SchoolofCommunicationStudiesSocialMediaPlan

By:ShaunaBurrows,ChelseaGeyer,AlexKnicely,
AndrewWehlitz,CatherineWeisbarth,andXiniXie
Coms4800
05/02/2014

Abstract
ThisCommunicationplanoffersanewsocialmediamethodtotheSchoolof
CommunicationStudiesthatfaculty,undergraduatestudents,andgraduatestudentswithinthe
majorcanbenefitfrom.Fromtheirfeedbackandsuggestions/improvementsonhowwecan
createabettersenseofunitythroughoutoursocialmediasites,webelieveourplanwilloffera
voiceoftogethernessthroughouttheschoolofCOMS.Ourgoalsforthissocialmedianetwork
containbuildingasenseofcommunity,betterinformouraudiences,andattractmorestudentsto
theSchoolofCommunicationStudies.Thesegoalscanbeaccomplishedbypromotingthe
socialmedianetworkatfreshmanorientationandtheinvolvementfair,distributingbusiness
cardsatBakerCenter,andcrosslinkingallofthedifferentsocialmediasitessuchasFacebook
andTwittertogetherinordertoreceivemorelikesand/orfollowersamongeachpage.COMS
alumniwillbeabletosignuptoacceptemailsaboutcurrentjoboffersandwhatother
postgraduatestudentsaredoingaftercollege.Keepingtheminformedwillkeepthealumni
connectedwithourSchoolofCommunicationStudiesDepartment.Thetargetaudiencesare
incomingstudents,undergraduatestudents,graduatestudents,andalumnithatwillbeableto
learninformationabouttheSchoolofCommunicationStudies,events,andnewstaffand/or
studentsreceivingawards.
MissionStatement
ThecurrentmissionstatementthattheSchoolofCommunicationStudieshasontheir
websiteisasfollows:Theschoolisfirmlycommittedtoprovidingqualityinstructioninthe
theoreticalbasesofhumancommunicationandtheapplicationoftheoryinspecificcontexts,and
alsoequipsstudentswiththecompetenciesmostprizedbyemployerswhichincludesstrong,

oralandwrittencommunication,effectiveinterpersonalandgroupcommunication,critical
thinking,meetingplanning,andproblemsolving/decisionmaking(2013).Ourproposed
missionstatementfortheSchoolofCommunicationStudiesis:Byutilizingallsocialmedia
platforms,wewillcreateawarenessandbuildcommunitywhilekeepingthepublicinformed.
Wefeelthatthisnewmissionwillattractmoreindividualstofindoutmoreinformationaboutthe
SchoolofCommunicationStudiesandgetmoreinvolvedwhilefeelingabettersenseofunity
withotherstudentsinourschool.
MembersandAudiences
HereatOhioUniversityitisimportanttokeepthestudentsandincomingstudents
informedwithnews,information,andupdatesaboutthecollegeofcommunicationstudies.The
targetaudienceforthisnewrevisedsocialmediaplanwillreachawiderrangeofpeoplethan
before.Incomingstudentswillbenefitgreatlyfromthisrevisedplanbecauseitwillkeepthem
uptodateonupcomingeventsandactivitiesfortheSchoolofCommunicationStudies.They
canstayaheadofschedulebeforetheyevenarriveoncampusorstartclasses.Currentstudents
canalsostayontopofthenewsandeventsthecollegehastooffer.Withabusyschool
schedule,followingournewrevisedsocialmediasitewillhelpremindallfacultyandstudents
andkeepthemintouchwiththecollegeastheychecktheirsocialmediathroughouttheday.
Socialnetworksitesenableindividualstoconstructamemberprofile,connecttoknownand
potentialfriends,andviewothermembersconnections(Papacharissi,2011,p.305).
Undergradswillbenefitalotfromthisplanbecausetheywillhavetheopportunityofhearing
aboutclasses,seminars,events,activities,andspeakersfromthepalmoftheirhand.Graduate
studentscanprofitfromthismediatedcommunitybecausetheycanbecomeinformedaboutour

