Excelsior Connects with Social Networking

Can you name the third largest nation in the world based on its community population? It’s not China or India as some may speculate, but the social networking powerhouse, Facebook.

Now boasting more than a half-billion users, it represents the meteoric rise in the use of social networking. According to a Nielsen Co. study, there’s been a 43 percent increase in the use of social media in America alone. With so many of us logging into Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the like, it’s no wonder that Excelsior College, too, is using this popular medium to interact with current and future students as well as alumni.

“We’re an online community,” explains Nancy Scala, project manager in Excelsior’s marketing department and among those leading the College’s social networking initiatives, “so what better way to connect with our students and alumni?”

The College established social networking sites about two years ago with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Each has seen a steady increase in participation. Excelsior on Facebook, for example, welcomed nearly 200 fans in its first month and now counts almost 2,000 followers! Since its initial foray into online communities, the College has also added blogs and MySpace to the mix and established Facebook communities tailored to specific audiences such as alumni, exam takers, and the military.

While most use social networking to stay in touch with family and friends, there’s been an uptick in the number of businesses seeking to capitalize on its popularity to communicate with consumers. A Simmons New Media study found that 68 percent of individuals have become a fan or friend of a product, service, or company on a social networking site. And it’s not just for kids anymore — the study showed that while the majority of 18 to 34-year-olds visit social networking sites, 41 percent of online adults aged 50 and over visit monthly as well.

“I never thought about Facebook, etc., being used professionally till a few weeks ago,” explained Celeste Joyce, a 2010 grad. “After I completed my capstone graduation weekend, and knowing I now had my master’s in nursing, I gave more thought to establishing a consulting business.” She thought about creating a brochure to promote such a business and asked her son for his opinion. “His response — ‘brochures?’ Do you have a Facebook page? Are you on LinkedIn?”

What sort of interaction happens on Excelsior’s social networking sites? It runs the gamut from questions regarding courses, exams, and requirements, to sharing challenges and triumphs. Commencement, for example, brought a virtual play-by-play on the College’s Twitter site, reporting on the events as they unfolded. “Martha [keynote speaker and U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter] has mentioned Twitter three times!” reports one such Tweet.

“I keep an eye on Excelsior’s Facebook page and have used it some, along with posting my graduation pictures on it,” noted Gary W. Nolan, a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies grad. “I believe Excelsior is doing a great job in its efforts to connect with the students.”

Faculty, too, use social networking. Gillian Palmer, faculty in the School of Business & Technology, offered, “My varied professional life just would not be the same without my social media toolkit.” She uses a broad array of social media resources, such as Delicious, a social bookmarking site; LinkedIn; Facebook; Twitter; YouTube; and blogging. “I have also enjoyed meeting some Excelsior students there [Facebook] and just being part of the Excelsior learning community without the strictures of the roles in a ‘learning platform.’ I now use Twitter on a daily basis to keep up to date with educational trends, find information, be reminded of term dates, gain support, and, I hope, sometimes give support as well.”

While some may think that social networking and education are an odd alliance, Educause, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology, predicts that “online groups might begin to resemble existing campus communities … ” and that it promises to create new avenues of professional development and networking for faculty and alumni.

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