Chapter 11: Leaders Online: Enhancing Communication with Facebook and Twitter: Enhancing Communication with Facebook and Twitter

Electronic mail, or email, has been the staple of communication tools for school leaders for the better part of two decades. One of its greatest advantages is that it allows asynchrony, or the capacity of parties to have a conversation with each other on their own schedule. This, and email’s other affordances, such as its ability to allow a user to transmit personal messages, send links to websites, distribute mass mailings to stakeholders, and attach files, makes it a tool of efficiency and effectiveness for administrators.

However, email has its drawbacks. The affordances of efficiency and effectiveness can have unintended consequences for school leaders. This is especially true when it comes to fostering conversation in a school. Email, as a medium, does not do a good job of mimicking the conversations and group discussions that might occur in the hallways of a school or at a school function. These informal or non-canonical communications are critical to successful leadership. However, two advancements in technology may mediate this problem: Facebook and Twitter. These technologies offer the asynchronous advantages of email with the added benefit of adding a sense of place and community.