Using Social Networking Tools on Campus

[2008-02-12 13:00:19] <TheQuicksilver> So, roll call. Who all is awake?
[2008-02-12 13:00:25] <bradjward> Brad Ward – Butler University
[2008-02-12 13:00:32] <jdpierce> I’m here!
[2008-02-12 13:00:37] <TheQuicksilver> Michael Fienen – Pittsburg State University
[2008-02-12 13:00:50] <jdpierce> Right – Jonathan Pierce Linfield College
[2008-02-12 13:01:06] <Aaron> Aaron Rester, U. of Chicago Law School
[2008-02-12 13:01:20] <jljohnstone> Jason Johnstone – Stephen F. Austin State University
[2008-02-12 13:01:40] <mib_wb2q6li1> Margi Pomeroy, Alfred University
[2008-02-12 13:01:50] <Aaron> Who’s the webhamster? that’s funny
[2008-02-12 13:02:03] <TheQuicksilver> Thanks to everyone who was able to make it in this afternoon.
[2008-02-12 13:02:11] <TheQuicksilver> Sorry that I was unable to put together an agenda
[2008-02-12 13:02:22] <TheQuicksilver> I overestimated my time budget the past week
[2008-02-12 13:02:25] –>| mcstevem (n=chatzill@b2200-14-013.URel.Berkeley.EDU) has joined #uwebd
[2008-02-12 13:02:34] <TheQuicksilver> Welcome!
[2008-02-12 13:02:46] <TheQuicksilver> Anyway, we’ll just wing it.
[2008-02-12 13:02:51] <bradjward> I think the webhamster just keeps the server running?
[2008-02-12 13:03:03] <TheQuicksilver> I suspect we’re all schizophrenic enough to get some good stuff going.
[2008-02-12 13:03:15] <TheQuicksilver> If nothing else, we’ll have webhamster fights to the death.
[2008-02-12 13:03:32] <jdpierce> I’m changing my job title to “Webhamster”
[2008-02-12 13:04:00] <TheQuicksilver> Oh, and before I get too far along, is anyone over in Pibb?
[2008-02-12 13:04:14] <TheQuicksilver> No, doesn’t look like it.
[2008-02-12 13:04:17] <TheQuicksilver> Okay.
[2008-02-12 13:04:26] <TheQuicksilver> So, social networking tools on campus
[2008-02-12 13:04:27] <bradjward> topic clarification: literally using these tools on campus, or using them to recruit, etc?
[2008-02-12 13:04:45] <TheQuicksilver> Either!
[2008-02-12 13:04:49] <bradjward> cool
[2008-02-12 13:05:00] <TheQuicksilver> Let’s start by seeing what and how people are doing things currently
[2008-02-12 13:05:14] <Aaron> format suggestion:
[2008-02-12 13:05:18] <Aaron> go in a round
[2008-02-12 13:05:23] <bradjward> 2nd
[2008-02-12 13:05:30] <TheQuicksilver> Sounds goode
[2008-02-12 13:05:34] <TheQuicksilver> Good as well.
[2008-02-12 13:05:42] <bradjward> alphabetical, start with Aaron?
[2008-02-12 13:05:50] <Aaron> sure
[2008-02-12 13:06:23] <Aaron> so far, we have a Facebook page… looking up URL
[2008-02-12 13:07:01] <Aaron> argh sorry for the slowness — too many tabs open
[2008-02-12 13:07:18] <Aaron> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chicago-IL/The-University-of-Chicago-Law-School/9183556279
[2008-02-12 13:07:39] <Aaron> We are using it to a) provide a tech-savvy face to our prospective students
[2008-02-12 13:07:54] <Aaron> b) promote events to current students and local alums
[2008-02-12 13:08:02] <Ceas_Webhamster> oh hey, roll call (late): Sam Kallen – Western Michigan University
[2008-02-12 13:08:14] <Aaron> c) provide another venue for our blogs and podcasts
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[2008-02-12 13:08:37] <TheQuicksilver> Who is in charge of its content?
[2008-02-12 13:08:38] <Aaron> d) maintain connection with recent alums
[2008-02-12 13:08:47] <Aaron> mostly me
[2008-02-12 13:09:04] <Aaron> our Asst. Dean for communications also
[2008-02-12 13:09:09] –>| theTownBarber (i=84c0011d@gateway/web/ajax/mibbit.com/x-ad24ea1f685731ec) has joined #uwebd
[2008-02-12 13:09:31] <Aaron> as you can see we’ve been slow in adding new content — the time limit on video is a pian
[2008-02-12 13:09:35] <Aaron> i mean pain
[2008-02-12 13:09:36] <TheQuicksilver> (welcome folks, we were just getting started)
[2008-02-12 13:09:38] <jdw5> late roll call: Jason Woodward – Cornell University School of Hotel Administration
[2008-02-12 13:10:01] <Aaron> we also have a LinkedIn Group that is more of an experiment than anything else
[2008-02-12 13:10:18] <Aaron> we can’t see much concrete benefit to LinkedIn
[2008-02-12 13:10:36] <Aaron> but it’s a way to keep alums connected to the school, so…
[2008-02-12 13:10:51] <TheQuicksilver> For the late arrivals, Aaron is discussing the UofC’s Law School’s Facebook and LinkedIn efforts.
