A few weeks ago, Stephen Bainbridge asked about the benefits of the social media site LinkedIN. His question caused me to revisit the costs/benefits of social media. Below I reflect on the social media websites I use.

With so many professors getting in trouble on social media – see, e.g., here, here, here, here, and here – it may make sense to ask if any of the websites are worth the risk. As long as you are wise when you post, and assume a post will be seen in the worst possible light, I think social media can be worth using. 

Facebook. 

  • Benefits. Facebook has a broader network of people than any of the other social media sites I use. My parents are on Facebook, as is my wife’s grandmother and great aunt, as are my peers, as are my much younger cousins. Facebook also has a wide range of user generated content — photos, links, short & long posts, groups, etc. The “Friends in ___ City” feature has allowed me to catch up with old acquaintances when traveling for conferences or family trips. Just a few weeks ago, I visited with two of my old coaches for the first time since high school. Neither of their e-mails were online, and I have only kept up with them via Facebook. 
  • Costs. For me, Facebook is the biggest time waster among the various social media sites. Recently, I deactivated my Facebook account for the time being. I will probably be back at some point. The benefits of Facebook could probably be achieved in about 30 minutes a week, but until I learn to limit my use to around that amount of time, I will likely continue to deactivate for periods of time to cut back usage.
  • Use for Work. I don’t allow current students to “friend” me, given the more personal nature of Facebook, but I have allowed alums to connect, which has been rewarding. I follow my university and my alma maters on Facebook. I am Facebook friends with a handful of professional contacts.

Twitter.

  • Benefits. I have kept Twitter almost entirely professional; I rarely tweet about my family or my personal hobbies. As such, for me, the benefits of Twitter are captured in the “Use for Work” section below.
  • Costs. Twitter can also eat time, though unlike Facebook,  I am rarely tempted to spend long amounts of time on Twitter. Twitter doesn’t allow for very nuanced debate and your posts can be taken the wrong way. Professor Eric Posner recently posted some harsh comments about Twitter; his comments have a kernel of truth. That said, I do think he is overly negative. For example, I think Twitter can actually be better than newspapers for some information. With Twitter you get the news directly from the source, and the news reaches you more quickly and with fewer words. Also, newspapers are unlikely to cover niche topics, like the latest happenings in social enterprise law. 
  • Use for Work. I maintain two hashtags – #MGT2410 and #MGT6940 – for news tweets related to my two primary courses. I allow current students to follow me, though I do not require it nor do I post anything necessary for my classes. I follow mostly professional contacts and professional organizations on Twitter. Given the accounts that I follow, Twitter can be a relatively good place to get quick news. Finally, I have found that a number of C-level executives, lawyers, and well-known academics are easier to engage via Twitter than any other medium.

LinkedIN.

  • Benefits. In thinking about Steven Bainbridge’s question about LinkedIN, I had a difficult time thinking of many significant benefits. I see LinkedIN as a place to connect with professional contacts that you want to share less information than you share on Facebook. I rarely log into LinkedIN, but I haven’t deleted my account either, as the costs of being on the website are incredibly low. 
  • Costs. LinkedIN takes the least amount of my time among the various social media sites. I spend 0 to 30 minutes on LinkedIN most months. There does appear to be a fair bit of spam in the various work groups I have joined, but it is pretty easy to ignore by unsubscribing to group e-mail updates. 
  • Use for Work. LinkedIN seems to be my MBA students’ preferred method of connecting, and the site is worthwhile just to stay connected to them. I belong to a number of work related LinkedIN groups, but, as mentioned, most have been overtaken by spammers, so I almost never read the shared content. 

Strava.

  • Benefits. Strava is a social media website for runners, cyclists, and swimmers. For me, Strava’s main purpose is as an online place to log my runs without annoying my friends on other social media websites. On Strava, I only have about 30 friends, all of whom are committed to fitness. The website is an incredibly good accountability tool, as those friends can see if you have been slacking for a few days, and some of them will even call you out. It is also nice to have a few people notice when you have a good race or workout. You can also borrow workout ideas from posts. 
  • Costs. I don’t love that people can tell when you are out of town, based on the location of your runs, but with only 30 friends and the privacy settings set tight as to other users, this isn’t a huge issue. Strava doesn’t take much time. The routes automatically upload from my Garmin and the newsfeed isn’t designed to keep you engaged with it. 
  • Use for Work. I don’t really use Strava for work other than staying in touch with a couple attorney runner friends. 

Instagram, Pinterest, Etc. I never got into Instagram, Pinterest, or any other social media websites. Instagram does seem to be quite popular among my somewhat younger friends and students, but it also appears to be a giant time waster, so I am glad I never got hooked.

Feel free to share any comments or additional thoughts.