MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Facebook, the Web site that promotes itself as a social utility to connect people over the Internet, has added a component which allows groups to create organization profiles in addition to individual profiles.
And Southern Arkansas University’s Web Site Coordinator Shelley Keith launched a profile on SAU the day of the launch, making SAU one of, if not the first University, to take advantage of this new offering.
“We can take advantage of some of the features profiles have that groups really didn’t like unlimited photo albums, news feeds and an event system that will invite students to attend events on campus,” Keith said. “This way we have one place instead of a million groups so that we have one single university presence.”
The key advantage of being able to use Facebook in this way is that it gives yet another way to connect with students and ensure they know what is happening on campus. Keith views Facebook as advantageous to some of the more traditional postings on the University Web site because students may not be as apt to spend as long there as they are on a site like Facebook where they can also interact with friends and be informed about upcoming events.
“I am really excited about it because Facebook puts the information right in front of them in the environment they are already using,” Keith said.
The University Communication Department, which includes Keith, will also be able to use the new organizational profile to identify students in photographs that could be possibly used for publications, she said.
Karine Joly, a Web marketing professional and the Web editor of www.collegewebeditor.com said she commends SAU for being on the forefront of this offering by Facebook.
“It was impressive that yesterday, just a few hours after the announcement was made on the corporate blog of Facebook, SAU was among the first few early-adopters in higher education to launch its own Facebook Page,” Jolly said. “The new Facebook Pages are going to be a better — more appropriate — way for administrators to engage with students and alums. When a Facebook user chooses to add an institution to his/her organizations, all his/her friends would be notified automatically. This should unleash a viral effect that will help universities grow the numbers of their followers and Facebook users.”
Another compliment came from Colleen Brennan-Barry, assistant director for Web Communications at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York and a member of the High Ed Web organization.
“Total kudos on the new SAU page! It looks great — way to lead the way,” Brennan-Barry said.
To access the SAU Facebook page visit www.saumag.edu and click “SAU Facebook” on the bottom of the page. Choose “Add to my organizations” to become a fan of SAU.