[2008-02-12 13:10:59] <Aaron> anyway, that’s about it for us at the moment
[2008-02-12 13:11:11] <Aaron> brad?
[2008-02-12 13:11:12] <bradjward> Aaron – what is the time limit on video for Facebook?
[2008-02-12 13:11:31] <Aaron> I believe it’s 15 minutes (similar to youtube)…
[2008-02-12 13:11:36] <bradjward> Ok, cool
[2008-02-12 13:11:42] <Aaron> …but somehow I snuck an hour long video on there
[2008-02-12 13:11:48] <bradjward> Alright, here are some social presences we are attempting:
[2008-02-12 13:12:00] <bradjward> (and by We I mean I)
[2008-02-12 13:12:03] <bradjward> Facebook: University Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Indianapolis-IN/Butler-University/8754066468
[2008-02-12 13:12:08] <bradjward> Facebook: Butler Bloggers Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Butler-Bloggers/7063218406
[2008-02-12 13:12:13] <bradjward> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/butlersports (currently inactive)
[2008-02-12 13:12:17] <bradjward> Pixish: getting student’s images for our online sites at http://www.pixish.com/assignments/29
[2008-02-12 13:12:21] <bradjward> BUBloggers and BUForums at http://go.butler.edu/cs
[2008-02-12 13:12:24] <bradjward> YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/butlerbloggers Using Flip Ultra camcorders for video
[2008-02-12 13:12:49] <bradjward> With cross-content (i.e. Videos go to YouTube, then Facebook, and then embedded on BUBloggers’ blogs)
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[2008-02-12 13:13:14] <bradjward> Twitter fell to the side, no utilization by prospective students ( I work in Admission Office, btw)
[2008-02-12 13:13:38] <bradjward> Facebook has been moderately successful, but I haven’t been able to get approval to actually promote it from a University standpoint so it’s all word of mouth
[2008-02-12 13:13:51] <bradjward> Bloggers/Forums are going well, and Pixish Contest is going well (just started yesterday)
[2008-02-12 13:14:01] <bradjward> and that’s about where we are at
[2008-02-12 13:14:08] <Aaron> can i interject ?
[2008-02-12 13:14:10] <bradjward> sure
[2008-02-12 13:14:17] <kcwebgirl> i hope i’m in the right place because it is taking me forever to figure this out
[2008-02-12 13:14:41] <Aaron> when we launched the facebook page, we sent out an email blast to current students and to select alums
[2008-02-12 13:14:44] <Aaron> that was back in december
[2008-02-12 13:15:00] <Aaron> since then, we’ve been gaining about 5 fans a week
[2008-02-12 13:15:22] <Aaron> have you noticed your current fans sending new ones to you?
[2008-02-12 13:15:34] <bradjward> That’s awesome that you can actively promote, our administration says that they don’t want me using it really
[2008-02-12 13:16:07] <Aaron> do they have specific reasons?
[2008-02-12 13:16:09] <bradjward> Yeah, I initially invited 2 co-workers and my 8 bloggers (3 of the 10 joined), and from there it was just members inviting other members, or students seeing it on each other’s profile and adding it as well
[2008-02-12 13:16:13] <bradjward> Scared.
[2008-02-12 13:16:15] <kcwebgirl> late roll call Nourisha from Kansas City U of Med and Biosciences
[2008-02-12 13:16:32] <Aaron> scared of what?
[2008-02-12 13:16:34] <bradjward> No reasons at all, but with the Bloggers I have let them promote on their own, and they are at about 30 friends after a month
[2008-02-12 13:16:52] <bradjward> I wish I knew. They just don’t like the idea of officially recruiting through these sites, it’s a struggle.
[2008-02-12 13:17:10] <Aaron> like so many things, i guess it comes down to personnel
[2008-02-12 13:17:21] <bradjward> Check out this blog post if you have their blessing: http://squaredpeg.com/index.php/2008/02/05/rapleaf-wants-to-help-web-20-you/ You might be able to really get some good Facebook Alumni traffic with their help
[2008-02-12 13:18:01] <Aaron> interesting
[2008-02-12 13:18:07] <TheQuicksilver> I’m familiar with Rapleaf
[2008-02-12 13:18:15] <TheQuicksilver> Interesting idea they have.
[2008-02-12 13:18:27] <bradjward> We can pass it on to the next person for sake of time
[2008-02-12 13:18:36] <bradjward> feel free to email me at bjward@butler.edu with any questions, etc
[2008-02-12 13:18:57] <TheQuicksilver> Next I think is Ceas_Webmaster
[2008-02-12 13:19:04] <Ceas_Webhamster> woah what?
