Stay alive (online) during crunch time

By Nicole Garner

Photo courtesy of hellofromjennysmith on Flickr.

We’re in the midst of it. That time where you’ve forgotten what sleep, showering and balanced diets are – commonly known as the last weeks of the semester. But just because you’ve (temporarily) given up on anything non-caffeinated doesn’t mean your online presence has to go, too. It’s easy to Internet hibernate when the physical world has deadlines breathing down your neck, but there are a few things you can do to avoid disappearing from the cyber world for a few weeks.

Work ahead of time to schedule tweets, posts or blog updates. Just like studying ahead of time for a final is a good idea, so is working ahead of your exam schedule to prepare blog posts and other social media updates. Programs like Hootsuite and TweetDeck are useful for scheduling tweets or Facebook posts, and many blogging platforms have functions for queuing up posts for publishing. Scheduling social media can take some effort before a time crunch, but ensures your online profiles will be set to weather any posting lulls.

Set aside time to be online. You’ve got to break for coffee at least every few hours, right? Use the time standing in line at the coffee shop to update your social portfolio. Instead of thinking of social media and blogging as another task on your to do list, consider online updates as rewards. After a few hours of studying, take a small break to nourish your mind and profile simultaneously.

Take advantage of the Internet. The Internet was built for sharing. Whether it’s a lime-hat cat or a news article, take advantage of what other people are posting and discussing to relieve the pressures of getting a post out. Retweets take seconds and sharing links on Facebook is just as fast. If you’re a blogger, think about how Tumblr works – sharing what others have posted (with attribution, of course) or consider having a guest blogger fill in for a few posts.

Let the world know finals have, once again, arrived. Sometimes, finals week comes with a vengeance, and it seems impossible to get anything other than studying done. Don’t be afraid to let the Internet know that the waters are rough, and you’ll be backing off the tweets and posts for a few days. Let your followers know you’ll be lying low for a few days so that they’ll be expecting your return. And of course, be sure to return (even if it feels the semester is never going to end).

Do you have any fail-safe tricks to staying online-alive during finals week? Let us know below (if you have time, of course!).