Social Media Information
Social Networking Sites (SNS)
With the arrival of social networking sites like Facebook, the Internet quickly transitioned from a one-way communication tool to a networked community of Internet users. The evolution of the Web has also changed the way we do things in higher education. From e-recruitment to publicizing events, social networking sites (SNS) have become a vehicle for building communities.
At Winthrop University, we are taking advantage of the many opportunities SNS provide to communicate with current and prospective students, faculty and staff, alumni, and others with affinity for Winthrop. Provided below is a brief list of some of the more popular Web sites used for connecting with others. Some sites may be used for marketing purposes, whereas others are listed to make the Winthrop community aware of their presence.
Summary: This site offers a popular bookmarking and sharing service, similar to Digg. According to the AddThis Web site, the service "helps your visitors create a buzz for your site and increase its popularity and ranking."
Winthrop: Winthrop uses the AddThis button on press releases. It is a simple install that allows tracking of user bookmarking and sharing.
Summary: This bookmarking service allows users to share sites related to their interests. It provides an easy way to sort bookmarks and discover new sites. Delicious reconfigured its site in September 2011 after YouTube's co-founders purchased the site from Yahoo.
Winthrop: At Winthrop, users can share sites that may be of interest to students, faculty, and staff. The service is perfect for departments to share news that is published by outside sources.
Summary: Digg is a community-based popularity site that combines social bookmarking, blogging, and syndication. Web sites, which are submitted by users, are promoted to the Digg home page by user-ranking.
Winthrop: Though Winthrop does not have an official account on Digg, users can sign up for an account that will allow the user to promote events and activities, comment on and follow others' recommendations, and use the Digg search feature.
Summary: A SNS that started among college students and alum, Facebook has grown into the number one social site on the Net today. Facebook allows users to set up profile pages and maintain information on them, as well as upload photos and videos. There are numerous ways to grow a group's Facebook following. Check out these plugins for doing so now.
Winthrop: Winthrop maintains a group at http://winthrop.facebook.com/winthrop.university. Several departments and many student clubs have a presence on Facebook. Check out Winthrop affiliated sites listed in our Social Media Directory or register your group to be list in the directory.
Flickr
Summary: This photo sharing site allows users to post still photos as well as video. Flickr enables users to share photos with friends and family and also to create albums, souvenirs, and cards. Winthrop photos may be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/winthropuniversity and http://www.flickr.com/people/winthropuniversity or by doing a search.
Winthrop: Winthrop students, faculty, and staff use this site to post photography. Additionally, many students share their graphic design work via the site.
Some Winthrop-specific Flickr sites include:
Summary: Founded in 2007, Foursquare is a location-based mobile platform that makes cities easier to use and more interesting to explore. By "checking in" via a smart phone app or SMS, users share their location with friends while collecting points and virtual badges. Foursquare guides real-world experiences by allowing users to bookmark information about venues that they want to visit and surfacing relevant suggestions about nearby venues.
Winthrop: Winthrop uses Foursquare to connect faculty, staff, and students to each other and to offer discounts and specials to the campus community. Explore Winthrop on Foursquare.
Summary: Founded in 1998 by two college students, Google has become a household name worldwide. According to the Google Web site, the company's mission is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Google offers an ever-growing variety of user services including a powerful search engine, free e-mail & Google Apps, online mapping system, and even a customizable home page.
Winthrop: Winthrop uses several free services offered by Google, including search, e-mail, and analytics.
Summary: Instagram is a great way to connect people through photo sharing. Instagram allows users to take photos, apply filters to them quickly, then post them online. Users can follow other people to see all the pictures they take as well as comment on those pictures. Instagram currently is only available on Apple and Android mobile devices.
Winthrop: Many Winthrop students and faculty/staff use Instagram as a social tool to keep up with their friends and family.
Summary: This professional networking site helps colleagues and former classmates connect. Primarily a career-enhancing site, LinkedIn boasts 25 million users representing 150 different industries.
Winthrop: Many individuals and groups affiliated with Winthrop University are taking advantage of LinkedIn's powerful professional network. Members of the Winthrop Alumni group are able to engage in discussions with one another, keep up to date on Winthrop news, and view jobs posted on an electronic bulletin board.
Summary: Meebo allows users to access instant messengers (chat) from anywhere. It is an AJAX-based chat client that requires no download and can be used from any computer by users of AIM, GoogleTalk, Yahoo, MSN Messenger, Jabber, ICQ, and more.
Winthrop: Dacus Library uses Meebo for the "Ask a Librarian" service. Winthrop's Office of Admissions, though not using Meebo, has found that a chat service is helpful to meeting enrollment goals.
Summary: As one of the first overwhelmingly successful SNS, MySpace allows users to create sites describing their lives and daily activities. The service allows users to keep up with friends and family, upload photos, join groups, write blogs, etc.
Winthrop: Winthrop has two profiles, one maintained by University Relations at http://www.myspace.com/winthrop.university and another maintained anonymously. MySpace profile activity has declined significantly with the rise of Facebook.
