Blogging Bravely in Student Affairs

Originally posted as part of the 2015 Knowledge Communities Publication, in today's post titled "Blogging Bravely in Student Affairs" Josie Ahlquist talks about what it takes to be a blogger, resources for aspiring bloggers, and more! Click here for more from the 2015 Knowledge Communities Publication!

In the field of student affairs, blogging—as a medium for professional development, community building, and connections—has gained momentum. Student affairs educators who embrace and implement social media tools are setting a new bar for higher education collaboration, communication, and knowledge sharing. Blogging is one of the many resources available in exploring online and mobile platforms. Through social media, education leaders can “engage in the creation and development of content and gather online to share knowledge, information, and opinions using web-based applications and tools” (Grover & Stewart, 2010, p. 9). Blogging about your profession takes bravery, but it is worth it: It lets us tell our stories.

Social Media Use in Higher Education

Looking at faculty and administrators’ use of social media, the fastest-growing social media demographic is 35 and older (Malesk & Peters, 2012). Between 2009 and 2011, the gap between younger and older adults using social media decreased, with 25% of adults on social media in 2009 increasing to 51% in 2011 (Tess, 2013). Faculty and scholars have also been studied, noting the blurred lines of professional and personal content online (Veletsianos, 2011). The types of usage most commonly seen in the classroom are blogs and wikis (Tinti-Kane, 2013). Twitter is another social media platform that has proven effective with faculty use in the classroom. It has yielded many positive results, such as higher student GPAs, creation of study groups, increased faculty and student interaction, and students feeling more equipped for the future (Junco, Heiberger, & Loken, 2011). However, social media usage comes with tensions in academia, as faculty attempt to maintain professional and personal relationships and connections through social media (Veletsianos, 2013). No studies have been published that explore student affairs administrators’ use of blogging.

Blogging in Higher Education

A blog is a website that is managed by an individual, group, or organization. Its posts include such options as text, pictures, videos, comments, and more. Blogs are very interactive. For example, after a post is published, readers and authors can comment, share, and update the post with more content. Examples of blogging platforms include Blogger, Medium, and WordPress. Blogging challenges leaders to be innovative as they establish a presence and identity online. Studying the psychology of blogging, Gurak and Antonijevic (2008) found that this digital activity produces twofold communication. First, bloggers establish their own voice and expression. Second, they are transformed by audience interactions, which the authors call “rewriting oneself.” This transformation makes blogging a process of linking two or more individuals not known before (Gurak and Antonijevic, 2008). Blogging in the field of student affairs has significant potential, as it can construct global links for sharing knowledge, networking with others, and advancing careers. Veletsianos (2013) asked what activities and practices arise when researchers and educators use social media, finding that usage includes both in-class and non-class use. The study found that even personal sharing was valuable in the academic community. This was observed of Twitter, with Veletsianos claiming that “it appears that engagement with and sharing about issues unrelated to the profession is a value that is celebrated by this community” (2013, p. 646). This study is pivotal in the argument to blog about your profession in education.

The results highlighted that faculty were celebrated for their content contributions online—professionally and personally—despite possible challenges. Educators must weigh the pros and cons of creating a blog. Many authors believe that the positives outweigh the risks: “Blogging allows you to speak out authentically on your own behalf, and in the long run people will recognize that. Do it consistently, and they trust you” (Nackerud & Scaletta, 2008). Building trust online is a pivotal part of being a blogger, especially as a student affairs professional, and in establishing credibility.

Becoming a Blogger

Do you have the courage to be a student affairs leader beyond your campus? Blogging can extend your reach as an innovative and transformational leader in the field. With one tweet using the hashtag #SAChat, your blog has the potential to be read and shared, as well as criticized. This type of leadership presence online takes courage. Blogging challenges student affairs leaders to define purpose, voice,

and niche in order to transform higher education. But that is only the beginning. The following 10 questions are designed to guide you through creating a blog. Use them as a baseline as you build or reimagine your professional blog. As you consider the answers to these questions, keep in mind your personal/ professional boundaries and a possible code of ethics for how you will approach your work online.

1. What is your niche?

2. What is your brand?

3. What platform and technological tools should you

use?

4. What is your blog design, and what does it convey?

5. How can you be authentic in the way you represent

yourself?

6. How will you promote your blog?

7. How can you unify all of your digital presences (or

not at all)?

8. How can you interpret your traffic data and

analytics?

9. How can you responsibly write, cite, and give credit?

10. How can you engage the student affairs community,

including positive and negative interactions?

A blog is not created overnight. Your blog, expertise, andexperience will evolve. Revisit these guiding questions as you grow as a student affairs blogger. Also, make sure to reach out to other bloggers to get feedback and support. Join the Student Affairs Blogger Community: #SAwrites Whether or not you blog, we should support each other as colleagues. Get to know bloggers in the student affairs community who write about topics of interest. I encourage readers to join the discourse by commenting, sharing, and building the momentum of student affairs writers, researchers, and thought leaders in higher education. Use the hashtag #SAwrites to connect with other bloggers in our industry on Twitter and share your expertise to better our profession.

Click here for more from the 2015 Knowledge Communities Publication!

References

Grover, A., & Stewart, D. W. (2010). Defining interactive social media in an educational context. In C. Wankel,   M. Marovich, & J. Stanaityte (Eds.), Cutting-edge social media approaches to business education: Teaching with LinkedIN, Facebook, Twitter, Second Life, and blogs (pp. 7–38). Charlotte, NC: Information Age.

Gurak, L., & Antonijevic, S. (2008). The psychology of blogging you,me, and everyone in between. American Behavioral Scientist,52(1), 60–68.

Junco, R., Heiberger, G., & Loken, E. (2011). The effect of Twitteron college student engagement and grades. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27, 119–132.

Malesk, L. A., & Peters, C. (2012). Defining appropriate professional behavior for faculty and university students on social networking websites. Higher Education, 63, 135–151.

Nackerud, S., & Scaletta, K. (2008). Blogging in the academy. In R. Junco & D. M. Timm (Eds.), Special issue: Using emerging technologies to enhance student engagement (New Directions for Student Services, No. 124, pp. 71–87). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Tess, P. (2013). The role social media in higher education classes (real and virtual)—A literature review. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, A60–A68.

Tinti-Kane, H. (2013, April). Overcoming hurdles to social media in education. EDUCAUSE Review Online. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/overcoming-hurdles-social-mediaeducation

Veletsianos, G. (2011). Higher education scholars’ participation and practices on Twitter. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 28, 336–349.

Veletsianos, G. (2013). Open practices and identity: Evidence from researchers and educators’ social media participation. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(4) 639–651.