collegesopportunitiesandutilizemultiplenetworksiteswhileonthego.Alumnicouldalso
benefitfromfollowingoursiteifthereareaneventstheywouldliketobeapartoforhelpout
with.Ifanyjobopportunitiesareavailablethentheywillbeabletohearaboutitrightaway
withoutmissingtheopportunity.Awiderangeofpeoplecanbenefitfromournewsocialmedia
sitewiththeinformationweprovideforthem.Themessagesweshouldbesendingarepositive
andinformative.
Themessagesshouldcreateawarenessofdifferenteventsandwhatishappeningwithin
theschool.Messagesshouldpromotetheschoolinawaythatwillappealtoincomingfreshman.
Forexample,bypromotingCOMSweeksothatSchoolofCommunicationStudies,thiswill
buildamediatedcommunity,whilekeepingeveryoneinformedaboutwhatishappeningwithin
it.Statusesandpostsshouldpromoteourschoolthatwillbeappealingtoincomingfreshman
whomaywanttopursueacareerinCommunicationStudies.Forinstance,tweetingabout
instructorsand/orgraduateandundergraduatestudentswhoaremakinganimpactwithinthe
majorcanhelpgainattractiontoincomingstudentsofaCommunicationStudiesmajor.This
couldbeawardsstudentshavecurrentlywonorreceivedatceremoniesthattheSchoolof
CommunicationStudieshasputon.Instructorswhohavecurrentlywrittenessays,casestudies,
and/orbookscouldbepostedonsocialmediasites.
Research
Theresearchforthissocialmediaplanbeganwithinterviewsthatweregiventofive
membersoffacultywithintheSchoolofCommunicationStudies.Thefacultymemberswere
MichaelButterworth,ClaudiaHale,LynnHarter,TimMckenna,andBrittanyPeterson.After
interviewingtheseindividuals,thereseemedtobesomecommonsimilaritieswiththeissuesand

suggestionseachonehadinregardstomediatedcommunitiesrelatedtotheSchoolof
CommunicationStudies.Thesearetheissuesandsuggestionsthatcanchangehowoursocial
mediacouldbepromotedandviewedinordertoattractmoreindividualstotheSchoolof
CommunicationStudies.
ProblemsassociatedamongstmediatedcommunitieswithintheSchoolof
CommunicationStudiesarethatinterestingmaterialisnotbeingposted,conversationsarenot
beingcontinued,andthereisnotasocialmediacommitteethatisinchargeofsocialmediasites.
Suggestionsthatfivefacultymembersgaveduringtheinterviewsweretopostmorefrequently,
designacommitteethatconsistsoffacultymembersandstudentswithintheCommunication
Studiesmajor,andpostrelevantinformationandarticlesaimedtowardstargetaudiences.
ThefirstissuewecameacrosswasthatoursocialmedianetworkingsitessuchasFacebook
andTwitterarenotpostinginterestingmaterialthatpeopleareseeingwhenviewingtheSchool
ofCommunicationStudiesFacebookandTwitterpages.Onesuggestionistopostinteresting
articlesandinformationaboutourschoolthatisappealingtothestakeholdersandtarget
audience.Thesecondissueisthatconversationsmadethroughthesesocialmediasitesarenot
consistentandnotveryinteractive.InParksarticleSocialNetworkSitesasVirtual
Communities,heasksthequestionwhatconstitutescommunity.AccordingtoBauman,building
communityfeelsgoodandevokesfeelingsoffriendliness,trust,andbelongingthatareoften
deemedlackinginruthless,individualistictimes(Pg.107).Forinstance,tweetsarebeing
postedeveryfewweeksandfollowersarenotgettingtheanswersorconcernsrelatedtoour
schoolanswered.Conversationsneedtobecontinuingsothatindividualsfeelimportantandthe

