Talking Stick - May/June 2011 - 58

CONVERSATIONS

Need Advice About Your Job? Tweet About It.
Members share how they have taken their professional development online.
Participating in this conversation are Lynn Ellison, director of residence life for American Campus Communities in Austin, Texas; Maggie Burkhart Evans, director of residence life at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia; Aaron Lucier, associate director of operations at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina; and Frankie Minor, director of residential life at the University of MissouriColumbia.

AARON LUCIER

Lynn Ellison: In the past year, the student
affairs and student housing communities have become incredibly active on Twitter. We ask questions, share ideas, challenge each other, provide support . . . the conversation is generally high-quality as well as highvolume. Because the communities have grown so dramatically, I’ve found the most benefit from smaller niche groups, like #sadoc (a community of doctoral students in higher ed/student affairs). We meet monthly for a Twitter chat to share ideas and to provide encouragement and cheer each other on as we meet various milestones in our degree plan. It has proven to be critical to my success as a doctoral student. I find I don’t use Facebook or any other social media tool as actively as I do Twitter. What do others use?

consider the more funny and ironic side of my work with friends in the field. We do use an office FB page to communicate with staff and alums, which is very useful in keeping us connected throughout the year, and years. I rely upon the CHO listserv most often when I have questions. This is a great source for immediate feedback, and I can count on fellow CHOs to respond quickly. The ACUHO-I blog has been a good source of current topics that our staff shares and discusses on a regular basis. Is this sounding familiar?

LYNN ELLISON

Aaron Lucier: In terms of my personal
development, I have used social media a bit here and there but often feel way behind some of my students. Facebook is my main social network, and having a mix of professional and personal friends has allowed me to keep in touch with people I care about. One of the best parts for me is seeing a bit more of the personal side of professional friends and in particular a glimpse of the lives of those fellow professionals I might have only seen at conferences in the past. This has allowed me to offer advice and support when I see an opportunity based on their status updates or other posts, instead of perhaps waiting for an e-mail. I have tried to “get into” Twitter as a regular

MAGGIE BURKHART EVANS

Maggie Burkhart Evans: I do not use
Twitter at all; the frequency of tweets was too distracting for me, but I imagine I’ll find the right time and place for it soon. I wouldn’t say that social media have replaced any of my traditional methods for obtaining professional development. However, Facebook, listservs, and the ACUHO-I blog do enhance my daily practice. Facebook is really more of a social outlet, where I can share a bit of sarcasm and

FRANKIE MINOR
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Talking Stick - May/June 2011

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