10 Social Media tools that will blow your kids socks off.

Here are some tools that will help your children, High School or College level.  Who knows some may even be helpful to you!

1. Cramster

Finals are getting close. They can use cramster to help with homework or study for a test. 

Cramster offers a Facebook app, Courses 2.0, that enables you to enter the courses you’re taking to see which of your Facebook friends will be in your classes, as well as list your books so that you can find people to share with or buy used books once they’re done with them.

Good alternative: FunnelBrain

2. InternshipRatings.com

Does your kid need an internship this summer? Wondering what kind of experience they are going to get out of that internship? InternshipRatings offers you reviews from students that have already been through internships and know how valuable they are.

I have had some great internships and some BAD ones.  This site is a great way to weed out the bad ones, and help you find the ones that will actually be a benefit.  Luckily for me, my ARC internship is a good one!

Good alternative: RateInternships

3. Zimride

Is your child moving away for college with no car? How will they get where they need to go?  Maybe your kid can use  Zimride.

They also have a handy app on Facebook. You can filter the results by rideshares or cab shares by one-time or repeating rides.

4. Box.net

Box.net is simple. Just upload any files that you need and access them from any computer, anywhere.

This is a really easy way to share large files. (ie a video or pictures from their first college party!)

Good alternatives: Dropbox (), Drop.io ()

5. Twitter

Twitter () allows you to connect with anyone in the world, whether they’re acquaintances, classmates, celebrities or complete strangers with common interests.  Why should you recommend it to your kid?  Imagine getting constant updates from them.  They will tell you where they are and what they are doing.

Here are some Twitterers I recommend students follow:

@heatherhuhman – Tweets helpful information to those seeking internships and entry level jobs.
@collegebloggers – Connects college students, faculty, and alumni bloggers, sharing relevant content.
@careerealism – Career experts tweet career advice in response to questions sent in by readers.
@sweetcareers – Great tips for college students and job seekers.
@findinternships – Informative resource for those looking for internships.

See also: HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter

You can also watch this video to understand how twitter works.

6. Remember the Milk

This is a handy application. I started using it this week.  If your like me, you tend to get busy and forget stuff.

Remember the Milk provides a convenient place for me to manage my daily tasks.

Use it with gmail and your iphone, Twitter, BlackBerry and a number of other services.   Check it out, this is my new Fav.

Good alternatives: hitask, tadalist

7. Gradefund

Do you try and reward your kids for good grades? You should try Gradefund, where sponsors donate money to students if they achieve good grades.

Just create an account, invite your friends and family to be sponsors, upload your academic transcript at the end of each semester and once Gradefund verifies it, you’ll get paid.

6,000 people signed up thus far!!!

8. Evernote

Evernote is a cool tool that allows you to capture information and access it later, from any computer. You can clip a webpage, a business card, a picture, class notes, quotes from a book, a voice recording or whatever else you might need to find later.

To understand evernote better watch the video on their homepage. I use this App 10 times just to write this blog post!

9. Zumeo

Do your kids need a summer job?  Use Zumeo to find a job. Signing up is easy with your email or through Facebook Connect. Then fill out a survey to determine their strengths and interests, which will help find jobs that suit their personality.

Zumeo automatically creates an online resume with a brief description, their objective, experience, skills and education. Users can also upload files to develop a portfolio, showcasing your past projects.

Good Alternatives: Brazen Careerist, Linkedin ()

10. Facebook

Ok they are probably already using this one…

I hope you find these tools to be useful, and that you’ll continue to explore the great amount of tools available to you and your kids!

Check back because I’ll be posting more as I continue to learn…

Many students have not yet embraced the great amount of other social media tools available to them.  All of these listed are free and can be very helpful.

Have more to add? Tell me about your recommendations by commenting on this post or if it was helpful just say “Thanks”