USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO CREATE
BOUNDARY-FREE COMMUNITIES
MARCH 13, 2012 | 12:45 P.M. – 1:45 P.M.
PHOENIX CONVENTION CENTER | ROOM 231B
Eric M. Nestor
Michelle M. Shea
Assistant Director
Residence Director
Office of Residence Life | Syracuse University
We create residential communities where living and learning experiences
prepare students to pursue their life goals.
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
AGENDA
Learning Outcomes
Literature Review
Background on Residence Life @ Syracuse University
Our Experience
Discussion
Conclusion & Resources
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Articulate the value of social media platforms as a
resource for connecting with students
Identify at least one area within your department in
which you can implement a form of social media
Discuss how different forms of social media may be
more appropriate for certain constituents
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
LITERATURE REVIEW
 Social media is not leaving and higher education professionals must
learn and use the technology students are using (Freeman, 2010; Munoz
& Strotmeyer, 2010)
 ECAR National Study of Undergraduate Students and Information
Technology (2011)
 Technology should be used to “extend learning beyond the classroom” in
“participatory and collaborative interactions”
 Students at institutions that award graduate degrees are more likely to own portable
technologies
 Students aged 18 – 24 and those from family incomes greater that $100,000 own
more technology than those outside that
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
LITERATURE REVIEW
 Daily college student social media usage doubled from 2006
to 2008 alone (Educause, 2008)
 Students prefer news and information updates through
nontraditional methods, such as news feeds from Facebook
and Twitter (ICMPA, 2010)
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
LITERATURE REVIEW
 38% of college students report having difficulty going for
longer than 10 minutes without checking a mobile device.
(Coursesmart and Wakefield Research, 2011).
 Internet Usage (Pew Internet, 2011)
 65% of adult internet users use a social networking site – three years ago it
was 29%.
 43% use social networking daily
 83% are within traditional college ages of 18 – 29
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
LITERATURE REVIEW
 97% of college smartphone users us them for social
networking (Mashable, 2011)
 95% of college smartphone users access Facebook and 47%
access Twitter on their device (Mashable, 2011)
 56% of 18 – 24 year olds earning less than $15,000 annually
own a smartphone (Nielsenwire, 2012).
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
WHY
SOCIAL
MEDIA?
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
SOCIAL MEDIA:
YOU MUST BE INVESTED
“Teaching with social media will not
be successful if you are not
personally and professionally
invested.
Heiberger, G. and Junco, R. (2011)
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
SOCIAL MEDIA:
IT’S ALL ABOUT TRUST
“You earn trust by giving of yourself, contributing to the
community or conversation or both and only after
trust is earned can you then ask for something in
return. It’s no longer about one-way communication
but a dialog…”
Falls, J. (2009)
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
RESIDENCE LIFE @ SU
About 8,300 in campus housing overall
5,800 students in 18 traditional residence halls on
North Campus
2,500 students in on South Campus
2 year housing requirement
About 40% of residents are first-year students
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
RESIDENCE LIFE @ SU_SOUTH
CAMPUS
 2,500 students in 3 traditional residence halls and 1,072 apartment units,
each with private external entrances
 125 apartment buildings each containing 8 or 12 individual apartments
 Several hundred acres of land area
 Staffing
 1 Assistant Director, 2 Residence Directors, 3 Assistant Residence Director, 1
Administrative Secretary, 8 Resident Advisors
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
SU | Residence Life
Google
mapsConference
(2012)
NASPA Annual
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
BRANDING
 Email Correspondence
 Posted on office entrance
 Email Signatures of Staff
 Bulletin boards
 Website
 Cross referenced in all
 Digital Signage
SU | Residence Life
forms of social media
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
WHY FACEBOOK?
 Facebook is relevant
 Statistics – 845 million people on Facebook
 95% of college aged smartphone users access Facebook
 Our students are on Facebook!
