A Space for us: Building an Online Alumni Community in a Web 2.0 World

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Do you know the difference between a tweet, a twosh and a twiiter? Engaging alumni used to be as easy as following a standard plan of print materials, a web site, some email blasts and other collateral. But as user-created content becomes the norm, we can’t leave social networking out of our marketing mix. Don’t let it scare you! We’ll talk about which tools to use (or if we should use them at all!) and how to educate leadership about how best to use what’s out there to connect with our alumni and create a better virtual space where they can engage, interact and support the institution.

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A Space for Us: Building an Online Alumni Community in a Web 2.0 World

Mary Beth Kurilkomb@girlmeetsweb.com

Who has?

Read a blogSent a text messageJoined a listservPosted photos onlinePosted a Facebook profileMade a myspace pageJoined LinkedInStarted a blogFollowed someone on TwitterSigned up for Twitter

2007 list

Who has?

Written a blogPosted videos onlineShared documents on GoogleOver 100 followers on TwitterBuilt a site on NingBuilt a site on SquidooBought a web domainBecome a Blip.fm DJ?A FriendFeed

Are you task-driven?

Or

strategy-driven?

Twitter - 1,111,991,000 tweets as of June 9, 12:58 pmBlogs – 133 million indexed by Technorati since 2002Podcasts – 21.9 million users download 1+ per weekmyspace – 112 million active users monthly (2008)Facebook – 200 million active usersLinkedIn – 35 million professionals from 150+ industriesYouTube – 100 million videos viewed daily

Think it’s a fad?

http://thefuturebuzz.com/2009/01/12/social-media-web-20-internet-numbers-stats/

-Blogs are now used by 24% of Internet users up from 13% in 2006- Social networks are now used by 26% of Internet users up from 17% in 2006- Videocasts are now used by 11% of Internet users up from 6% in 2006

Slower growers include:- RSS feeds: growing from 5% to 7%- Podcasts: growing from 5% to 7%- Business news sites: flat at 8%

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbarefoot/1814873464/

The first question people ask about using social media in their marketing mix is…

How can we control the content?

Talk Back

Message Board scenario

What would you do?

a. Remove negative postsb. Respond with an official statement c. Ignore the posts

Other options?

So what’s the answer?

• Use only those tools that fit your institution.• Be authentic and transparent.• Share information generously.• Ensure you can handle the workload.• Have fun! Everyone likes fun people.

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