Finding a roommate can be challenging, especially if you are new in town, or you are not familiar with the area where you are about to move. Aside checking the roommate wanted classifieds in local newspapers, on college campus boards and on Craigslist, you could also employ social media tools to find the perfect roommate.

First, you can search for roommate wanted posts on Facebook and Twitter, using the keyword roommate, preceded by a hashtag (#). Both social networks allow for this type of search. And, to refine search, add the name of the city where you want to move. For example: #roommate #LA. Alternatively you can add the acronym for the university you want to attend: #roommate #CSULA.

If you cannot find relevant tweets or posts on Facebook, create your own. Both social networks allow you to publish public messages, and both have searchable hashtags enabled. Don’t forget to include hashtags and location to target your messages to the right audiences. On Facebook, you can reach even more targeted users (location, gender, age, interests) by promoting your post.

Look for University groups on Facebook, and post a message there too. Don’t forget your hashtags, and include any special comments in your message too.

Google Plus (Google+) can be useful as well. As the two social networks above, Google+ allows you to search and share #hashtags, and it has a more mature audience.photo credit: zingersb via photopin cc