I was invited by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities to write about why and how I use social media in my role as university president. The article is available here. An excerpt follows:
More than 400 volunteer curators— including students, faculty, journalists, politicians and entrepreneurs from around the world—select news for me in real time, at no cost, 24 hours a day, every day. Thanks to them, I am intimately connected to trends on campus, revolutions in the Middle East (and in higher education) and Spanish soccer dramas as they unfold. If any of my curators don’t perform to my taste, I simply “unfollow” them and find smarter, better informed ones.
I, in turn, volunteer my own ideas and news to anyone—about 7,500 followers to date—who cares to read them. I usually cover trends in higher education, entrepreneurship or global affairs. I discuss my views about George Mason University, cancel classes during hurricanes, or report on the sometimes absurd circumstances of life. Anyone associated with Mason who is curious about the new president now has access to an unplugged, unfiltered version of me, just as I have with many others.
If you are considering taking the plunge, here are my answers to some of the questions and comments I hear most frequently.
You can follow me on Twitter at @CabreraAngel.