In this year’s September Student Column, we’ve discussed the ICA Student Member Survey as one of the main activities of the ICA Student Affairs Committee to receive feedback from student members.  Hoping to continue the discussion about active student engagement, this month’s student column is devoted to introducing social media outlets ICA currently uses to facilitate interactions among student members to listen to their interests and concerns. 

Social Media Student Groups

Currently, ICA has four main SNS platforms for ICA student members to participate: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter (@icahdq), and Google+. 

	John Paul Gutierrez, the ICA Communication Director, explains that each SNS is active with engaged student members, but LinkedIn is the best for networking outside of the US and for professional activities such as job search.  If you have not, now is time to join the ICA LinkedIn Group at http://www.linkedin.com/groups/International-Communication-Association-843047?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr.
	ICA keeps you up to date on ICA events on the organization’s official Facebook page.  Also, more informal Facebook group allows ICA members to interact and share information about research, teaching, and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication with each other.  You can join the official ICA page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Communication-Association-ICA-Official-Page/234368319927182?ref=ts&fref=ts. The ICA Facebook group can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ICAopengroup/.
	ICA answers student members’ questions on Twitter (@icahdq).  Click ‘follow’ and ask questions at https://twitter.com/icahdq.
	Google+ is still a work in progress and we would like to welcome any feedback on how to use it most effectively toward student members’ advantage.  Find out the ICA Google+ site at https://plus.google.com/101001492403856536840/posts.

Through these social media groups, the ICA Student Affairs Committee hopes to make activities and events better known to student members, and to open new opportunities of sharing information about projects, grants, and jobs as well as ongoing social networking.  If you have any questions about these social media groups, please contact John Paul Gutierrez, the ICA Communication Director, at jpgutierrez@icahdq.org for further guidance.