One
of the main things we learn in the peer counseling classes is that connections
to society increase our ability to recover from mental illness. With that in
mind, I decided to write an article about how social media keeps us connected
and to introduce our clients to three sites which I think help recovery. These
are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The purpose of this article is to address
each site, tell about its purpose and functionality as well as what is required
to sign up.
Perhaps
the most intricate site of the three, Facebook allows you to connect to all of
the people in your current and past circles, and to keep up with all of your
interests. All you need to sign up for Facebook is a current email address. For
security purposes, I also recommend using a cell phone number in case you lose
your password. If you are hesitant about putting yourself out there, there are
security settings that allow you to keep any and all of your information
private or to choose what people see when searching for you. I like this site
because I can keep up with news from friends I have from all over the world
without having to pick up the phone. I also find this site informative by
following NPR and mental health news sites. You can upload photos, check in to
places so people know what you are up to, and compose status updates to keep
people informed about what’s going on in your life. One of the cooler things
about this site is that you can also create pages for hobbies and businesses to
showcase your talent. For instance, because I run the art group for the
Enterprise Resource Center, I have a page called Enterprise Resource Center
Saturday Art Group.
Twitter
is a little less functional but nonetheless a good way to start becoming
connected. All you need is a current email address and you can start shouting
out to the world. You can follow any and all people and entities that you are
interested in and keep up with the world in real time. One of the things that
Twitter is good for is trending, where you post something with a hashtag (#)
and followers can see your tweet when they click on the trending topic. You can
reply to tweets by using the @ character. Grow your followers by adding people
who follow back.
LinkedIn
is a little more sophisticated and its main purpose is to grow business
contacts. You can post an online resume and get connections to endorse you for
skills. All you need for this site is an email address and/or Facebook account.
For a twist, try connecting your Twitter to your LinkedIn and your tweets will
show up on your LinkedIn activity page. I recommend this site if you are trying
to go back to work. You can look for job postings, too. You can also belong to
different interest groups to keep up on current topics for your business and
write recommendations for colleagues and service providers.
This
is just a brief synopsis of some of the social media sites that I find helpful
for keeping connected. If you are into photography and have an android or
iphone, I would recommend trying instagram. There are tons of other social
media sites like Myspace, Google plus and Zorpia. I chose to write about these
three because I think they are the most user friendly and the best for growing
your social network. If you want to see how your reach is impacting the world,
I would recommend connecting your social media accounts to a site called Klout
which will give you a score.