[2008-02-12 13:19:09] <Ceas_Webhamster> what is next for me?
[2008-02-12 13:19:17] <TheQuicksilver> (for those who weren’t here earlier, we are going around in ABC order)
[2008-02-12 13:19:24] <Ceas_Webhamster> oh, telling what we’re doing?
[2008-02-12 13:19:25] <Aaron> bsteere?
[2008-02-12 13:19:25] <bradjward> “Let’s start by seeing what and how people are doing things currently”
[2008-02-12 13:19:26] <TheQuicksilver> What kind of social stuff are you guys doing
[2008-02-12 13:19:39] <Ceas_Webhamster> oh uh we aren’t doing jack, man
[2008-02-12 13:19:46] <TheQuicksilver> (I don’t think bsteere is present)
[2008-02-12 13:19:48] <bradjward> Next? haha j/k
[2008-02-12 13:20:00] <Ceas_Webhamster> I think someone in recruitment is considering “Student Ambassadors” to write “blogs”
[2008-02-12 13:20:02] <bsteere> Sorry…not really here
[2008-02-12 13:20:08] <bsteere> But we’re not really doing anything either
[2008-02-12 13:20:18] <TheQuicksilver> (bsteere: no worries)
[2008-02-12 13:20:26] <Aaron> quick question
[2008-02-12 13:20:27] <Ceas_Webhamster> the problem is, there’s no one to coordinate any efforts
[2008-02-12 13:20:30] <jdw5> alphabetical by what? nick? school? real first? real last? password?
[2008-02-12 13:20:37] <bradjward> by nickname
[2008-02-12 13:20:40] <jdw5> k
[2008-02-12 13:20:46] <Ceas_Webhamster> arron: ?
[2008-02-12 13:20:46] <TheQuicksilver> Nick is easiest
[2008-02-12 13:20:56] <Aaron> are we considering blogs as “social networking”?
[2008-02-12 13:21:03] =-= jdw5 is now known as aardvark_jdw5
[2008-02-12 13:21:08] <TheQuicksilver> Sure
[2008-02-12 13:21:20] <Ceas_Webhamster> Me, I am not. I’m just saying, that’s the closest thing we have. And we don’t even actually have them
[2008-02-12 13:21:20] <TheQuicksilver> Blogs represent a person to person interactive layer
[2008-02-12 13:21:38] <Aaron> in that case
[2008-02-12 13:21:40] <kcwebgirl> i think blogs are more content generation
[2008-02-12 13:21:50] <Ceas_Webhamster> I tried getting a Wiki set up on campus, but nobody really was interested
[2008-02-12 13:21:55] <Aaron> I shoule mention our faculty blog: http://uchicagolaw.typepad.com
[2008-02-12 13:22:16] <aardvark_jdw5> eh
[2008-02-12 13:22:19] =-= aardvark_jdw5 is now known as jdw5
[2008-02-12 13:22:28] <nombrecinq> when’s the meeting start PST?
[2008-02-12 13:22:30] <nombrecinq> noon?
[2008-02-12 13:22:33] <kcwebgirl> and our blogs aren’t exactly interactive.
[2008-02-12 13:22:41] <TheQuicksilver> (1:00PM CST)
[2008-02-12 13:22:45] <kcwebgirl> you forgot me on the roll call list
[2008-02-12 13:22:48] <xyzzy123> hello
[2008-02-12 13:22:52] <jdw5> so re: no one being interested: I think it comes down to the same thing it usually comes down to in every other situation: compelling content
[2008-02-12 13:23:01] <Ceas_Webhamster> kcwebgirl: you’re coming through as <PibbRelay>
[2008-02-12 13:23:04] <xyzzy123> IRC people cannot see Pibb people.
[2008-02-12 13:23:04] <jdw5> you mentioned no one used the wiki
[2008-02-12 13:23:19] <Ceas_Webhamster> jdw5: I totally agree
[2008-02-12 13:23:20] <bradjward> Sorry kcwebgirl, you show as PibbRelay to me
[2008-02-12 13:23:25] <jdw5> did it have a seed of compelling content already?
[2008-02-12 13:23:33] <Ceas_Webhamster> Well, I use it
[2008-02-12 13:23:34] <Ceas_Webhamster> http://www.ceas.wmich.edu/~s5kallen/wiki/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
[2008-02-12 13:23:40] <Ceas_Webhamster> I document almost all my work on it
[2008-02-12 13:23:46] <Ceas_Webhamster> (what little I do, that is)
[2008-02-12 13:23:46] <jdw5> not much of web 2.0 falls under “if you build it they will come”
[2008-02-12 13:23:56] <jdw5> but do others need to see that?
[2008-02-12 13:23:56] <TheQuicksilver> (luckyface is also in Pibb currently)
[2008-02-12 13:24:00] <jdw5> and edit it?
