Are you isolated as an AU student? Worse yet, are you lonely? I mean shut-out-in-the-woods-with-no-running-water lonely. Once, we went camping to find a run-down, vacant house, lived in by a scruffy, bearded man who threatened to fetch his gun. He was lonely.

Well, You’re not alone. The common view is that many AU students live isolated lives. Sure, we have our children, our pets, and our YouTube, but do we have enough daily meaningful connections? The answer? Yes, we have human connection?far and wide?through social media.

And, if You’re like me, you’ve started a Facebook page with no friends. But maybe you’ve got it better than I do. My mom unfriended me years ago. I’ve uploaded only one video to YouTube, and my twitter account ran out of content a decade ago. Yes, I’m isolated. But, the irony? I’ve suddenly gained the job title of Digital Marketer.

So, what do I do? I write about how to fight social isolation through social media. AU students often live lonely lives, so while I figure out how to make a Facebook page pop, I’m going to help you make friends?and fervid fans?through social media. And if You’re already swamped with party invites, I’m also going to show you how to get your hobby, passion, or small business some social media love.

Let’s look to Andrew Macarthy’s book 500 Social Media Marketing Tips to give you tips on how to lure fans into your digital sphere:

– Once you get some Facebook friends, ask them questions requiring a response consisting of either yes or no, a lot or a little, or good or bad. If you are featuring your favorite hobby, say sculpture, ask your friends whether they like a sculpture you aim to mimic. If You’re a songwriter, ask how much your friends like the latest lyrics you’ve drafted.

– On Facebook, talk about your successes and failures. If you love playing college sports, reveal how you kicked the soccer ball into the wrong net?a true story. Cough. Then, talk about how you went on to win a bronze medal in the athlete-of-the-year competition. Then, consider buying up all the sports drinks at the dollar store and retailing them in bulk through Facebook. There’s nothing stopping your friends from instant messaging their plans to mail a cheque. Even reveal the last C on a math test and how you read the same topic in five different books just to up your grade to a B.

– On Facebook, give your friends tips on how to solve problems. If your page profiles your one-eyed pet, then give tips on pet toys. Reveal that a pet gets jealous when other animals play with its toys. Reveal that cats eating side-by-side often size each other up and fight. Then, give a solution: put the cat dishes on opposite sides of the room. And of course, feature the cat biscuits you bake in bulk for ten-bucks-a-box.

– Use images and videos in your posts. We all love movies. Make your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, or YouTube page a running profile of stunning pictures?about you. If you wish to promote your band, make a video for YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. With your AU Lynda.com membership, you can learn video editing in a flash.

Voila! The magic spice for human connection: social media. So, make a page around your grumpy cat, your guitar solos, or your Picasso replica.

And finally, parting advice: don’t camp in boarded-up cabins in the woods. Instead, use social media tips to fire up friends and fans from the comfort of your phone.