Are You Leveraging Facebook?

The following info-graphic/study got me thinking about how youth leaders can most effectively communicate with students.  If students still lived in the land of Myspace, many youth leaders would no doubt find themselves on Myspace as well.  But, since Facebook is currently the social media of choice for teenagers, it’s important to take a serious look at how youth leaders can intentionally communicate via Facebook.   Check out the graphic and then see my observations and questions at the end:

Data and infographic by AWeber Email Marketing

Some observations:

1. I am not surprised by the biggest takeaways from this: students are using Facebook more than they use e-mail AND teenagers use their phones to check their e-mail and Facebook the majority of the time.
2. Did you notice what the study indicated teenagers prefer at lunchtime…face-to-face communication! “During lunchtime 96% of teens choose face-to-face communication.”  Sidenote…I am not sure if the surveyed teenagers consider face-to-face interaction while they check their phones and text the same as pure face to face interaction.  I speculate 96% of teenagers said they choose face-to-face time, which to them would mean texting the person on the other end of the table or watching a Youtube video while chatting with their friends.
3. The study used the graphic for Google+  to depict the activity teenagers use while in class.  Google+ !  Really?  Not sure if I agree on this one.  Why didn’t they use the icon for Facebook here?  Maybe they just chose a social media icon to depict all social media at this time?
4. It’s interesting that teens said they used e-mail at the beginning of the day  (the clock image…”waking” time).  It looks like many teens check their e-mail and Facebook before they go to sleep and when they wake up.
5. Where is Twitter?

BIG takeaway:

It looks like student engagement happens in the early morning and the late evening.  If you want to offer encouragement to a student, imploring them to share their faith, the late evening or early morning is a good time to message them on Facebook!

What technology do you use to engage most often with students?  Have you found one time of the day better than another?  Have you ever used technology to encourage a student to share their faith?