Student Connection: Streamline Social Media with HootSuite

As a college student, not a day goes by that I do not look at Twitter and Facebook.  Facebook and Twitter are the two largest social media networks in the United States.  I not only follow my friends on these social networks, but recently I have started to follow various clubs, brands, and organizations.  Social media has created a way to connect and effectively communicate with students like myself.  Managing these accounts can seem overwhelming, but with the help of tools like HootSuite, you can master online communication.

HootSuite is a free online tool that allows you to monitor and schedule posts for multiple social media accounts.  Signing up for HootSuite is an easy and stress-free process.  To create an account:

• Visit https://hootsuite.com
• Enter your email address and full name, and create a password
• Click the “Sign Up Now” button

Once you have created an account, you can add different social networks to your HootSuite dashboard, including your Facebook and Twitter pages.

After you have added all of the social networks that you want connected to your HootSuite account, you can add tabs and streams.  These allow you to perform advanced searches and view your scheduled posts.  Tabs and streams also give you the ability to see your Twitter mentions, retweets, followers, DM inbox, etc. and Facebook wall posts, events, and messages.

Maintaining a Twitter and Facebook page may seem like a time-consuming task, but HootSuite makes it easy to schedule your messages ahead of time for different social media platforms.  You can compose various messages and schedule them to be posted at different times throughout the week, month, or even year.  HootSuite also lets you attach an image or file, add a location, and manage privacy and sharing options for your messages.

HootSuite is also available as an app on mobile devices.  If you would like to learn more about how you can use HootSuite and social networks to reach your students, HootSuite offers free tips, information, and how-tos on their website.

Megan Freese, Communications Intern