SchoolofcommunicationStudiesisbuildingacommunitywithindividualsvisitingtheirsocial
mediapages.
Thethirdproblemwithoursocialmedianetworkingisthatthereisnospecific
committeeinchargeofit.Iftherewasacommitteethatconsistedoffacultymembers,aswellas
studentswithinthemajorwhowereabletoworkfortheschool,thesesocialmediasiteswould
bebetterthantheycurrentlyare.Themainsuggestionisthatthereneedstobefacultymembers
apartofthecommitteeinordertoapproveoftweetsandpostsbeforetheyaremade.Many
tweetsandpostsarenotbeingfrequentlydonebecauseoffearthatsomethingwillgowrong.If
studentsemailedfacultymemberstheirpoststheywantedtomakewithinaweekpriortothem
needingtobedone,itwouldhelpourschoolhavebettersocialmedianetworkingskills.
OurfocusgroupsincludedtheNationalCommunicationAssociationStudentClub
(NCASC),andthreeGraduateStudentsstudyingCommunicationStudies.Wedistributed
surveysofabouttenquestions,askingthesememberstheirperspectivesonourcurrentsocial
media,whatsitestheyutilizedmostthroughourschool,andwhatimprovementstheywouldlike
toseeinthefuture.Justlikeweassumed,ourresearchconcludedthatmostmembersofour
focusgroupsdidnotutilizethemajorityofourschoolssocialmedianetworks.Themost
commonanswerwereceivedwasthatmembersutilizedTwitterthemost,becauseitwasquick
andeasytoreadonthego.AccordingtoHostermansTweeting101:TwitterandtheCollege
Classroomarticle,EarlyscholarlyresearchshowsthatTwitterisusedtocreatecommunitiesof
connectedindividuals(Java,Song,Finin,&Tseng,2007),asanoutletforreportingnewsin
differentmediatedoutlets(Fahri,2009Ahmad,2010),andasanewtypeofresearchtool
(Ovadia,2009)(Hosterman,2012,p.95).Coincidingwiththatstatistic,membersofourfocus

groupsmentionedtheyhopedtoseechangesinthefuturethatdemonstrateabettersenseof
togetherness/involvement,andmoreinformationaboutevents,classes,activities,speakers,etc.
TheyalsohopedanInstagramwouldbecreatedtodemonstratealloftheCOMSactivities
happeningaroundcampus.Withthatbeingsaid,wedecidedtohaveourprimaryfocuson
Twitter,sinceourresearchshowedthatthisaccountwouldbethemostbeneficialtoourtarget
audiences.LinkingalloftheotherschoolsaccountintotheTwitterbiolikewedemonstratedin
ourpresentation,andhavingalloftheCOMSaccountsoneclickaway,wefeelthatthis
accountwouldbeeasy,manageable,andinformational.Wehopebycreatingthissenseofunity
students,bothcurrentandfuture,willtakeadvantageofallCOMShastoofferandwillbecome
moreengagedinourcommunity.
OnlineResearch
Fortheonlineresearchpart,wefoundanarticletitled2013Top100SocialMedia
CollegesthatwasrankedbythewebsiteStudentAdvisor.com.Thiswebsitesearchedthetop
20collegessocialmedianetworksandfoundoutthatmostofthesuccessfulmediated
communityactivitiesarehappeningonTwitter.Wechosethreeexamplesrelatedtooursocial
mediaplanthatconsistedofJohnsHopkinsUniversity,DukeUniversity,andtheUniversityof
Florida.
JohnsHopkinsUniversityisrankednumberthreeonthetop100socialmediacolleges,
duetothefacttheymadeaonestopnewscenterwebsitetitledTheHubinordertokeeptrack
ofthelatestnews,cuttingedgeresearch,studentprofiles,androtatingTwitterfeed.Thisisa
strongexampleofcrosslinkingsocialmediasitessoindividualsareawareofthemultiple
interactionstakingplace.Onthiswebsite,therearedifferentcategoriesofnewsthatarebroken

