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Mastering The Rules Of Social Media: Coach Offers Game-Changing Strategy
Laura Tierney is a social media strategist, one who coaches people—from celebrities like Olympic athletes to students—about how to win at the game of social media.
Yet, back when she was a teenager, she made plenty of mistakes in her approach, all of which inform the way she approaches her presentations to teens and parents. An example? She put too much value on what her peers thought of her, and used their opinions to direct what she put online. “I relied on other people’s decisions,” she says. “I would let peers control my reputation.”
She also gave too much credence to what she calls “quantified popularity,” basing her self-esteem on the number of Facebook likes and shares she got on her posts. “There is so much more to life than playing for a number,” she notes.
The lessons she learned from those experiences, as well as her success at harnessing social media for a positive purpose in her professional work at ESPN and McKinney, a North Carolina advertising firm, eventually moved her to launch her own company, The Social Institute. As founder and president of the company, she talks to students and parents about how to tap into social media as a tool for strengthening friendships, finding opportunities, and building their reputations.
Tierney is offering a presentation exclusively for parents on February 21, 2019 at 6:30pm in the Rooke Theater, which will include a Q & A session. No registration is required. Middle School students will hear from Laura during the day of February 21st and Upper School students will hear from her during the day on Friday, February 22nd. Parents and students have been asked to complete surveys in advance of her visit, allowing her to tailor the presentations to specific concerns from the CCES community.
Tierney’s appreciation of the potential of social media started when she was a college student, playing for the Duke Field Hockey team and managing the Blue Devils’ social media platforms. A four-time All-American at Duke University, she was also recognized as Duke’s Athlete of the Decade for Field Hockey, and she played on the U.S. Women’s National Field Hockey Team.
About six years ago, she began giving speeches about social media at secondary schools and colleges. What started as a sideline to her professional work grew into a full-time occupation and passion. She launched The Social Institute last year, and she does presentations and workshops on an array of topics tied to social media, including “Pursuing Careers in Social Media” and “All Likes and No Love: The Impact of Social Media on Girls.”
She said parents are typically most curious about balance and privacy issues: How do I help my kids balance technology with the real world? How can I help my child protect his or her privacy?
Students, not surprisingly, have different questions, ones that typically reflect their fast embrace of new social media platforms and their desire to interact. High school students often want to know how to best use social media when preparing to go to college, and students of all ages are more interested in what they should be doing, rather than in warnings about what to avoid.
Any conversation about social media involves a discussion of positive role models and values, she said. “Your character, values, and standards should be one and the same with how you use social media.”
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Laura Tierney, social media strategist, will speak at CCES on February 21, 2019 at 6:30pm
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