Contacting potential supervisor over Facebook Messenger?

[AvelineHilda]

Hi everyone,

I am applying for an MA in English right now and I could use your advice for a question I have about contacting a potential supervisor.

I am applying to my absolute dream school, and for their application they strongly suggest contacting a potential supervisor within their graduate faculty and name them in the Statement of Intent. I am already acquainted with the potential supervisor I have in mind, who is a tenured professor doing research in the same field I am interested in (post-1945 American lit & print culture). I met this professor at a conference two years ago (I have been a graduate student for some time; English will be my second MA) and we became friends on Facebook after connecting over our research interests. We have not kept in touch, although we will occasionally 'like' each other's research-related posts on Facebook.

Now I am wondering if I should contact this person the traditional way, over e-mail; or send them a Facebook message. Normally I would always opt for e-mail, but because I already know them I thought it might be a good idea to add a personal touch. What do you guys think? Is a message too unprofessional?

Thanks!

[Psychologyandpizza]

Definitely email. Even professors I am very close with I contact them by email when it is in regards to professional matters. It’s good to keep boundaries especially seeing as this is not a professor that you even have an established relationship with. 

[TakeruK]

I don't think it's a good idea to use Facebook or other social media for work/official correspondence because I wouldn't want messages to go the other way either (i.e. it feels like too much mixing of my personal and professional spaces). I have many advisors, committee members and collaborators on my friends list but all my contact with them on social media has been, well, social! The one exception is the Facebook Groups for professional interactions (in my field, there are many). There, I have plenty of science discussions when I can contribute.

I do think sometimes it's funny when I send a FB contact an email and am waiting for a response but then see them active elsewhere on FB. But I purposefully try very hard to not notice it because I wouldn't want them to track my work hours by watching my facebook activity! Sometimes the timing is just so coincidental that it sticks out though.

However, the above is just my opinion/approach to separating work and personal life. More general practical advice: I would not use Facebook Messenger or other social media for official correspondence unless the professor / more senior person initiates it (but if I was the more senior person, I wouldn't initiate it for the reasons above).

[fuzzylogician]

This may depend on norms in your field, but FWIW in my field, Facebook is often used for professional connections, including adding contacts that one meets at conferences who share interests with you. Nonetheless I would not reach out to someone for something like you're describing in a FB message. I'd email. 

[Sigaba]

13 hours ago, AvelineHilda said:

Hi everyone,

I am applying for an MA in English right now and I could use your advice for a question I have about contacting a potential supervisor.

I am applying to my absolute dream school, and for their application they strongly suggest contacting a potential supervisor within their graduate faculty and name them in the Statement of Intent. I am already acquainted with the potential supervisor I have in mind, who is a tenured professor doing research in the same field I am interested in (post-1945 American lit & print culture). I met this professor at a conference two years ago (I have been a graduate student for some time; English will be my second MA) and we became friends on Facebook after connecting over our research interests. We have not kept in touch, although we will occasionally 'like' each other's research-related posts on Facebook.

Now I am wondering if I should contact this person the traditional way, over e-mail; or send them a Facebook message. Normally I would always opt for e-mail, but because I already know them I thought it might be a good idea to add a personal touch. What do you guys think? Is a message too unprofessional?

Thanks!

IIRC, the traditional way with a personal touch would be a legible hand-written card or letter.