Social media like Twitter and Facebook can be a key marketing tool for your organization and teams. There is a tremendous amount of positive ways to use social media to communicate with team members, parents, and to tell the story of great achievements. It is also widely used to promote your teams’ activities and stay in touch with former players to cultivate your programs tradition. It took me a long time to make the social media jump and I have seen the good and the bad of these powerful communication tools. For anyone that is not familiar, which I doubt today is many, Facebook is a social networking website geared toward posting one’s personal background on the internet for reasons that include – but not limited to – meeting new people or reconnecting with those from other pockets of life. Anyhow, there are status updates that contain thoughts or simply what one is doing on that day. Most thoughts are usually positive but many times these thoughts can become personal attacks on a subject or person. This is a simply example of using social media for the wrong reasons. Well, welcome to the era of social media. It continues to grow, even in the world of our youth and beyond. These digital-age communication tools open the door to countless possibilities, but with both upside and downside.
As a coach or parent, we play a very important role in the lives of our youth to teach right from wrong and to prepare them for the real world. When it comes to social media, it is our responsibility to set healthy boundaries for the use of social media and to hold them responsible for what they post for the world to see. Among the negatives for social media is that some use it for trash talking among other things. Anyone can sign up for a Twitter or Facebook account, then use it as a verbal weapon while possible hiding their true identity. When the communication reaches beyond positive matters, you get into a dark area because too many players, coaches and parents have gotten themselves into trouble with comments that become too personal. Players have a venue to bully one another, hidden beyond their keyboard.
However, social media is here to stay for the foreseeable future, but think before you hit that “send” button because once you post it; it’s live and there forever. You never know who is following you! On the flip side, you can use it in a constructive way. So how do you monitor youngsters with social media? For openers, hold them responsible for everything they do. Having specific rules is a tough sell, but youngsters need to know how much of a slippery slope that social media can pose. All it takes is one bad picture or message, and your life can change forever. Be selective as to who you accept on social media and if your post will embarrass yourself, family or friends – it is probably not a good thing. Take the time to explain social media to your players and show them examples of the positive and negative uses and the affects they can have on their future. Poor usage of social media can be a red flag for future employers, coaches, parents, and teammates that can cause concern for your ability to work with people. If you have a problem working with people, your future will be on a permanent hold!
Social media has many positive benefits but also as you can see some important cautions – especially when it comes to contact between adults and kids. Many organizations today have outright banned social media contact between teachers and students. Be smart and use this powerful social tool in the appropriate way!
Until Next Month,
Coach Mike Candrea