upintothreetypes:recommended,new,andtrending.EachnewscategoryconnectsJohn
HopkinsUniversitysaudiencetotheirTwitterandFacebooksocialmediaaccounts.This
exampleinspiredustoconnectoursocialmediaplatformswitheachother.
ThesecondexampleisDukeUniversitywhichwasrankedatNo.5onthelistof100
socialmediacolleges.Thereasonisthattheiractivity,OneDayatDuke,wascomprisedof
morethanathousandphotos,videos,andmessagesthatweresubmittedonlinebyDuke
Communitymembersworldwideonasingleday.Thisisagreatexampleofusinghashtag
successfully.ThisactivityrepresentspeoplepostingcontentonTwitter,Instagram,Pinterest,
Google+,Youtube,Vimeo,andDukeFacebookPagewithusingthe#OneDayAtDuke
hashtag.Thisexampleinspiredustouseaqualitytopiconhashtagactivitybecauseitisagreat
waytogetpeopleengageinthecommunity.
ThelastexampleisUniversityofFloridawhichwasrankedatNo.14.Thereasonthey
arehighonthelistisbecausetheyareusingsocialmediainitiativesfornewincomingadmitted
Gatorssuchasinitiatingthehashtag#UF17ondecisionletters,orientation,convocations,and
beyond.Inaddition,thereisagreatblognamedStufftoobigforTwitterthatanalyzeswhy
thissocialmediastrategyhasbeensuccessful.Inthisblog,theauthorpointsoutfiveaspectsthat
maketheUniversityofFloridasuccessfulonthishashtagactivity.Thesearebreakingtradition,
connectingasawholecommunity,makingitacelebration,takingongenuineandlikeable
identity,andcoordinatingtheeffort.Thesetipsareexactlywhatwewanttoseehappeninthe
SchoolofCommunicationStudieswithinthenextyear.
Wealsofoundtwoarticlesrelatedtosocialmediastrategiesandreallyinspiredus.The
firstarticletitled10SocialMediaBestPracticesinHigherEducationiswrittenbyJosie

AhlquistwhoisasocialmediastrategistatCaliforniaLutheranUniversity.Shelistedtencrucial
characteristicsofsuccessthroughsocialmedianetworkingsites.Byanalyzingourcurrent
SchoolofCommunicationStudiessocialmedia,wethinkthemostimportantimprovementfor
usistoproducequalityandaccuratecontent.Underthischaracteristic,sheexplainedmore
aboutqualitycontent.Thepracticesofqualitycontentaretobefrequent,tobringvalue,do
researchofthepost,beresponsible,beaccurate,andthinktwiceabouteverythingpost.We
believethatthesepracticesarereallyimportantforacommitteewhocouldbeinchargeofthe
SchoolofCommunicationStudiessocialmedia,andarealsonecessarytocreate
communicationandbuildcommunity.
AnotherarticletitledTwitterTipsoftheTradeforCollegesandUniversities
retrievedfromYOUVISIT.COMstatesthattherearemanycharacteristicsofTwitterthatwill
affectthemediatedcommunity.Thefirstoneisthatthereisamaximumof140charactersper
tweetviaTwitter.Learninghowtocommunicateinonly140charactersefficientlyisimportant
tooursocialmediacommittee.Thenexttwotipsareusingthe@mentionprospectivefor
studentsand#hashtags.Thesetwopracticesarethemosteffectivewaytoengagewithour
audiencesinwhichitwillmakemorepeoplecommunicatewitheachother.Othertipsareto
keepURLsshort,syncandscheduleyourpost,andtobeengagedinconversationsand
activitiesgoingonthroughTwitter.Thisarticlegivesusgoodsuggestionsonhowtoimproveour
socialmedia,aswellasofferingideasthattheSchoolofCommunicationStudiescanusefor
postsandtweetsontheirTwitterpage.
OurPlan

