Dive Brief:

• A new book from a special projects coordinator at Seneca College,  "#FollowtheLeader: Lessons in Social Media Success From #HigherEd CEOs," offers advice to college administrators on how to use social media effectively.
• The author, Daniel Zaiontz, interviewed 22 college presidents for the book, writing case studies of presidents who use social media to the advantage of their schools, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
• The book also offers a take on the pros and cons of social media and best practices for its strategic use.

Dive Insight:

The book concludes that college presidents don’t have to be active on social media, but they also don’t want to be perceived as isolated. Social media offers opportunities for the modern college president to succeed in the cheerleader/spokesman/spokeswoman role, and to connect instantly with audiences. Also, social media competence may become a job requirement in the future.

For newbies, Zaiontz recommends trying out new social media platforms at first as an anonymous user. One of the main concerns of college administrators is saying something that will go wrong very quickly as it spreads via social media, and the book provides many such examples.

Want examples of college presidents who get social media right? Check out this feature.