Here’s what you’ll learn in this book:

Ch 1 How social media can hurt your kid’s future

Ch 2 Common social media mistakes made

Ch 3 What social media posts and strategies impress colleges

Ch 4 What social media posts and strategies impress future employers

Ch 5 Social networks that help you shine online

Ch 6 How and when to privatize your image

Ch 7 How to talk to your kids

Ch 8 How to make a plan together

Ch 9 Case studies from successful students making a difference Over the past several years, I have had the great opportunity to work with some of the world’s best brands. My staff and I developed and implemented techniques to help these companies shine online. And they have! By employing a few social media strategies, these great companies are finding the customers they want and deserve. It quickly came to my attention that my techniques would be valuable to families who are preparing their kids for college. Many kids have no idea how their digital footprint might be viewed by others and how others’ perceptions can hold them back.

During a 2013 Kaplan telephone questionnaire, 31% of college admissions officers said that they did visit applicants Facebook and other social media pages to gain more information on the student. 30% said that they had encountered information on social media that had a negative influence on an applicant’s chance of being accepted. This goes to show that anything we put online, no matter how long ago, can be brought up on the first page of Google results and we need to be vigilant on what we allow others to see.1 In this book, you will receive the same strategies I’ve used to help many successful companies, but tailored to students and future leaders, to help them impress colleges and future employers. As I’ve traveled the country for the past year and spoken to over 20,000 students, the feedback has been clear: these methods work, helping kids convey their best selves online. These methods employed keep their online images and communications Light, Bright and Polite®, which allows colleges and employers find the best people to represent their campus upon graduation. Your kid can be among them. It’s a competitive market out there, so let’s not be disqualified from something to which you’re aspiring without ever having a real chance at interviewing for the opportunity! It is never too early to start planning ahead. Your kids may not be thinking about it, but certainly you understand from experience that what you do now can have lasting effects. At the very least, what you do now lays the foundation for the habits that you will have years from now. Even if your children are not on social media yet, their reputation online starts as soon as their friends are online and posting photos of them, tagging them.

So, there’s a lot to consider! Since parents have limited time, this book isn’t designed to teach everything about social media. I’m not here to give you a list of 100 things not to do on social media. Instead, my goal is to have students and parents skim through this book and be able to pick up one or two helpful tips that can make all the difference. What accomplishments does your kid want to have in the next five years?
- Getting into college
- Full ride scholarship
- Varsity sports team
- Study abroad opportunity
- Leadership award
- Community service
- Getting into a prestigious private high school
- Getting the perfect internship that launches their career

If any of these apply, then you need to pay attention to all of the messages that your child sends out on social media. There’s a good chance that 50% of their tweets might not be helping them to reach their goals. They need to be vigilant.

Josh Ochs
@JoshOchs