Toputourideaofamediatedcommunityintoplace,thereareseveralstepsthatcanbe
takentomoveforwardwithourplan.First,wewillneedtoacquireaselectgroupofstudents
andfacultytoacquireaSocialMediaCommittee.Thatbeingsaid,webelievewhicheverfaculty
memberswouldliketoadheretothiscommittee,andwhichmembershaveaselectamountof
timetospendonthisprojectwouldworkbest.Afterthetwoorthreefacultymembersare
established,thestudentsneedtobedecided.Webelieveamember,ormembers,ofNCASC,
LambdaPiEta,theForensicsTeam,orCOMSstudentsingeneralwouldbeagoodareato
pickfrom.Orpossiblyonestudentfromeachorganization,sofourstudentswouldbepresentin
thecommittee.Withtwoorthreefacultymembers,andfourstudentsintheSocialMedia
Committee,ourvoicewouldprofessional,consistent,andinformational.Thenextstepshouldbe
acquiringameeting/trainingscheduleforthiscommittee.WediscussedbringinginGabrielle
Johnson,OUsMarketingandCommunicationsSocialMediaCoordinatorofallOhio
UniversitysSocialMediasitestohelptrainourcommitteeonalloftheguidelinesthatneedto
befollowedwhilerunningournetworks.Withthisweeklytrainingmodule,ourcommitteewill
alsolearntheinsandoutsoftheTwitterhashtagand@symbols,andwillthenbereadyto
activelypostontheCOMSsocialmediasites.Ourgroupbelievesthetrainingmoduleis
necessarytomeetonceweeklyforatleastonemonthtoachievethepropertoneand
impressionwearetryingtodepict.Oncethetrainingmoduleiscomplete,wecanactivelystart
postingonTwitterandFacebookmorefrequentlyandconsistently.Withoursocialmediasites
goingstrong,wethenthoughtweneedtogetthewordoutaboutallofourCOMS
organizations.WewantedtotargetincomingstudentsattheStudentInvolvementFairatthe
beginningoftheirfreshmanyear,andhavemoreofapresenceforoverallstudentsatthe

beginningoftheyearandinthemiddleoftheyeartablingoutsideofBaker.Tablingatthe
beginningofeachsemesterwillallowustogetmorestudentsinvolvedtwiceayear,insteadof
justonce.
ImpressionsWeShouldMake
Wehopetocreateaninformative,energetic,andengagingimpressioninourmediated
communityforCOMS.Conclusionfromourresearchwithfacultymembers,NCASC
members,andGraduatestudentsshowsthatTwitterwouldbetheidealnetworkfor
information.Aswediscussedinourpresentation,bycreatingaTwittersitewewouldbelinking
theFacebooklink,otherCOMSTwitteraccounts,suchasNCASCandLambdaPiEta,as
wellastheForensicsTeamallinthebiodescriptionofthenewCOMSTwitteraccount.By
havingasocialmediacommitteethatinvolvesbothstudentsandfacultymembers,webelieve
wewouldachieveacommonvoicethatwouldenticestudentstogetinvolved.
AccomplishmentsThroughDevelopingOurMediatedCommunities
First,webelievewecouldcreateabettersenseofbeinginvolvedinonecommunity.
Socialnetworksitesprimarilypromoteinterpersonalcontact,whetherbetweenindividualsor
groupstheyforgepersonal,professional,orgeographicalconnectionsandencourageweak
ties(VanDijck,2013,p.7).ByhavingaTwitterthatwillcoincidewithourotherplatforms,an
immediatesenseofanhomogenizedareawilloccur.Pullingtogetherasenseofafriendly,
known,informativevoice,ourTwittersitewillenhancethisvibeofinterpersonalcontact.With
everythingoneclickaway,wehaveconfidencethatmorepeopleinourschoolwillfeel
compelledtofollowthemultipleplatforms.

