Remember calling home (usually on Sundays) from the hall phone in your college dorm? Wait, you have to be of "a certain age" to remember that--and I do! Well, times are changing--and fast. Check this out: "The University of Virginia has removed about 3,850 land-line telephones from residence halls in a move that will save $500,000 annually." The good news is that colleges are finding new and innovative ways to save money; the not-so-good news is that I'm feeling older and older by the minute.
A month or so ago I was flying home to SC and forgot my book, so I picked up Delta's Sky Magazine and I came across this article about crowdsourcing. I immediately started thinking of ways that our clients could use this tool, and I brought the magazine back to DC to share with the team at our next retreat (it isn't stealing, they want you to take them!).
I did some background research on crowdsourcing, and it isn't as new of a technology as i thought. I guess I am behind on the times. It has even been applied in the world of higher ed.
Crowdsourcing is a mass collaboration enabled by web technology. It is a way to include the masses to get opinions on just about anything from product design to brand campaigns... to the design of a new bus station at Universty of Utah.
The term was coined by Jeff Howe in a 2006 article in Wired.
"Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call."
Since te term was coined in 2006, there has been a explosion of different sites using the technique to accomplish a multitude of different tasks. It is inexpensive and in theory it seems like a great way to reach more people... my only question is how? Are you only reaching people who are tech saavy enough to have accounts on these sites? How can you harness this idea on your campus? Think of the possibilities... and please email me (meredith@simpsonscarborough.com) if your campus has used this technology. I am just beginning to learn about it and I am dying to see more of it in action!
These are the articles I read. Definitely worth reading...
http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2010/03/01/Putting-the-IT-in-Crowdsourcing.aspx
http://msp.imirus.com/Mpowered/imirus.jsp?volume=ds10&issue=2&page=72
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/crowds.html
--Meredith
From Tufts, to Johns Hopkins, to Ithaca College, check out The 50 Social Media Innovators in Higher Ed. These schools were recently recognized by collegesurfing.com for having "active Twitter feeds, fan-packed Facebook pages, creative YouTube videos, and compelling blogs" that capture the attention of their target audiences and promote their school in a compelling and technologically up-to-date way.
Congratulations!
A few days ago, I posted a blog asking the following question: "What do the following 13 careers have in common?
1. Federal-government manager
2. Higher-education administrator
3. Program evaluator
4. Corporate executive specializing in global business development or managing global workforces
5. Cognitive-behavioral therapist
6. Immigration expert
7. Researcher with expertise in two or more of these subjects: physics, math, molecular biology, engineering and computer science
8. Health-informatics specialist
9. Optometrist
10. Genetic counselor
11. Patient advocate
12. Physical therapist
13. Veterinarian
Well it's time for the big reveal~! Drum roll, please. J These 13 careers, according to Kiplinger.com, promise income growth, work-life balance and social impact over the next decade. And look, those of you in higher-ed administration actually made the list! Yes!
What do the following 13 careers have in common?
1. Federal-government manager
2. Higher-education administrator
3. Program evaluator
4. Corporate executive specializing in global business development or managing global workforces
5. Cognitive-behavioral therapist
6. Immigration expert
7. Researcher with expertise in two or more of these subjects: physics, math, molecular biology, engineering and computer science
8. Health-informatics specialist
9. Optometrist
10. Genetic counselor
11. Patient advocate
12. Physical therapist
13. Veterinarian
Let me know what you think! Send your response to jp@simpsonscarborough.com
I will post the correct response in a few days. Stay tuned. J
What do Drexel, University of Phoenix, Capella University, Ferris State, Western Governors University, Penn State, Northcentral University, Oregon State, Fairleigh Dickinson , University of Texas, American Sentinel University, University of Illinois and Grand Canyon University have in common? They all were recently recognized as one of the top university websites excelling at Search Engine Optimization (SEO), according to a recent study conducted by WordStream, Inc. What's SEO, you ask? SEO is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural or organic" search results. Here's the BIG, remaining question: How does your school rate in term of its SEO?
I just read an article that posed a very interesting and timely question: Are social networks making students more narcissistic? Could that be one of the natural outcomes of all this social networking? Think about it: we are updating our Facebook pages on a daily basis and tweeting every chance we get--sharing up-to-the-minute info on what we're thinking, feeling, reading, watching--and anything else we may be up to. According to the article, over 65% of the college students polled somewhat or strongly agree that, "My generation of young people is more self-promoting, narcissistic, overconfident and attention-seeking than previous generations." Is this a positive perspective or a self absorbed, inward focused attitude? You decide. Or better yet, take Dr. Drew's Narcissistic Personality Inventory for yourself and see where you fall on the it's-all-about-me scale. As for me, I need to run and update my Facebook page and send at least two more tweets. See you online.
My friend forwarded this link to me, and it ended with an unfortunate incident of me spitting water on my keyboard. I thought I might pass it on for your entertainment... GQ recently came out with the rankings for the 25 douchiest colleges. Who cares about US News & World Report, this is the ranking I have really been on the edge of my seat waiting for:).
While your at it, read this blog about the ratings (this caused the water incident).
--Meredith
"Harvard University is launching a new clothing line called Harvard Yard. . . . Of course the clothes are really hard to get into, unless your father wears them first." - Jimmy Fallon
Last week, I was perusing Perez Hilton (completely out of the ordinary, I swear!) and I came across a post titled "Harvard University Launches Fashion Line Confuses Everyone". I have to admit, I was a bit confused... and intrigued. Perez led me to this article, which confirmed the story and gave me afew more details. Apparently, Harvard University is teaming up with clothing manufacturer Wearwolf to create its own clothing line called Harvard Yard. I read the article and thought I might blog about it when I got the chance... but since Friday, this little announcement has caused quite a commotion on the web and even made for a few good jokes on late night talk shows.... An article I read today from the Boston Globe said that the google search for "Harvard Yard clothing" will bring up over 300,000 hits. And, the reactions are very split - sparking a lot of conversation, a lot of buzz, and more than enough one-liners.... I am not sure what that means for the success of the line, but I guess time will tell.
Personally, I honestly can't decide if I LOVE it or HATE it. I think it could either be a stroke of genius or it could be a complete flop. Either way, I am finding some pretty entertaining reactions. From "Harvard Gets Desperate" to the Chronicle's "My Khakis Went to Harvard," it seems like everyone found a few laughs. Some of these definitely put a smile on my face, so I wanted to share them with you. Enjoy!
- Meredith Simpson
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/My-Khakis-Went-to-Harvard/7615/
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/08/harvards_new_fashion_line_the.html
I just read a New York Times article, Rah, Rah, Résumé, that's brilliant in its simplicity. Here's the idea: in this troubled economy, alumni offices should make a concerted effort to extend a helping hand to support to their graduates if they lose their jobs. Good idea, right? But here's the brilliant part--it' a win-win situation: graduates receive the help they need when they need it the most, and schools have a perfect opportunity to reconnect with their graduates in a genuine and trusting way that will hopefully increase their willingness to support their alma mater--down the line--when they are back on their feet. In the end everyone wins--told ya it's brilliant. Oh, I was not at all surprised to see my friends at Lehigh receiving a mention in the article for "doing it right;" I had the chance to work with them earlier this year and their alumni office is one of the best.
