Thom Atkinson is not a social media celebrity. But if you attend IU, you’ve probably read his work.
As a senior social media strategist for the IU Bloomington campus, Atkinson is the man clicking send on every Tweet, Instagram and Facebook post sent through all official IUB social media accounts to hundreds of thousands of followers.
“It’s so easy, through a phone screen, to forget that there’s a real human being on the other side putting time and effort to creating and responding to questions and comments,” Atkinson said. “Because it’s not Thom Atkinson who students, parents, and alumni are connecting with or even care about. It’s Indiana University.”
Atkinson spends most of his workday on the second floor of the Von Lee building above Noodles and Company on Kirkwood Avenue. Home to several IUB communication departments, including the IUB public relations and campus initiatives team, the office is designed with innovation and creativity in mind. Traces of whiteboard markers are scribbled across white walls. The dress code leans toward Chuck Taylors instead of ties, just like the black pair Atkinson is wearing on a cold Friday afternoon.
“There are only two things I need to do my job: coffee and an Internet connection,” said Atkinson, sitting with a Venti Starbucks coffee and an iPad. “I’ve done work in so many different locations from sitting in my car in a parking lot to a hotel room in Jasper, Ind. at 3 o’clock in the morning. It’s a job that isn’t limited by time or location.”
While social media often seems like an in-the-moment practice, Atkinson walks onto the concrete floors to his dual-monitor desk every day with a plan. But creating a daily agenda for the important messages of the day is only a portion of the job that consumes Atkinson whenever he has a Wifi connection.
“Social media is weird,” Atkinson said. “It is as much an internal communication as it is public relations. It’s as much marketing as it is news. It’s as much technology as it is personal service. It can be a hard thing for universities to quantify.”
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from IU in 1996, Atkinson worked as manager of the campus website after working with UITS and other technical departments on campus.
In December of 2008, he launched the official Facebook and Twitter accounts for the university and has been posting ever since. And while he spends countless hours posting pre-determined content, responding to online inquiries and tracking online chatter related to IU, he defers the success of his efforts to the students, faculty and alumni that do things worth posting.
“In one sense all of our social media efforts are a one-man team, because it’s all me,” Atkinson said. “But on the other hand, it’s all a team effort because mostly what I do is connect to other people.”
Besides standard news and marketing messages, the IUB Twitter and Instagram accounts are known for retweeting accepted students, commenting on Instagram posts, and responding to complaints. For Atkinson, this is simultaneously the most rewarding and stressful part of the job.
“People can be very critical,” Atkinson said. “One of the most important aspects of my job is not letting the haters get me down, focus on those who appreciate what we’re doing, and need us to be out there doing what we’re doing.”
For example, Atkinson no longer enjoys a snowy day in Bloomington.
“That’s when I have a bad day,” Atkinson said. “Which is weird, because I love snow. But now I dread it because I know I’ll be dealing with complaints all day.”
Despite a few negative tweets and the occasional Internet troll, Atkinson remains loyal and passionate about the college town he’s called home for over ten years.
“I was a student, I’ve taught classes, and I’ve been an employee,” Atkinson said. “I’ve had this long, great relationship with IU and I want everyone to feel as good about the university as I do.”
