagrams) on the concept of LinkedIn. And, you can check out http://grads.linkedin.com/ for ways to make LinkedIn useful for grads.

Also, check your Account & Settings (upper-right corner of page heading) and review the settings that give you control over others’ access to you – Profile, Personal Information, Email and Privacy. As you get more comfortable with the system, you can change settings and be more proactive in using it.

Beyond the Hyperbole – Why Should Academics Care?

Beyond the breathless articles extolling the praises of LinkedIn is actual value, even for academics. It allows you to set the standard for your identity online. You can decide how you want to be contacted in only the ways you decide. (Beyond LinkedIn, when you’re Googled, your online identity is a different story.)

LinkedIn searches are keyword-based – whether your name or background (schools, skills, employers, geography) - an employer may search for the skills or background necessary to a job, a college grad or past colleague may search for friends or colleagues they’ve lost, and your profile (with your keywords) may surface.

In job search, we know it’s important to find the right employer, but here, you can be found by the right employer. Your background and skills (your keywords) can draw employers and colleagues to you, like a magnet attracts iron.

The other major value in LinkedIn lies in your ability to search – for lost colleagues, for mentors, for others with similar interests, for information on employers, for contacts working for certain employers, for background information on people you want to meet at a conference, for answers to career strategy questions – and that just begins to scratch the surface of how you can use LinkedIn.

Bottom Line