Why Every SLP Should Instagram!

I’m slow to change. Okay, actually, I hate change. I wish I didn’t. I wish I could be one of those people that takes change by the horns and embraces it. But…I’m not. And…it’s everywhere. As soon as you learn one thing, it seems another has already popped up.

Perhaps that’s why I’ve been slow to warm to Instagram. I have Facebook. I have Twitter. I have Pinterest. I blog.

What could Instagram offer that these don’t? I’ve had my Instagram account “nrallison” for almost 2 years now. I would add some personal photos every once in a while but until a few months ago, didn’t do much on Instagram. Now, however, as more and more SLPs join the world of Instagram, it’s the first app I open in the morning. Here’s why:

1. It’s visual. Instagram= pictures. Nicole = visual. It works for me.  The people I follow consist mostly of other SLPs because I want ideas for therapy and I want them fast. I open the app and suddenly I have a great craft idea for tomorrow or a an amazing vocabulary strategy I could use today.

2. It’s quick. This goes  hand-in-hand with the last. Because Instagram is visual, it is also quick. Often I find myself opening Facebook or Pinterest for a quick glance at the latest news. Hours later, I’m still on. So frustrating! With Instagram, however, words are kept to a minimal because the picture says it all.  Often, I don’t need paragraphs of instruction for these ideas-the assembled photo shows me everything I need to know. And, although you can press the “heart” button to like a photo, you don’t like comments, which can sometimes be a time-sucker for this slp who sometimes feels the need to “like” everything.

3. It’s easily organized. You’ve probably seen things cute little hashtags # popping up everywhere. These make it so easy for you to search or categorize what you want to see. Sure, hashtags can be used for anything (#Ilovemyjob #whatsfordinner, etc.) but these also come in handy as an slp. For example, whenever I post a picture of my baby girl, I hashtag #aislynruth. That way, I can just type in #aislynruth and all her pictures appear. Same with speech therapy. Below are a list of common hashtags you’ll want to make a note of:

4. It’s simplified. Facebook can be confusing because they regulate who sees what post, when they see and if they see it.  On Instagram, when someone posts a photo, I see it immediately in my newsfeed. I don’t miss any posts and I don’t get them late. This means I don’t see posts for a sale that happened yesterday. Now I can breathe easier.

5. It’s personal. I don’t know about you, but I love to see glimpses into my favorite bloggers life. They have families, paperwork, schedules, successes, failures and other hobbies besides speech therapy (gasp!), just like me and you :).

Here’s a list of some fun slp bloggers that I follow on Instagram:

nrallison (me!), activitytailor, allyallneed, bslspeechlanguage, busybeespeech, crazyspeechworld, carissaspeelman, consonantlyspeaking, dtrout68, happilyslp, kevstin, kristine_lindsay, letstalkspeechtherapy, middleschoolslp, mrsjonesspeechroom, puttingwordsinyourmouth, queenspeechslp, schoolhousetalk, slpforme, slpnataliesnyders, slprunner, smalltalkslp, sparklleslp, sparklyspeechgirl, speechmadesimple, speechroomnews, speechroomstyle, speechtherapywithcourtney, speechtimefun, speechtivities, speechtothecore, speechuniverse, speechymusings, sublime speech, superpowerspeech, teachspeech365, thedabblingspeechie, theschoolslp, thespeechbubbleslp, thespeechchicks, thespeechowl, thepeachiespeechie, twinspeech, and whitneyslp