[2008-02-12 13:24:10] <kcwebgirl> that sucks. so does that mean i can’t read everything that is being said
[2008-02-12 13:24:13] <jdw5> ours didn’t catch on until cross-unit teams started using it
[2008-02-12 13:24:20] <luckyface> hi there…this is <> aka saraheva from the chicago school
[2008-02-12 13:24:32] <jdw5> I used it in a class, too, for discussions, etc
[2008-02-12 13:24:41] <luckyface>
[2008-02-12 13:24:57] <nombrecinq> is 1 PM CST noon in PST?
[2008-02-12 13:25:01] <nombrecinq> jesus christ
[2008-02-12 13:25:10] <Ceas_Webhamster> I think that a Wiki is a really good idea for a school to have, for faculty, students, support, and anybody.
[2008-02-12 13:25:13] <theTownBarber> 11 am pst
[2008-02-12 13:25:16] <jdw5> we’re using a blog for that this semester (different class) and it just isn’t as conducive to conversation as the wiki was
[2008-02-12 13:25:17] <nombrecinq> oh ok
[2008-02-12 13:25:19] <nombrecinq> cool
[2008-02-12 13:25:44] <Ceas_Webhamster> but anyway, if you want to look at the Wiki I made, it’s here: http://www.ceas.wmich.edu/~s5kallen/wiki/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
[2008-02-12 13:25:48] <Ceas_Webhamster> and that’s all I really have to say
[2008-02-12 13:25:50] <Ceas_Webhamster>
[2008-02-12 13:25:55] <Ceas_Webhamster> <next>
[2008-02-12 13:26:08] <jdw5> heh ok – I’ll go
[2008-02-12 13:26:11] <Interrobang> is that me or
[2008-02-12 13:26:15] <Interrobang> oh sorry
[2008-02-12 13:26:18] <bradjward> gsbodine?
[2008-02-12 13:26:19] <jdw5> I use facebook at work
[2008-02-12 13:26:23] <TheQuicksilver> (Heh, I think ABC order is failing)
[2008-02-12 13:26:34] <jdw5> that’s about all the social networking we do at the Hotel School, to my knowledge
[2008-02-12 13:26:43] <jdw5> admissions might do some stuff on their own
[2008-02-12 13:26:57] <Interrobang> Here’s my late roll call: jody benedict. St. John Fisher College
[2008-02-12 13:27:01] <Interrobang> We’re not doing much here
[2008-02-12 13:27:18] <Interrobang> a couple admissions counselors have been doing a myspace & a facebook page kind of on the sly
[2008-02-12 13:27:26] <Interrobang> I don’t know how successful that’s been
[2008-02-12 13:27:45] <TheQuicksilver> In the interests of time, let’s jump ahead a tad.
[2008-02-12 13:27:50] <Interrobang> the administration is getting more comfortable with the idea of social networking tools and just asked me to set up a ning site
[2008-02-12 13:27:57] <Interrobang> but no one will maintain it
[2008-02-12 13:28:04] <Interrobang> the end
[2008-02-12 13:28:06] <TheQuicksilver> Of those using tools (Facebook, MySpace, etc), what are you finding to be successful?
[2008-02-12 13:28:27] <jdpierce> Facebook
[2008-02-12 13:28:37] <jdpierce> It’s just happening around us.
[2008-02-12 13:28:43] <jdpierce> Our Academic Advising office is setting up a Facebook group for incoming students. Nothing to show on that yet. It was just green-lighted. I’m happy because this is a top-down choice.
[2008-02-12 13:28:50] <TheQuicksilver> Facebook seems to be the most widely implemented site so far.
[2008-02-12 13:29:08] <kcwebgirl> kcwebgirl: our school set up a facebook page but all social networking sites are blocked on campus so it’s completely counter productive for building relationships with current students
[2008-02-12 13:29:18] <theTownBarber> another vote for Facebook. that seems to be where the most people are
[2008-02-12 13:29:18] <Aaron> whaaa?
[2008-02-12 13:29:26] <jdpierce> That’s really odd!
[2008-02-12 13:29:30] <Aaron> why are they blocked?
[2008-02-12 13:29:41] <jljohnstone> any facebook, myspace, etc. efforts here are all “unofficial”
[2008-02-12 13:29:44] <TheQuicksilver> So clearly blocking social networking would inhibit it’s value, heh
[2008-02-12 13:30:02] <kcwebgirl> kcwebgirl: but it is doing okay for interested students who have been accepted
[2008-02-12 13:30:03] <kcwebgirl> kcwebgirl: because our IT staff is special
[2008-02-12 13:30:05] <TheQuicksilver> (for the record, we have notihng outside of a couple student blogs)
[2008-02-12 13:30:05] <jdpierce> Opps my 11
[2008-02-12 13:30:13] <jdpierce> :30 is here
[2008-02-12 13:30:21] <jdpierce> have to run. Ta!
[2008-02-12 13:30:26] <Ceas_Webhamster> bye
[2008-02-12 13:30:39] <TheQuicksilver> (Thanks for stopping in, transcript will be available later)
[2008-02-12 13:30:53] <Aaron> Nourisha…
[2008-02-12 13:31:08] <Aaron> how does the administration feel about social networking?
