CHARLOTTE, NC – Waste of time, unproductive - these terms have been used to describe Facebook and Twitter. In the past, some colleges and universities even considered blocking social media. However, today, many schools are encouraging it.
Former UNC-Charlotte student Brandon Kirkley is a rock star; literally. His band, Brandon Kirkley and the Firecrackers, built their fan base using social media. “(We) made a Facebook event, and we had 200 people at our first show," says Kirkley. That number of friends grew to 5,000, catching the university's attention.
"(They said) you're doing a good job with social media. (Are) you interested in working with us?” Brandon said yes.
Richard McDevitt is the school's Director of Marketing. Along with Brandon, his team is developing the school's social media presence. McDevitt says, "we have as many students watching our Facebook page or Twitter feed to see what our status is, as we do calling on traditional phone lines."
From notifying students about events, to warning them about closures – schools are rebooting with social media. What was once viewed as distracting technology has become tremendously valuable to schools.
Uptown, Johnson and Wales student Sara Salcedo says it's a fine line, mixing the two worlds of social fun and social school. “As much as we want to use our email and our school email, people are on Facebook a lot."
"They're getting in front of it by using the media they're comfortable using," says Queens University of Charlotte Communications and Marketing Manager Reena Arora
Arora says the school generated lots of buzz over a visit from New York Times Wiki-leaks reporter Scott Shane simply by using a cheap marketing tool – Twitter. "We had so many people on Twitter talking about it that night that we ended up trending in Charlotte."
Affordable, immediate and relevant to students. Social media is the big man on campus and students like Brandon are helping schools take advantage. “People are expecting that from us and I think we're doing it right."
Brandon is currently teaching classes about social media at UNC-Charlotte. Kirkley says the biggest topic recently has been privacy and reputation management.