Second,wehaveconfidencethatcreatingourmediatedcommunitywillallowmore
students,faculty,prospectivestudents,andalumnithechancetoviewschoolevents,speakers,
andclassinformation.Sincestudentsandfacultywillhavethecommitteethatwillrunthe
accounts,therearemorechancesformultiplepeopletoaddthingsofthisnaturetothenetwork.
Wealsomentionedinourpresentationthattherewasntalotofawarenessfortheorganizations
withinourcollege,ortheeventsthatareoccurring,ie.)COMSweek.Withacombined
perspectiveontheaccount,thereismorechancethatbothfacultyandstudentswillhearand
announcethemultiplegatheringsthataretakingplacewithinourschool.
Finally,containedinonegeneralmediatedcommunity(mainlyTwitterfocused),wefeel
thatmemberswillfeelmorecompelledtoengageinactivitiesandtoutilizetheonemainfacetof
ourmediatedcommunity.Thebeautyofsynchronousmediaisthattheyallowfortheveryrapid
transmissionofmessages,evenacrossdistance(Baym,2010,p.8).Intodayssociety,
mediatedcommunitiesallowustoacquireinformationfromtablets,computers,andevenour
phones.Wealsodiscussedinclassthatourgenerationisusedtotheideaofinstantinformation
duetotheadvancesintechnology.Wefoundinourresearchthatbothgraduateand
undergraduate,faculty,andpotentialstudentsareallverybusyandengagedinavarietyof
activities.Thatbeingsaid,wethoughtthatifweutilizedTwitterasourcentralsite,allofour
audiencesareabletoviewquickblurbsaboutcurrenteventsaboutCOMSwhileonthego.
GoalsandImplications
Therearethreemaingoalsforthismediaplanthatincludebuildingasenseof
community,tobetterinformouraudiences,andattractingmorestudentstotheSchoolof
CommunicationStudiessocialnetworkingsites.Bybuildingasenseofcommunity,wewishto

utilizeallsocialmediaplatformsinordertokeepalumnae,faculty,undergraduatestudents,and
graduatestudentsconnectedandinformedtowhatishappeningwithinourschoolonTwitter
andFacebook.Tobetterinformouraudiences,ourgroupencouragesinstructorstohave
students(mostlyallfreshmanininUCclasses)receivebonuspointsduringmultipleclass
discussionsiftheyfollowtheSchoolofCommunicationStudiessocialmediasites.Wealso
suggestthattherebeanincentiveattablesduringtheinvolvementfairatthebeginningofevery
Fallsemester.Forinstance,studentswillhavetheopportunitytowinorreceivepens,tshirts,or
otherusefultoolsbycominguptothesetablesandfollowingtheSchoolofCommunication
StudiesFacebookorTwitterpagethroughtheircellphones.Ourgroupwantstoattractmore
studentstothesocialmediasitesoftheSchoolofCommunicationStudiesbyutilizingInstagram
andTwittermoreforthistargetaudienceof1829yearoldsbasedonthefactthatthisisthe
demographicsforFacebook,InstagramandTwitter.IftheSchoolofCommunicationStudies
makessurethatthesethreesocialmediaplatformsareconstantlyupdatedandinteractingwith
students,morescholarswillbeattractedand/orinterested.tothesesocialmediasites.
Apossibleimplicationwhenmakingthesegoalchoiceswouldbethedifficultyin
creatingonesinglemediatedcommunity.Therearedifferenttargetaudienceswithslightly
differentwantsandneedsthatwearetryingtobringtogetherasoneunifiedgroup.For
example,withthedevelopmentoftheSchoolofCommunicationStudiessocialmedia,wehave
toremembertokeepallplatformscohesive.Therecouldpossiblybetimeswhentherearetoo
manypostsaboutwhatgraduatestudentsaredoing,ortoomanyupdatesinregardstothe
debateteam.Knowinghowoftentopostwillbecomebetterasmorefeedbacktoretrieved
fromfollowersonFacebookandTwitter.

