From Getting Started to Cultivating an Active School Community on Facebook
Last week we shared tips for building your school community using Social Media. Today's post is about activating your community with facebook! Let's face it, a good proportion of school parents access facebook weekly or daily {some even hourly}. Intersecting with parents where they already hang out is a great way to build rapport, keep them updated about news and events, and ask them to get involved and take actions that support your school.
Two important details before you get started:
1. Check with your principal and District to see if the school-parent facebook fan page must be separate from the school's facebook fan page. Ideally, it will be the same page so parents have one easy place to join your school online.
2. Create a facebook fan page and not a facebook group. Facebook groups require permission to join and fan pages don't. The goal of using Social Media for your school-parent group is to extend and broaden your school-community online by making it super easy to join-in and get involved. Facebook groups are more appropriate for individual classes and clubs where postings and membership information is more exclusive.
6 Tips to Get the Most Out of facebook for your School-Parent Group
1. Invite parents to participate in multiple places.
Once you've established a facebook fan page for your school - promote it! Ask parents to show their school sprit by "Liking" your school on facebook!
- in all school newsletters and handouts to parents
- on BIG signs during parent-school events like Back-to-School Night, Carnival and Holiday Fairs
Power Tip: Click here for instructions on how to add a 'Like’ button or 'Like' box to your school website.
2. Use 'pulse' questions, polls, and share general parenting content to boost engagement.
Asking simple questions and sharing articles of interest gets parents chatting and engaged with your parent group on facebook. E.g.
- What's your favorite snack to pack?
- What should our new carnival booth be? (vote below)
- Here's a terrific article on family internet safety. At what age did you allow your kids to use social media?
- Sports Round Up! What's everybody playing this season?
3. Assign a parent liaison to monitor your school facebook page for comments every few days.
Typically this can be someone who spends a good deal of time on facebook already. If no one is interested, change settings to disallow comments.
4. Call for volunteers, members and donations.
Because other parents (and grandparents) networked to your 'like' fans will also see announcements, your call for volunteers, members and donations will extend beyond your most active parents.
Power Tip: Be specific when asking for volunteers and use a VolunteerSpot signup sheet link so parents make a formal commitment and you don't end up with too many or too few people or supplies/food items.
When asking for donations, members to join your parent group, or for participation in fundraisers like product sales -- include a link to your merchant website so community members can join, make a donation or purchase items with a click.
5. Respect privacy.
In postings, never add photos of children without parent permission or name children by name. Only name adults if you have their permission. Children should never be 'tagged' (identified) in photos on your parent-group facebook page. All links and phone numbers will be publicly viewable, so think twice before posting.
6. Remember, not all parents are on facebook.
The opinions of those who are may not represent your general population. Use this community tool as supplemental communication for your school and parent-group. Don't assume announcements are received or make big decisions based on the feedback of your school's facebook fans.
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