[2008-02-12 13:31:27] <bradjward> I’m with jljohnstone, I do it all ‘on the side’
[2008-02-12 13:31:37] <jdw5> I don’t think ours has an opinion one way or the other
[2008-02-12 13:31:43] <TheQuicksilver> What have some of you tried that was just a flat out failure?
[2008-02-12 13:31:49] <jdw5> if it is an effective marketing tool then all the better
[2008-02-12 13:31:50] <bradjward> Twitter.
[2008-02-12 13:31:56] <kcwebgirl> i’m back
[2008-02-12 13:32:05] <bradjward> Good for personal use, not effective for recruiting/informative purposes
[2008-02-12 13:32:06] <kcwebgirl> got disconnected for a second
[2008-02-12 13:32:12] <bradjward> at least in my instance
[2008-02-12 13:32:18] <jdw5> btw, question: the terms “success” and “failure” have been used: what metrics are you using?
[2008-02-12 13:32:23] <gsbodine> Oops. Sorry. I am only partially paying attention.
[2008-02-12 13:32:37] <bradjward> web 2.0 metrics vary by the site, in my opinion
[2008-02-12 13:32:40] <kcwebgirl> kcwebgirl is nourisha
[2008-02-12 13:32:51] <kcwebgirl> who is aaron?
[2008-02-12 13:32:58] <TheQuicksilver> jdw5: Let’s just say eyeballs. Are people seeing it, and bringing in others to see it.
[2008-02-12 13:33:08] <jdw5> brad: yup – so what are people basing their “success” or “failure” assessments on?
[2008-02-12 13:33:11] <Aaron> Aaron Rester from Uchicago Law
[2008-02-12 13:33:16] <jdw5> seeing != successful
[2008-02-12 13:33:26] <bradjward> For me and Twitter, I base ’success’ on the number of followers
[2008-02-12 13:33:31] <jdw5> lots of people have seen my accident pictures
[2008-02-12 13:33:35] <jdw5> I wouldn’t call it a success
[2008-02-12 13:33:38] <bradjward> And I would say same for Facebook, # of ‘fans’
[2008-02-12 13:33:49] <bradjward> For YouTube, # of views
[2008-02-12 13:33:49] –>| cyberchuckTX (n=chatzill@209.21.118.187) has joined #uwebd
[2008-02-12 13:33:55] <Aaron> i think it’s hard to name any metrics at this point
[2008-02-12 13:33:59] <bradjward> But then, how many views is success? how many fans?
[2008-02-12 13:34:02] <TheQuicksilver> Heh. Fair enough. It’s very hard to approach that with any baseline metric
[2008-02-12 13:34:08] <TheQuicksilver> So
[2008-02-12 13:34:09] <Aaron> i mean even if you can track all these things
[2008-02-12 13:34:12] <TheQuicksilver> Let’s say this
[2008-02-12 13:34:12] <jdw5> ok, sounds good – as long as everyone’s on the same page re: definitions of success / failure
[2008-02-12 13:34:17] –>| NWells (n=chatzill@204.185.73.111) has joined #uwebd
[2008-02-12 13:34:22] <TheQuicksilver> Is it good enough that you still put effort into it?
[2008-02-12 13:34:32] <cyberchuckTX> yes, the effort is worth it.
[2008-02-12 13:34:34] <bradjward> That’s also a good thought
[2008-02-12 13:34:38] <NWells> i’ve switched to the IRC
[2008-02-12 13:34:39] <TheQuicksilver> Or, like brad and Twitter, was it just something to dump and move on.
[2008-02-12 13:34:42] <jdw5> yup, agreed
[2008-02-12 13:34:42] <cyberchuckTX> ANY statistics are useful at some point, IMHO
[2008-02-12 13:34:46] <Aaron> our “pilot project” time is 1 year
[2008-02-12 13:34:51] <NWells> pibb is too slow
[2008-02-12 13:34:59] <cyberchuckTX> ?pibb?
[2008-02-12 13:35:00] <jdw5> chuck: I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that
[2008-02-12 13:35:01] <Aaron> if we see growth in what we’re doing = success
[2008-02-12 13:35:12] <TheQuicksilver> (Pibb is kind of slow, but useful for it’s RSS)
[2008-02-12 13:35:21] <cyberchuckTX> well, I have to deal with upper management, convincing them as to why we should put in the effort.
[2008-02-12 13:35:26] <bradjward> I have been tracking a Facebook group using Google Docs, and hopefully will have meaningful metrics to pull out of it by August http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pjG19CBpNu8c_OeZfyk9WKg
[2008-02-12 13:35:32] <jdw5> I’d like to hear things like “a bunch of prospects contacted us because they found us on FB”
[2008-02-12 13:35:35] <cyberchuckTX> Saying ” because I want to chat with my friends online ” doesn’t cut it.
