Like it or not, social media is a pervasive form of communication and a part of the way that we live now. Social media is an important way to promote one’s research and publications or a way to communicate with students. Inside Higher Ed recently wrote about a paper being presented at Information and Telecommunications Education and Research Association conference that suggests that relying solely on e-mail to communicate important information with students can lead to a disconnect.

Admittedly, there is a lot to digest when it comes to learning the ins and outs of social media. If you feel a little overwhelmed with all of the options, fear not Dustin Kidd offers to get you started in four easy steps in his Footnotes article, “Four Steps to Enhance Your Social Media Presence.” Read the article and note that #4 is “Join us at the Social Media Pre-conference.” Details are still in works but it promises to be very informative with great tips from your colleagues. (UPDATE: you can now find out more here www.asanet.org/AM2016/socialmedia.cfm and sign up when you register for the ASA Annual Meeting.)

Speaking of things that are in the works, ASA is working on building a more mobile-friendly website, which will also have more ways to share on social media.