{"id":8454,"date":"2013-10-14T16:43:45","date_gmt":"2013-10-14T20:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.cos.ucf.edu\/?p=8454"},"modified":"2016-12-01T13:26:06","modified_gmt":"2016-12-01T18:26:06","slug":"social-networking-helps-the-parents-of-the-internet-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/social-networking-helps-the-parents-of-the-internet-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Networking Helps the Parents of the Internet Generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

UCF Faculty Parents Network – forum on Facebook for UCF staff and faculty<\/strong><\/p>\n

Social networks are utilized for a number of reasons. Sometimes useful, sometimes not.<\/p>\n

Many people use the Internet for personal social media purposes and these sites can prove to be valuable practical resources for busy UCF professors and other faculty members.<\/p>\n

Beatriz Reyes-Foster, assistant professor of anthropology at UCF<\/em>, founded a particularly useful group on Facebook.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur group is called the UCF Faculty Parents Network,\u201d Reyes-Foster said. \u201cIt is affiliated with the Center for Success of Women Faculty, but I run the group and am the only administrator on it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reyes-Foster was a faculty fellow when she came up with the group, though she runs the group independent of the school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do this on my own time,\u201d Reyes-Foster said. \u201cI\u2019m not paid for it; it\u2019s not part of my job.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group focuses on connecting UCF faculty, staff and professors who have children. It is closed to all others.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe group is a closed group because a lot of us really care about our privacy,\u201d Reyes-Foster said. \u201cWe make sure the group is limited to only faculty and staff parents. I vet them and look for UCF affiliation of some kind. If I find it, I will usually accept them.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the student-to-professor ratio high, the fourth highest ratio in the nation according to the Orlando Sentinel, it is straining faculty to teach more students, take on more responsibilities and, on top of that, raise a family.<\/p>\n

Simply, everyone needs a little help sometimes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that most of us are overwhelmed to some degree or another,\u201d Reyes-Foster said.<\/p>\n

The uniqueness of an academic life can be both a curse and a blessing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a really different experience being a faculty member and being a parent,\u201d said Christine Hanlon, an instructor at the Nicholson School of Communication<\/em>. \u201cWe have different types of challenges, different deadlines; we don\u2019t work 8 [a.m.] to 5 [p.m.] Monday through Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the group, faculty can find a variety of services, referrals or just converse.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really is just a space for faculty members to share resources and advice and ideas,\u201d Reyes-Foster said. \u201cWe talk about everything from philosophical discussions about balancing work and life and an academic job, to pediatrician recommendations, babysitter recommendations, things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I joined, I didn\u2019t expect it to evolve into providing as many things as it provides,\u201d Hanlon said.<\/p>\n

The group has grown from its inception in 2011.<\/p>\n

It now includes more than 100 members, all of whom are affiliated with UCF in some way.<\/p>\n

Kenneth Oms, a senior majoring in English, said he likes the way the faculty has used social networking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very important for faculty to kind of communicate about the problems unique to their situation,\u201d Oms said. \u201cA village is full of different people, different knowledge, different experiences. Having all of those working together makes for a better, healthier, happier child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reyes-Foster found inspiration in a network that existed at UC Berkeley where she earned her doctorate.<\/p>\n

\u201cBerkeley has this thing called the Berkeley Parents Network, which is an email list,\u201d Reyes-Foster said. \u201cIt\u2019s huge, tens of thousands of people on it. I, myself, found child care arrangements through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having used a similar resource in the past, Reyes-Foster said she decided where there is absence, there is also demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing the power of social networking, it seemed like a logical step,\u201d Reyes-Foster said. \u201cIf there wasn\u2019t a group here, just create it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oms said he believes social media networks are a step forward not just for the faculty but potentially anyone who uses them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great way to stay in touch and get good advice from people you trust,\u201d Oms said. \u201cThink, 20 years ago you had a kid, you could be lost for a while and not know who to talk to. Now people with experience or people sharing in their inexperience can talk and help each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

While certain circles have always been there for support, something so pointed and organized had been absent at UCF.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d had informal networks for faculty before, but it was all face to face in the hallways type things,\u201d Hanlon said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have this community. This has really created a community that is interdisciplinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reyes-Foster said she believes community is central to the group\u2019s purpose and its success.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuilding community is extremely important,\u201d Reyes-Foster said. \u201cThat is why I do this. I think that having a good solid network of people I can reach out to in a time of need is extremely important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Original publication can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UCF Faculty Parents Network – forum on Facebook for UCF staff and faculty Social networks are utilized for a number of reasons. Sometimes useful, sometimes not. Many people use the Internet for personal social media purposes and these sites can prove to be valuable practical resources for busy UCF professors and other faculty members. Beatriz […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8458,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32,38,13,37],"tags":[399],"class_list":["post-8454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anthropology","category-breaking-news","category-news","category-communication","tag-beatriz-reyes-foster"],"yoast_head":"\nSocial Networking Helps the Parents of the Internet Generation - College of Sciences News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/social-networking-helps-the-parents-of-the-internet-generation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Social Networking Helps the Parents of the Internet Generation - College of Sciences News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UCF Faculty Parents Network – forum on Facebook for UCF staff and faculty Social networks are utilized for a number of reasons. 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