{"id":804,"date":"2013-09-17T19:16:31","date_gmt":"2013-09-17T19:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sadlouskos.com\/Business-Consulting-Services\/?p=804"},"modified":"2017-04-05T19:20:26","modified_gmt":"2017-04-05T19:20:26","slug":"higher-education-cios-aspiring-tech-leaders-use-social-media-build-personal-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sadlouskos.com\/Business-Consulting-Services\/higher-education\/higher-education-cios-aspiring-tech-leaders-use-social-media-build-personal-brand\/","title":{"rendered":"Higher Education CIOs & Aspiring Tech Leaders: Use Social Media to Build Your Personal Brand"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Social<\/a>This post is part of an occasional career focused blog series for aspiring Higher Education CIOs or sitting CIOs. Previous posts can be accessed here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Yesterday I read a great\u00a0blog pos<\/a>t by Dr. James Michael Nolan, President of Southwestern College.\u00a0 He makes a case for the importance of social media in the business of higher education.\u00a0\u00a0 Social media is in large part how students engage in and develop relationships. Prospective students use social media to research and select where they will ultimately attend undergraduate or graduate school. Dr. Nolan states that student recruitment efforts rely heavily on social media as a marketing (and dare I say sales) platform because it’s where students hang out. Social media is how institutions build relationships with prospective students.<\/p>\n

For career strategy, I believe that social media is an important tool for building a personal brand. If you are a sitting higher education CIO or an aspiring CIO, it is critical to consider how you are perceived in the broader IT community.\u00a0 What expertise are you known for amonst your peers?\u00a0 What attributes do you want your personal brand to represent? Moving up the IT career ladder requires an investment in building relationships across the broader IT community. Social media is the new model for establishing relationships locally and globally with other IT professionals, faculty, staff, student and higher education service providers — from your desk.\u00a0 Dr. Nolan correctly states, \u201c\u2026relationships no longer begin with a handshake — they begin with a Retweet, a Like, a Share, a Subscribe, a Comment, an interchange in social media.\u201d Whether you are sharing your opinion in LinkedIn Groups with like-minded peers, or tweeting articles that catch your attention- social media provides a ready platform to launch your personal brand as a leader in higher education.<\/p>\n

Where to begin?\u00a0 Start by studying how the early adopters use social media. Review profiles on LinkedIn and join LinkedIn Groups that share your interests.\u00a0 Examples of groups are “EDUCAUSE” and if you\u2019re interested in discussions on the benefits of technology on learning try the group “Improving Education Using Technology.”<\/p>\n

There are many savvy higher education CIOs that have established a presence on social media; in essence building their personal brand. The key is to provide useful information about your area of expertise\/interest through the lens of your own unique personality.<\/p>\n

\u00a04 Higher Education CIO Twitter Accounts to Follow:<\/h3>\n