[2008-02-12 13:35:46] <jdw5> or “some alumni decided to give this year because we spammed them through myspace”
[2008-02-12 13:35:54] <cyberchuckTX> saying “I have stats saying that 5000 potential students visited my Facebook account” is MUCH more convincing.
[2008-02-12 13:36:14] <bradjward> Not quite ’social networking’, but is anyone using Zinch.com?
[2008-02-12 13:36:17] <TheQuicksilver> So, when talking to management, how are people selling the success or failure of a try, and how long do you give it?
[2008-02-12 13:36:18] <Aaron> unfortunately FB’s insights don’t offer that stat
[2008-02-12 13:36:22] <TheQuicksilver> Negative on Zinch.com
[2008-02-12 13:36:33] <cyberchuckTX> yes, tying social networking to attract and engage alumni is very important.
[2008-02-12 13:36:58] <NWells> we use imodules for our alumni social networking. not much success
[2008-02-12 13:36:58] <cyberchuckTX> we (at the health science center at TAMU) haven’t done the selling yet.
[2008-02-12 13:37:08] <Aaron> my question is how do we know we’re “engaging” them
[2008-02-12 13:37:10] <cyberchuckTX> But TAMU has (main university). Not sure of where they are in the process, though.
[2008-02-12 13:37:29] <cyberchuckTX> we’re “engaging” them by announcing events online via facebook/myspace.
[2008-02-12 13:37:42] <cyberchuckTX> or pointing to press releases about things happening at the U.
[2008-02-12 13:37:44] <TheQuicksilver> I believe our Alumni are also on iModules. I have no stats though.
[2008-02-12 13:37:54] <jdw5> chuck: I think that’s one of the most effective uses of the medium so far
[2008-02-12 13:37:54] <Aaron> but that doesn’t mean it’s having any effect on giving/participation
[2008-02-12 13:37:55] <cyberchuckTX> or research activities.
[2008-02-12 13:38:12] <jdw5> as an alum I _love_ hearing about CEN events, etc
[2008-02-12 13:38:14] <cyberchuckTX> yes, it is hard to measure the direct effect on donations, true.
[2008-02-12 13:38:15] <Aaron> i.e. what admin really cares about
[2008-02-12 13:38:29] <bradjward> For me, having all of these online presences are just additional touch points through the recruitment funnel. I can’t point at YouTube and say THAT brought in 75 recruits, but I believe that by enhancing their perceptions of the university through different sites, we can yield more students.
[2008-02-12 13:38:32] <cyberchuckTX> [ aaron] agreed entirely.
[2008-02-12 13:39:08] <theTownBarber> any publicity is better than none at all, right???
[2008-02-12 13:39:10] <NWells> we have two student group videos on youtube that bring about 40 visitors to our site each month
[2008-02-12 13:39:14] <cyberchuckTX> another example (not sure if social networking sites were used explicitlly, but I can find out): minority recruitment.
[2008-02-12 13:39:21] <theTownBarber> why not go to these sites?
[2008-02-12 13:39:31] <cyberchuckTX> Recently TAMU was listed as one of the top schools for increasing minority enrollments.
[2008-02-12 13:39:40] <bradjward> for minority recruitment, I am having huge success with zinch.com
[2008-02-12 13:39:47] <jdw5> brad: good point – maybe this medium doesn’t _increase_ “participation”, but perhaps we must participate so as to not _reduce_ “participation”
[2008-02-12 13:39:48] <NWells> the university has yet to publish any videos on youtube though
[2008-02-12 13:39:49] <cyberchuckTX> I’ll have to check zinch.com. Thanks for the pointer.
[2008-02-12 13:39:57] <cyberchuckTX> anyone else using iTunesU?
[2008-02-12 13:40:05] <TheQuicksilver> What is it about minority recruitment that you think is impacted well by social networking?
[2008-02-12 13:40:11] <theTownBarber> no on itunesu but would like to
[2008-02-12 13:40:19] <bradjward> No, but at my last university Yes
[2008-02-12 13:40:20] <cyberchuckTX> TAMU (main campus) has it now, we (health science center) are gearing up.
[2008-02-12 13:40:28] <TheQuicksilver> Also no on iTunesU, they never return inquiries to me.
[2008-02-12 13:40:33] <bradjward> iTunesU is another classic example of no metrics available
[2008-02-12 13:40:39] <cyberchuckTX> Apple has been pretty good on the support end of things.
[2008-02-12 13:40:41] <NWells> not on itunes but i’ve seen some really great examples of schools doing it well
[2008-02-12 13:41:03] <Aaron> re: itunesU – our central Uni folks are supposedly working on it
[2008-02-12 13:41:13] <cyberchuckTX> We attended a seminar that they’re doing around the country (we had one in December at Univ North Texas) entitled “IT preparations for iTunesU”.
[2008-02-12 13:41:16] <cyberchuckTX> it was quite good.
