Last month, I had an opportunity to go back to my alma mater and speak to first year students about social media and online communications. Just five months after graduating from Humber College’s Advanced Public Relations Diploma Program, it was my turn to stand in front of the classroom and share my pearls of wisdom.

Because my audience was new to the world of communications and even less familiar with how to use social media as a business platform, I tried to include in my presentation the types of information I would have found useful when first studying the topic at hand. I’m currently working on a web-friendly version of the presentation that I hope to post soon – we covered a fair amount of ground!

• Using social media sites is a tactic – don’t forget your strategy!
• How to use social media as a learning tool to keep yourself professionally ahead.
• How to create an online presence for yourself and/or your business.
• Where to learn more about social media.

I know that many people find the world of social media to be extremely intimidating – I know I felt this way when I first started studying it. Luckily, it’s not as rocket science-y as some “experts” would have you believe! Following my presentation, I was asked by the students how I avoid becoming overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available. My response was simple: the more you learn, the easier it is to learn. For beginners, it seems incredibly complicated at first, but some playing around with the tools and – yes! – even the fun stuff is the quickest way to gain understanding.

I hope my presentation encouraged the new crop of students to start learning about and participating in this sphere – and I’m grateful to have had an opportunity to share what I’ve learned with a classroom full of students who were bright, inquisitive, and willing to put up with my nerdy passion for online communications!