I guess Twitter is about as far away as it is possible to get from Shakespeare. Anyway, social networking is currently the buzz in the world of admissions. What is social networking? It is a term that is used to label many different ways to communicate via the web. For instance: blogging, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc. For many of us in admissions, this can all be overwhelming.
When I was in college, we actually still wrote letters. Email and the world wide web did not exist. College's recruited through the mail. Yes, I said "MAIL." I know, it is hard to believe. Things have changed drastically and quickly. For those of us in this fast-paced, dynamic world of recruiting who are my age, it can be a little hard to keep up.
We now have all of this new technology - ways to communicate with prospective students - and we (admissions folk) have to figure out how to best use it and even if it serves our purpose - is it (whatever "it" is) the best tool to use for us. Just because other recruiters and admissions offices are using it doesn't necessarily mean it will work for us.
So, a lot needs to go into deciding what forms of Social Networking to incorporate into a recruiting plan. I am of the mind that if it eases communication, it is a good thing. If used appropriately - this phrase should be the caveat of all Social Networking tools. If you have implemented a blog yet do not update it, it is not being used effectively. I also am of the belief that if you are going to do something, do it well.
Another issue related to Social Networking in admissions is the fact that most offices are already understaffed an overworked. This makes choosing which strategies to implement that much more important.
Bottom line - our students are neck deep (really they are going under for the third time) in Social Networking. For us to reach them, we have to go where they are. It also helps if we can speak the right language. We (Walton Graduate School of Business) ventured into this arena one year ago. I began this blog in June of last year. I have to say that I have been surprised, amazed, pleased by the feedback from our students. We had MBA students begin blogging last fall semester. This is something that we can maintain and the only thing it is costing us is time.
We also started a Facebook page last fall. An MBA student manages this site. Please check it out and become a friend - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?sid=9f761d8ef3c2077e9b3ef9f951aa7566&id=1496081803&hiq=walton&ref=search. In March, I implemented live chat. Now anyone visiting our website can chat with me live if I am logged on. I try to stay logged on if I am in the office and not with a student. If I am not logged on, you can send me an email using the Chat Live button.
So, I suppose Twitter is next. I will tackle it when I come back from the GMAC conference (the annual industry conference for those of us who work with MBA programs) in a few weeks. I am anxious to hear what other recruiters are doing. Every time I turn around, there is something new - wikis, etc. What will be next? I'll do my best to keep up. Be sure to tell me if I am lagging behind the competition or if there is another communication tool that you would like me to use. Also please keep in mind that we, in admissions, do want to talk to you and we want to talk to you using the format you prefer. Sometimes we just have a hard time figuring out what that is. Be patient with us. Remember, we had to write letters when we were your age.
I'll share one more thing with you that will blow your mind - cell phones were just coming out when I was in college. Can you imagine? I know, hard to believe.
No comments:
Post a Comment