The term “social media” refers to the wide range of Internet-based and mobile services that allow you to have participate in online conversations, share information, contribute user-created content, or join online communities.
There are many forms of social media, including blogs, wikis, social networking sites, photo-sharing sites, instant messaging, video-sharing sites, podcasts and more. This Infographic from Intel shows just how much the use of Social Media has grown to dominate activity on the Internet: What happens in an Internet Minute?
On a personal level, social media allows you to communicate with friends and family, learn new things, develop your interests, and be entertained. On a professional level, you can use social media to broaden your knowledge in a particular area, and build your professional network by connecting with other professionals.
Social Media can seem confusing to start with - knowing what tools are available, deciding which one to use for what and when, as well as understanding how to actually use your selected tool. This guide will point you to some resources to get you started and hopefully you will grow in confidence in using Social Media in a way that suits your needs.
There are a number of quick guides to get you started with using Social Media effectively
The short video below, part of the Common Craft tutorial series, introduces you to the essentials of Social Media.
There are many online guides to using Social Media. The links below will help you get started with a number of key tools.
