Social Media Policy

It is my general policy to permit interaction with students on social media platforms. This document outlines some details with which students should be familiar before submitting a request to connect on social media.

Identity

I’m terrible with names. If your social media presence doesn’t have a photo that I can readily identify, I’m unlikely to rapidly approve it. Likewise, if your account history doesn’t make it apparent that it really belongs to you, I am unlikely to approve it. If I don’t approve a request, and you think it might be because I couldn’t verify the account, please contact me in person or via UB email to let me know that you’ve sent a request.

Professional Platforms

I will happily connect with any UB student on any professional platform (such as LinkedIn) that I use. Be aware, however, the the value of such a connection is minimal unless I have had significant interaction with you. I will not provide recommendations, letters of reference, or certification of skills unless I have personal experience that indicates that such an action is merited. Passing one of my courses with a good grade, for example, would suffice for certifying capability in the skills taught in that course. Letters of reference or recommendations require that I know you and know your qualities and capabilities — which means you might have to get to know me outside of class to earn one of those!

If you would like for me to provide a professional recommendation for you, be sure to interact with me outside of the classroom. Come see me during office hours (and preferably ask good questions or provide thoughtful comments!), participate in University events (such as UB Hacking, ACM or DivTech activities, etc.) and show me what you’re working on, or just send me an email asking if there’s a time we can talk about something that interests you.

Personal Platforms

I will only connect with students that I immediately recognize on personal platforms (such as Facebook). This means that if you haven’t taken one of my courses or interacted with me in some other University context, I probably won’t approve your request. It also means that if I cannot easily identify your profile (e.g., your profile picture is not a photo of you and only you), I probably won’t approve your request. Be aware that my activities on personal social media platforms are not my professional activities, and that you may see opinions expressed there that I would not give in the classroom or to a campus audience. (That’s not to say that you’re likely to be surprised or offended by my social media content, but you may be subjected to, for example, political rants. Caveat lector.)