Check out these other Winthrop-affiliated MySpace profiles:
Summary: Ning is an easy-to-use social platform that allows its more than 33 million registered users to create their own social networking sites. Users are allowed to design their own sites and are able to utilize an array of features including: videos, photos, chat, forums, blogs, and events to interact and communicate with friends and colleagues.
Winthrop: Winthrop utilizes Ning to build relationships between its faculty, staff, and students. Some departments are encouraging professors to establish class Web sites that allow students to blog about assignments, chat with classmates, and create discussion forums. The most active Winthrop-affiliated Ning network is http://wuxxite.ning.com where university faculty can discuss SNS and related technologies.
NOTE: As of April 16, 2010, Ning decided to phase out the free services offered to users. According to the site, details regarding the changes were made available on May 4th via series of blogs.
Summary: Pinterest allows users to create a virtual "pinboard" to share information found on the internet. People use it to “pin” things they like, organize recipes, share photos, plan events, etc.
Winthrop: Winthrop has many pinboards on Pinterest.
Summary: Allows users to post ratings of professors based on easiness, helpfulness, clarity, and interest. RateMyProfessors boasts participation of over 6,000 schools reporting on 1 million professors.
Winthrop: Winthrop has many professors rated on this site.
Summary: Scribd's "About Scribd" statement says it all: "Scribd is the largest social publishing and reading site in the world. We've made it incredibly simple for anyone to share and discover informative, entertaining and original written content on the web and mobile devices. Our vision is to liberate the written word, to connect people and organizations with the information and ideas that matter most to them."
Winthrop: As more and more Winthrop publications move from print to digital pieces, the university most likely will increase usage of Scribd's free services.
Summary: Skype is an online tool that allows users to connect and communicate through video, voice, or text anywhere they have an internet connection. It is available on a range of devices from home computers to cell phones.
Winthrop: Winthrop's international center can be reached via Skype as well as several professors.
Summary: As described by the Tumblr Web site, this service "lets you effortlessly share anything" via a blog-like interface. Users may post pictures, text and quotes, audio and video, and links using a variety of methods such as a Web browser, cell phone, or e-mail. Just like with Twitter's "re-tweets," Tumblr allows user to "reblog" to help content spread quickly over the Internet.
Winthrop: Though Winthrop has secured its name on Tumblr, the resources are not available to update the site regularly.
Summary: A social site that allows users to stay connected through short (140 characters or less), simple statements called "tweets." Twitter has rapidly gained popularity. Due to its flexibility in update methods, the service offers a convenient way to update followers on activities, closings, and even "re-tweets."
Winthrop: Several areas of the Winthrop community use Twitter to communicate with "followers." Check out the official university Twitter account at http://twitter.com/winthropu. Other Winthrop departmental and group Twitter accounts include: Admissions, Alumni, CCE, DSU, MBA, and Residence Life. Encourage folks to follow your group's tweets by using these graphics and widgets.
Summary: A free service that allows users to post live streaming video and online broadcasts.
Winthrop: Winthrop has a generic account but it is not currently populated with a live stream. Due to the lack of live video feeds, Winthrop tends to utilize YouTube's more popular services much more often.
Summary: A user-based encyclopedic Web site on which users post data on various topics. Information is not peer reviewed and cannot be taken as absolute fact, though information presented is often accurate. Note: Many professors have banned Wikipedia as a cited reference in research.
Winthrop: Topics listed for Winthrop University include Campus, Academics, Athletics, Student Life, and University History. Information on the site is positive and appears accurate, though contributors to the site are unknown.
Summary: Fan-supported site that allows users to create forums and message boards to cheer on their favorite teams.
Winthrop: The site at http://www.winthropfans.com has several forums with many different discussions each, all encouraging Winthrop fans to discuss their favorite sports.
Summary: Founded in 1994, Yahoo is a relic in Internet years. Though old, Yahoo has consistently gained in popularity over the years due to its diversified set of services and tools (similar to those of Google). Here's a little piece of Yahoo trivia: For what is Yahoo an acronym?
Winthrop:. By setting up a free account, you gain access to a variety of free services that can be easily accessed through a customizable home page. Yahoo's RSS aggregator offers a great way to keep up-to-date on Winthrop in the news.
Summary: Allows users to post and comment on amateur videos. In order to increase the likelihood of your video's success, try to keep the clips short...2 minutes or less. YouTube also generates embed code that allows for easy insertion of videos into web pages by the video creators and others. Visit YouTube's Help pages to read about how to embed videos.
Winthrop: Winthrop has a page at http://www.youtube.com/user/WinthropUniversity The page contains clips from the razing of Peabody, VPA dance performances, energetic basketball footage, and promotional videos featuring the West Center, new programs, and other highlights.
Summary: The Web site includes university video tours and interviews of students, faculty, and staff. Topics include school location, history, class size, housing, sports, and more.
Winthrop: Winthrop's profile and high energy video can be viewed online.
Additional Notes
Site last updated by Kimberly Byrd on 01/07/11.