Here are articles and interviews to help graduate students like you manage your online presence. My name is Jennifer van Alstyne, and not long ago I was just like you. I started The Academic Designer LLC, right out of grad school to help people like you share their work with the world.

On this page you’ll find my top resources for grad students.

Want Jennifer to speak at your school?

Articles to help you manage your online presence

What social media platforms are right for me?

It provides an overview of all the options grad students like you should consider. Should you be on all the social media platforms? No. You probably don’t have time to manage that many profiles and actually engage with people. So, be sure to check out my guide to the social media platforms you should consider when deciding where to spend your time.

I also have more specific guides for Instagram and Twitter.

Graduate students especially, find communities on Instagram. Did you know it was a great place for networking?

I even have an article about how you can use Instagram stories and Facebook stories to talk about your grad school life.

Thinking about jobs and networking

My top recommendation for grad students is LinkedIn. It’s the most powerful social media networking platform, and my top choice for grad students like you. Whether you’re thinking about the academic or non-academic job market, LinkedIn is the place to be.

Looking for jobs soon? Here’s my comprehensive guide to your social media when job hunting.

If you’re new to networking, here are some tips to finding your community online.

Watch my YouTube interview with Dr. Jennifer Polk of From PhD to Life about networking and about informational interviews.

Talking about your academic life

Do you manage your online presence? Many grad students haven’t really thought about it. To get started…

• You have to know what’s out there about you for people to find.
• You need to know where people are looking for information about you and your work.
• You need to create or manage content that showcases what you’d like people to know.

Learn how to begin managing your online presence in academia.

Are you presenting at a conference? Learn how a website and social media can help you get the word out.

And if you’re worried about communicating your academic life, here’s a holiday-themed post about talking to your family about what you do.

And, when you’re ready for a break from social media, I have a guide for that too.

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