Tactics
Forthisplantobeeffectiveitisimportanttoprimarilybuildonecommunitywithinthe
SchoolofCommunicationStudies.Thiscommunityhastheopportunitytobuildunityby
acquiringinformationaboutourschoolsevents,classes,speakers,andshowcasing
achievements.Containedinonegeneralmediatedcommunity,memberswillfeelmore
compelledtoengageinactivitiesandutilizeonesocialmediasituation.Ourreformedsocial
mediashouldbespreadthroughtheInvolvementFaireachyear.Thiswillallowincoming
studentstobeimmersedintheschoolscommunity.ThiswillhopefullyboostFacebookand
Twitterslikesandfollowersto1,000ormoreoneachplatform.Onewaythatthiscouldbe
accomplishedisbyhavingmandatorynumberofTweetsperdaybyadministratorsandfaculty.
Aconstanthashtagpresenceforourschoolshouldbecreatedtocreateanidentityforour
school.Also,aschoolbiographyshouldbeimplementedonthesocialmediaoutletssoincoming
studentscanreadupontheschoolsinfo.Implementinganactivesocialmediacommitteewould
bebestsuitedtoattendtothehighdemandsrequiredtorunsuchanactivemediaplan.There
shouldbeaconstantinvolvement/activeparticipationofmembers.Alsoanoptionalmailinglist
forstudentsandalumnicouldbecreatedfornetworkingpurposes.MandatoryFacebookand
TwitterinvolvementcouldbeadoptedincourseworkanddiscussionsintheSchoolof
CommunicationStudies.Integrateclassroomdiscussionsthroughsocialmedia.Socialmedia
linksneedtobemorevisuallyappealingandeasilyspottedontheschoolswebsites.AMission
statementsloganCOMSCOMSwouldnotonlyrepresenttheschoolsmissionstatementbut
alsowouldrepresentthecommunityaroundtheschool.Thiswouldthenreinforcetheunityand

onevoicewithinthecommunity.Consistencyandawarenesswouldbekeytothedrivingforce
behindthesocialmediaplan.
Conclusion
Overall,webelieveoursocialmediatedcommunitywouldattractcurrentandfuture
studentstobecomeinvolvedinCOMS,andwouldbeamoreinteractiveandcaptivatingforall
audiences.Throughoutallofourcoursereadings,discussions,andspeakers,welearnedthat
therearemanyfactorsthatareinvolvedwithinasocialnetwork.Usingstatistics,likethe
demographicfactorsforFacebookandTwitter,werealizedthatourspecifictargetaudiences
wouldliketoseemoreinformationandconversationonTwitter.Withsomanystudentsand
facultymembersonthegoandinvolvedinavarietyoforganizations,Twitterisaquickwayto
getouraudiencesawareofcurrentthingshappeninginourschool.Wealsorealizedthatfaculty
membersarepartialtoFacebook,andhowthissocialnetworkisbetterfordisplayingalarger
amountofinformation.LinkingourschoolsothernetworkedsitestoourTwitterwouldallow
ouraudiencestheflexibilityofventuringtootherplatformstofindoutextendedinformation.
Withthisthoughtprocesswebelievewewillachieveamoreinteractiveplaceforcurrentand
prospectivestudents,Graduatestudents,facultymembers,andalumnitocometogetherand
disperseandgainmoreinformationabouttheSchoolofCommunicationStudies.

References
1.Ahlquist,J.(2013,October7).10Socialmediabestpracticesinhighereducation.
Retrievedfromhttp://josieahlquist.com/2013/10/07/10smbp/
2.Baym,N.(2010).Personalconnectionsinthedigitalage(pp.124).Cambridge,
England:Polity.
3.GreenHamann,S.,CampbellEichhorn,K.,&Sherblom,J.(2011).Anexplorationofwhy
PeopleparticipateinSecondLifesocialsupportgroups.JournalofComputerMediated
Communication,16,465491
4.Hosterman,A.(2012).Tweeting101:Twitterandthecollegeclassroom.InH.AlDeen
&J.Hendricks(Eds.),Socialmedia:Usageandimpact(pp.93110).Lanham,MD:
Lexington.
5.Parks,M.(2011).Socialnetworksitesasvirtualcommunities.InZ.Papacharissi(Ed.),
Anetworkedself:Identity,community,andcultureonsocialnetworksites(pp.105123).New
York:Routledge.
6.Papacharissi,Z.(2011).Conclusion:Anetworkedself.InZ.Papacharissi(Ed.),A
networkedself:Identity,community,andcultureonsocialnetworksites(pp.304318).New
York:Routledge.
7.VanDijck,J.(2013).Thecultureofconnectivity:Acriticalhistoryofsocialmedia(pp.
344).NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.
8.Youvisit.(2012,October12).TwitterTipsoftheTradeforCollegesandUniversities.

Retrievedfrom
http://www.youvisit.com/virtualtours/articles/twittertipsofthetradeforcollegesanduniversit
ies/