10 Great Reasons to Hurl Yourself into the Big Social Media Conversation

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Jewish parents talk. And talk. And talk. And it's the job of day school professionals to find out where these people are kibitzing and insert themselves into the conversation. In the old days, before everyone and their Nana picked up a smart phone, you might have accomplished this by hitting the local JCCs and temple preschools and cutting into the odd parental dialogue with: "Have you ever thought about Jewish day school? I just happen to have a wonderful, four-color brochure in my right hand…" But an increasing amount of Jewish life happens online nowadays, and a huge amount of that occurs in what those in the know call the "social media space."

Think about the kinds of Facebook conversations that take place, the honest opinions and trustworthy information that gets passed around, among your Friends. Now imagine creating a professional Facebook profile and then joining a FB group that includes, say, a number of women—many of them Jewish—who talk about contemporary novels. One day, conversation turns to their kids and Jewish literacy.

• You send the group an article about the PJ Library.
• You post a link about the seventh-grade book group at your school.
• You invite them to a JCC lecture by Wendy Mogel on tikkun olam on the playground.

Soon your Facebook Friends will look to you as something of an authority on Jewish books and kids… which just might just lead to a conversation about how Jewish day school produces Jewishly literate kids.

Are you with me now?

Oy, I hear you say, but social media is scary. Strange. Unfamiliar.

What are all these weird #s on Twitter?
I don't know what RT is!
What if someone posts something I don't like on Facebook? Can I get rid of it? Can I ban them from the page?

Yes, bringing a new technology into your job can be intimidating—but the major social media tools are actually quite easy to wield. You might just need the odd bit of instruction. That's why I'm here. My name is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , I'm PEJE's social-media guy, and this column will help you join the necessary online conversations to haul your school's outreach and communication programs into the 21st century.

To get you up to speed, please join our growing, and garrulous, Facebook mishpucha. We're transforming our Facebook page from a mere social media tool into a great big Virtual Assembly. We've been posting superlative day school content, adding new fans all the time, and engaging in many an intriguing conversation. We're off to a good start—but we're missing something: You. For us to Virtually Assemble, you gotta throw in your two (or three or four) cents.

Don't worry, attending this Assembly is easy. Won't even require a travel stipend. For those of you already on Facebook—chances are, you are among the 500 million active FB users—just go here and click the "Like" button. (And if you aren't yet on Facebook, don't worry, watch this space for instructions on making a professional Facebook profile, using the site effectively, the whole social-media megillah.) Before you know it, you'll be talking to k'lal Yisrael. I don't imagine that our Facebook fans will become as numerous as, you know, the stars of heaven, but we can, and will, multiply.

And now, 10 Reasons to hurl yourself into the PEJE Facebook conversation:

10. Our Facebook page makes your job easier. So much of day school life involves networking: with donors, board members, rabbis, federation and JCC people, parents, and teachers. Actively using our Facebook page is an informal way to keep up with your contacts without ever leaving your desk or filling out an expense report.

9. We'll Like you back. We're always happy to like a new day school Facebook page. If you're not already one of our Facebook fans please let me know.

8. One-stop shopping for all your day school-content needs. We're constantly on the hunt for useful and entertaining day school articles, videos, blog posts, and essays—and we're excited to share our loot with you. Plenty there to help you improve your work, or prove a point.

7. Facebook makes your work visible. Our Facebook page is a wonderful resource that showcases your good work, opinions, and thoughtful commentary to your co-workers, your local community, and the larger ecosystem of day school professionals. Engage with Facebook and share your commitment to a sustainable Jewish future.

6. Facebook connects you to new and extraordinary parts of the field. The larger and more influential our Facebook community, the more collaborative the day school world will become.

5. We can help get the word out. If you're working on some new and wonderful initiative and want to let everyone know about it, send me an email and, if it's appropriate, I will turn it into a buzz-generating post.

4. You can shape the debate. You know who will have an opinion on this or that piece of content. I depend on you, the PEJE community, to invite and encourage the right people (articulate, informed people) to comment on the various Facebook postings.

3. You'll be doing a mitzvah for shy members. We need you to model interactive behavior for our burgeoning online community. By Commenting, Liking, and Sharing, you'll make it OK for our less social fans to do the same.

2. You'll be in an exclusive club. Once you Like us, you can interact with us and an engaged group of day school professionals. Like us, and then climb over the fence!

1. It's fun! Working the PEJE Facebook page is a great part of my job; give it a chance, and it'll be a favorite part of yours.