[2008-02-12 13:41:17] <Aaron> not sure how long it will take to launch though
[2008-02-12 13:41:23] <TheQuicksilver> From the sound of it, it seems everyone is either gearing social tools towards prospective or graduated students, agreed?
[2008-02-12 13:41:37] <TheQuicksilver> No one really uses them to reinforce current student populations it sounds like.
[2008-02-12 13:41:38] <theTownBarber> anyone besides uc berkeley posting lectures on youtube
[2008-02-12 13:41:49] <bradjward> Seems to be the case Michael
[2008-02-12 13:41:55] <Aaron> i’m trying to target current students, actually
[2008-02-12 13:42:04] <Aaron> they em to get short shrift
[2008-02-12 13:42:05] <NWells> yeah. current students tend to create their own “social” networks and don’t need admin
[2008-02-12 13:42:12] <Aaron> i mean seem
[2008-02-12 13:42:17] <cyberchuckTX> [ aaron ] harder to sell management on *current* students IMHO.
[2008-02-12 13:42:23] <TheQuicksilver> Aaron: With what goal in mind?
[2008-02-12 13:42:40] <Aaron> for example:
[2008-02-12 13:42:58] <Aaron> if a student group posts a podcast to their FB group
[2008-02-12 13:43:02] <TheQuicksilver> My next question would be, are we hurting ourselves by NOT addressing current students, students that eventually will be alumni, and potential money sources?
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[2008-02-12 13:43:19] <NWells> good question
[2008-02-12 13:43:21] <Aaron> another student may be unfamiliar with that group’s work and only discover it because of our FB page
[2008-02-12 13:43:37] <TheQuicksilver> Yes
[2008-02-12 13:43:46] <TheQuicksilver> Good example of the “networking” aspect.
[2008-02-12 13:43:50] <Aaron> i think in general current students are not the target of our web efforts, to our detriment
[2008-02-12 13:44:24] <TheQuicksilver> It seems like we are running to play catch up a little.
[2008-02-12 13:44:25] <Aaron> admin tends to focus on alums and prospies for financial reasons
[2008-02-12 13:44:33] <TheQuicksilver> Yes
[2008-02-12 13:44:44] <TheQuicksilver> Hit the immediate areas that show success.
[2008-02-12 13:44:54] <Aaron> which makes sense, but we can do more
[2008-02-12 13:45:04] <TheQuicksilver> Current students would take time to measure how well it works, so it’s put off.
[2008-02-12 13:45:23] <TheQuicksilver> Do you think that’s just a matter of gearing some FB pages to current classes?
[2008-02-12 13:45:26] <theTownBarber> but current students are the easiest to access
[2008-02-12 13:45:29] <cyberchuckTX> In our iTunesU realm, the students actually starting doing videos and posting them on youtube.
[2008-02-12 13:45:31] <TheQuicksilver> Or is there something bigger to be done
[2008-02-12 13:45:33] <TheQuicksilver> Like Ning?
[2008-02-12 13:45:34] <theTownBarber> they are on campus (for the most part)
[2008-02-12 13:45:35] <cyberchuckTX> that got our administration’s attention.
[2008-02-12 13:45:47] <cyberchuckTX> which is why we’re getting iTunesU set up.
[2008-02-12 13:46:00] <NWells> i’ve seen a few schools with portals that act as social networks for current students
[2008-02-12 13:46:01] <TheQuicksilver> (15 minutes left in current timeslot. We can hang longer if needed though, obviously)
[2008-02-12 13:46:10] <NWells> for us, a medical school, blackboard kind of does that
[2008-02-12 13:46:15] <cyberchuckTX> we’re taking the position of providing the infrastructure (logins, etc.) and letting the students do the production.
[2008-02-12 13:46:26] <cyberchuckTX> with *some* workflow inserted (we’re still working on this part).
[2008-02-12 13:46:49] <Aaron> chuck: will the admin be allowed to axe inappropriate content?
[2008-02-12 13:46:57] <cyberchuckTX> I am really looking forward to meeting the students who put this together.
[2008-02-12 13:46:58] <Aaron> or “inappropriate” content?
[2008-02-12 13:47:27] <cyberchuckTX> as to whether the admin can axe content: the *intent* is to move the “locus of control” out of IT and into the hands of the faculty
[2008-02-12 13:47:31] <theTownBarber> aaron: good question. That is waht our admins would be scared of
[2008-02-12 13:47:37] <TheQuicksilver> (Sorry, I must step out for just a couple minutes, I will brb)
[2008-02-12 13:47:46] <cyberchuckTX> so we’ll provide the means for workflow, but will not be making the decision(s) as to what is “appropriate”.
[2008-02-12 13:47:47] <Aaron> how so chuck?
[2008-02-12 13:48:05] <Aaron> i see, so faculty will have final sya?
[2008-02-12 13:48:09] <Aaron> i mean say
[2008-02-12 13:48:18] <cyberchuckTX> well, in the case of iTunesU (specific example), the OSX server has “Podcast Producer” built-in.
