This morning I was watching one of the morning news shows that wasn't on commercial break (it was early, so I don't remember which one), and I heard something like "faculty tweet about 50 times a day." I was running late so I missed the segment, but I did mke sure to look it up when I got to the office today. I think this is just so cool, and a great story to have out there.

This is the article I found about it in the Washington Post (article).The school is GWU and they have been called "The Most Active College for Twitter Use," according to this study. They limited their study to administrators officially affiliated with the university. According to their methodology,

"To narrow the scope of our investigation, only accounts officially affiliated with university administrations were included. This excludes unofficial students groups, fans of sports teams, and the personal accounts of professors, students, and university employees. Limiting our study to official accounts enabled us to examine the Twitter usage of university organizations, rather than the usage of student bodies and the surrounding community."

According to the study, the 17 official GW accounts tweet on AVERAGE 58 times a day. That is insane! I have been trying to get the SS staff to get involved with twitter, and it has not been an easy task. But I guess like everything else, one you get going it is easy to get addicted! I love the idea of twitter and how it can keep you connected, and I love that this story is in the news. To me, it shows a great level of involvement and community, and that i always a great message to send about your school. The research is actually really interesting, and you should check out the full report at http://universitiesandcolleges.org/top-100-colleges-twitter/.

And please, follow Elizabeth on Twitter! I want to boost her "twitter self-esteem" and get a good following! http://www.twitter.com/elizscar

Do you have a good example of someone who is an obsessed twitter fiend at your school? Send me an email at meredith@simpsonscarborough.com. I would love to inteview someone about their twitter skills and how it has worked for them. Thanks!

--Meredith Simpson

I just read this article about the University of Nevada cutting its free campus email... It left me wondering about the implications of such a decision. The University estimated that only about 20% of students actually used their campus email, so I can understand that it would seem like a good place to cut costs... The problem I see is that it is already so difficult to keep in touch with students, I am worried about closing down that line of communication. If there is no campus email system it is crucial for the school to keep up to date email addresses for all of the students. That sounds like alot of work to me! I also have to be a little selfish and think as a researcher... if everyone goes this route, what will happen to my online survey response rates???

--Meredith

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.

-Jeff Papa

At AGB's national conference on trusteeship last month I was introduced to The Education Trust's "College Results Online" tool.  On the site you are able to compare basic statistics and in-depth graduation and persistence rates for you and your peer institutions.  This is a GREAT tool and I have started using the data in a number of different ways, all of which can help you build a data-driven marketing and messaging platform for your institution. Check it out!

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

Now that many of us are "blogging," "twittering," or "on Facebook," one major question remains: is social media an effective tool for promoting our institutions and engaging our audiences?  It's simply too soon to know--at least for now. So what do we do in the meantime--if anything? If you're willing to take the plunge, you may want to jump into the social media pool (perhaps just with your toes at first) and test the waters and see what works--and then re-evaluate your strategies once the currents have calmed down. (Is it me or does anyone else need a Dramamine? J)

To learn how other schools are using social media, check out the article "Colleges Using Technology to Recruit Students Try to Hang On to the Conversation," which appeared in the May 1st edition of the Chronicle. Here's just a sample of what others are up to:

·         Assumption College features a stream of students' Twitter-style one-liners that are refreshed on its Web site

·         SUNY New Paltz uses Facebook as an active forum for prospective students to pose questions

·         Texas A&M University uses Facebook as a way for sports fans to post messages and promote school spirit

·         University of New Mexico maintains a Flickr pool of campus images, fed by photos from users' linked accounts

Last one in the social media pool is a rotten egg. (Sorry I couldn't help myself.J)

I was just IMing with Jeff Papa about my lack of enthusiasm for Twitter a month into my tweeting, which means I needed an article to validate me J.  Check out this Nielsen Wire piece about "Twitter quitters."  The article says "more than 60 percent of U.S. Twitter users fail to return the following month..."  And, pre-Oprah, "Twitter has languished below 30 percent retention."

The article then compares the early retention rates of Facebook and MySpace to Twitter's retention rate.  It's worth checking out!

I'll pose this question again... any additional examples of success on Twitter?  Any thoughts on higher education applications? Tweet with tvparrot or email me at tvp@SimpsonScarborough.com

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

Not sure if you have been following the drama surrounding the two Domino's employees who thought a YouTube video of disgusting behavior was actually cute...  Regardless, Domino's is in crisis mode and has launched a major damage control campaign online, in local communities, etc.  I wanted to make sure you saw a video corporate Domino's uploaded to show their remorse and their forward movement.  They have also made inroads on many other online resources including Twitter, blogs, etc.  In today's world, you can't forget sites like Twitter and their influence... see this Ad Age article on surviving a "Twitterstorm."

When viewing this, I want you to pay closer attention to the words, not the video portion itself.  How can you have stock messages ready for crises that can be personalized for the situation?  How can you match the speaker to the situation?  And how can you train your speaker to show a bit more emotion and connection?

USA Today has a great article on the Domino's situation and steps for defending yourself against a social networking attack including: monitor social media, respond quickly, respond at the flashpoint, educate workers, foster a positive culture, and set clear guidelines.  Ad Age also posted an article of recommended steps that can help should you find yourself in a fight for your reputation.

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

I've been recommending to my crisis clients that they get involved in social networking well in advance of any crisis situation so that they have an established presence and are well versed in the technology before a crisis hits.  The networks we discuss these days, of course, have to include Twitter.  Last week I presented on this topic at the CASE I conference in Boston, and this week I walked a client through the application's benefits as an internal and external communications tool.

I figured I should follow my own advice and yesterday finally set up my own Twitter account.  I would LOVE to follow any of your institutions that are using Twitter to communicate to their audiences--send me an email to tvp@SimpsonScarborough.com with your username or link to me via Twitter (user name tvparrot).

I also wanted to pass along an opportunity with a colleague I admire tremendously.  Cindy Lawson, of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, is presenting an audio conference with Higher Ed Hero on using social media during a crisis.  She and I chatted for at least half an hour this morning about how to use social media to an institution's advantage.  If this topic excites you as much as it does the two of us, you are in for a treat.

If you don't yet Twitter I invite you to join me on the other side!!

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

Can I borrow everyone with a Blackberry for two minutes?  Thanks!

Look at your Blackberry keypad and help me understand how you would use a traditional Blackberry keypad to dial word-filled 1-800 numbers?  If you only list an acronym-filled or word-based 1-800 number on your website (main page, admissions page, contact page, etc.), I suggest supplementing it today with the actual digits those words represent.  Otherwise, you might miss a call or two from those audiences you most want to hear from...

Whew!  I feel better now :).

-Teresa Valerio Parrot