With all the Web 2.0 hype these days, it’s no surprise that student expectations of the web continue to swell. Is your institutional website living up to these expectations? Today higher education websites are more than just static pages. They are strategic assets for admissions and enrollment, advancement and fundraising, brand awareness, disseminating information such as news and safety alerts, and, now more than ever, they are strategic assets for social networking. Research shows that social networking is the most popular online activity among today’s internet users. Thus, colleges and universities must jump on the bandwagon and consider how best to address social networking to meet growing student expectations.
The Social Networking Boom
According to eMarketer, by 2011 half of all online adults and 84 percent of online teens in the United States (105 million total users) will use social networks. From 2006 to 2007 alone, the number of social network users increased by almost 12 million. The Pew Internet & American Life Project recently conducted a survey and found that more than half (55 percent) of all online American youths aged 12-17 use online social networking sites, and 48 percent of teens visit social networking sites at least once per day. Most importantly, these web-savvy youths are prospective higher education students.
College students are also heavy users of social networks, relying on a few key websites to meet their social networking needs. Anderson Analytics estimates that among 18- to 24-year-olds using social networking, 39 percent use only Facebook, 45 percent use Facebook and one other site, and 12 percent use Facebook plus two other sites. In addition, according to a Noel-Levitz e-Expectations Class of 2007 report, 61 percent of students thought it was a good idea for colleges and universities to put up social networking sites to promote their programs, campuses, and students. Social networking has undoubtedly emerged as a powerful communications tool and provides institutions with a new opportunity to better communicate with students on their own turf.
What Can Social Networking Do for the .edu Website?
With so many students tethered to the online world, it is critical for the .edu environment to capitalize on their social networking needs to gain a competitive edge. Many colleges and universities are already on board. According to the Web Advantage Survey of 2007, nearly 77 percent of college marketers will have engaged in social networking, blogs, and social media during 2008.
Social networking via campus websites gives prospective students and parents a unique forum for building relationships and learning more about institutions. It can be a useful means to cultivate a responsive environment that encourages enrollment and promotes streamlined institutional enrollment processes. However, building an effective social networking presence requires essential tools, including web content management software (CMS) with rich media features, a blogging system, RSS, and web-based chat—all working together seamlessly. Together these tools enable higher education institutions to simplify the development and management of social networking features, creating a positive impact on recruitment and more.
Choosing the Right Social Network
Before launching a social network on your .edu site, it’s important to consider what type of network is most ideal for your institution. There are two types of social networks: public and niche. Public social networks are single destination sites, while niche social networks cater to small communities surrounding one common interest. For the .edu environment, a niche site seems best suited, as it creates an opportunity to improve admitted student yield, strengthen the alumni community, and more. Niche networks offer control, flexibility, and focus not available on public networks.
Membership can be by invitation only, allowing you to regulate your users. This control allows you to target specific audiences based on phases in the student life cycle. Content is better moderated, thus allowing more control of messaging and better incorporation into your marketing and communications strategy. In addition, you can integrate niche social networks with public networks, such as MySpace and Facebook. For example, students can search the Facebook directory, find the “myFavSchools” college search application, and add it to their profile page. Students can even place “badges” promoting your network and branding your institution on their Facebook and MySpace pages.