[2008-02-12 13:48:21] <cyberchuckTX> which has workflow.
[2008-02-12 13:48:37] <cyberchuckTX> the faculty & school admins decide who makes the decisions as to content.
[2008-02-12 13:48:45] <cyberchuckTX> and we provide the tools to let them make the choices.
[2008-02-12 13:49:14] <cyberchuckTX> again, IT will only provide the “plumbing”. Others will provide the content and “turn on the spigot” (or not).
[2008-02-12 13:49:27] <cyberchuckTX> (we like the plumber analogy )
[2008-02-12 13:49:29] <Aaron> i’m wondering if this is the holdup at uchicago
[2008-02-12 13:49:41] <Aaron> politics of who decides what’s posted
[2008-02-12 13:49:45] <theTownBarber> chuck: i like the analogy
[2008-02-12 13:49:58] <theTownBarber> we have admins that want IT to do the content as well
[2008-02-12 13:50:04] <cyberchuckTX> also understand that, being in the health care domain (dentistry or medicine) we can always utilize HIPAA
[2008-02-12 13:50:06] <TheQuicksilver> (back)
[2008-02-12 13:50:08] <theTownBarber> can’t convince them that wou;d be good
[2008-02-12 13:50:14] <cyberchuckTX> which is very specific about privacy issues. And has legal teeth.
[2008-02-12 13:50:29] <theTownBarber> oops, wouldn’t be good
[2008-02-12 13:50:53] <cyberchuckTX> [ townbarber ] IT can *produce* the content. Someone *else* decides whether given content can be posted / is appropriate
[2008-02-12 13:51:03] <cyberchuckTX> which of course includes IP (Intellectual Property).
[2008-02-12 13:51:32] <TheQuicksilver> Has anyone just flat out designed their own tools to help network students? I know someone earlier mentioned something like that.
[2008-02-12 13:51:55] <NWells> coming up with the wonderful marketing ideas is easy for us. convincing the admin to move into this century is a nightmare
[2008-02-12 13:52:14] <NWells> so that is our hold up
[2008-02-12 13:52:23] <TheQuicksilver> NWells: Ditto
[2008-02-12 13:52:43] <theTownBarber> nwells: i agree, paper still rules the roost
[2008-02-12 13:53:07] <TheQuicksilver> There is fear of new technology, and new work.
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[2008-02-12 13:53:23] <theTownBarber> some fear the technology is taking their work
[2008-02-12 13:53:31] <TheQuicksilver> As was being mentioned, people expect IT or someone like that to take care of the content.
[2008-02-12 13:53:36] <theTownBarber> that has been our battle
[2008-02-12 13:53:38] <Aaron> i wish it would take my work
[2008-02-12 13:53:56] <theTownBarber> aaron: you need an easy button…
[2008-02-12 13:54:05] <NWells> i’m the content person for our web operation
[2008-02-12 13:54:07] <Aaron> indeed
[2008-02-12 13:54:21] <NWells> we struggle with our marketing/it depts seeing eye to eye
[2008-02-12 13:54:30] <TheQuicksilver> Okay, let me step in before 2:00 hits us, then we can continue.
[2008-02-12 13:54:42] <NWells> that also holds up our social networking efforts
[2008-02-12 13:54:51] <TheQuicksilver> I think we could benefit from more focused discussions on this at a later time.
[2008-02-12 13:55:00] <theTownBarber> agree
[2008-02-12 13:55:01] <TheQuicksilver> Focusing on individual tools, like Facebook
[2008-02-12 13:55:11] <TheQuicksilver> Rather than the broad approach we took today
[2008-02-12 13:55:21] <Aaron> makes sense
[2008-02-12 13:55:31] <jljohnstone> ditto
[2008-02-12 13:55:32] <TheQuicksilver> That would allow us to grind in a little better.
[2008-02-12 13:55:43] <bradjward> sounds good
[2008-02-12 13:55:44] <NWells> i read an article recenlty that said FB is experiencing slower growth as are all social networking sites
[2008-02-12 13:55:56] <NWells> i would love to hear thoughts on how that affects us moving forward
[2008-02-12 13:56:06] <TheQuicksilver> Obviously, everyone is welcome to stay and keep talking, but I wanted to thank everyone, in case people had to leave at the end of the hour
[2008-02-12 13:56:22] <Aaron> thanks folks… good to “meet” you all
[2008-02-12 13:56:24] <bradjward> 2007 was the year of social network explosion, 2008 will be a year of refining your friend lists and engaging in meaningful conversation <– my official stance
[2008-02-12 13:56:32] <TheQuicksilver> I will set up a poll within the day probably to select the topic in two weeks
[2008-02-12 13:56:39] <–| Aaron has left #uwebd
[2008-02-12 13:56:45] –>| FGCUdave (i=cfcbd402@gateway/web/ajax/mibbit.com/x-d004bb99f0ff8e21) has joined #uwebd
[2008-02-12 13:56:52] <TheQuicksilver> And the transcript will be available shortly