 Students are using Facebook avidly
 Students are seeking out information/connections via Facebook
 Facebook is accessible to our students
 University provided internet access & computer lab usage
 University provided email address
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
FACEBOOK ON SOUTH CAMPUS
 South Campus Apartments Facebook – Main page
 Started Spring 2010
 Membership (students, staff & parents)
 Approximately 25% residents “like” our page
 Our reach is consistently over 1,000, including 800+ virally
 Membership incentives
 South Campus Neighborhoods – Example page
 Six neighborhoods with individual pages
 Started Spring 2012
 Created based on survey feedback
 S.C.O.P.E. Page – Student run
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
HOW ARE STUDENTS USING OUR
PAGES?
Information & Announcements
 Operational Information
 Opening & move-in
 Semester Breaks
 Bus Schedules
 Bus Schedules
 Power outages, etc.
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
HOW ARE STUDENTS USING OUR
PAGES?
Programming & Events
 South Campus programs
 S.C.O.P.E. events
 Campus wide events
 Student postings
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
HOW ARE STUDENTS USING OUR PAGES?
Questions & Student Posts
 General Questions
 Interactions between students
 Most active during opening
 Struggled to continue
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED
– FACEBOOK –
Successes
 Interaction with students in their venues
 Increased advertising of information
Challenges
 Student to student interaction
 Facebook can be more than information, interactional
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
WHY TWITTER?
 Twitter – 500 Million accounts with over 100 million
active monthly users. (Messiah, N. [2012])
 In Residence Life – South Campus
 Started January 2011: @SU_South
 Active Twitter community at SU
 Syracuse University one of most influential (Klout)
 Reach students where they are
 Communicate with physically disconnected community
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
TWITTER – YOUR MESSAGE IS ONLY
GOOD IF IT REACHES OTHERS!
Targeted plan to increase followers in Fall 2011
 Welcome Letter and Email
 Advertised on Facebook Page and Foursquare
 Email campaign
 Branded on all information
 Some information only shared via Twitter
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
TWITTER
17 Followers in August 2012
215 as of February 29, 2012
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
TWITTER – HOW DID WE INCREASE
FOLLOWERS?
Operational Announcements
 Power Outages
 Bus Delays/schedule changes
 Standard Housing/Residence Life announcements
 Sharing Limitations/Incentives (e.g., Lock Your Door Results)
 Respond to questions from students
 Retweets
 Live Programming Updates
 #SCTalks
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
RESPONDING TO STUDENTS
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
RESPONDING TO STUDENTS
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
RESPONDING TO STUDENTS
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
TWITTER – CLASS
CONNECT
 Hashtags based on home
school/college
 Primarily for use by students
living on South Campus
 Implemented Spring 2012
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
 Engage students in conversation
 Build connections between them and us
 Demonstrate genuine concern and interest in their life
 Provide a forum to share thoughts
 Allow students to learn from us and us from them
 Meet them where they are
 Build excitement
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
First #SCTalks held on February 9, 2012
Topic specifically chosen to be controversial to
attract interest
Follow the conversation at:
http://storify.com/EricMNestor/sctalks-buses
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
 Outcomes
 Conversation lasted over 1 hour
 Students participated before and after by using the hashtag
 Results
 Schedule adjusted at 10:30/10:45 a.m.
 Schedule adjusted at 5 p.m. from North Campus to South Campus
 Additional buses added to and from South Campus on game days
 Bus company contacted to avoid overcrowding issue
 Investigating the 3:30 p.m. from North Campus to South Campus
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED
– TWITTER –
 Successes
 Students are willing to engage and connect with us (and want to)
 Detailed information shared in real-time
 Information searchable and does not clog inbox
 Builds trust with students
 Challenges
 We are not reaching our potential
 Need more consistent conversations
 Some information will need to be student driven
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
WHY FOURSQUARE?
Syracuse University is an Active Foursquare Campus
 Statistics – 15 million on Foursquare
 SU Alumnus Dennis Crowley co-created Foursquare
Reaching Students
 Staying relevant & current
 Increased visibility of offices and events
 Creating a positive image of our office
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
FOURSQUARE ON SOUTH CAMPUS
 Administration of Account
 Officially owned location, Office of Residence Life – South Campus
 Created in October of 2011
 Check-in location with specials
 128 potential locations to “own”
 Many unofficial student created locations
 Management
 South Campus staff
 Marketed through all social media venues, email, etc.
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
USES OF FOURSQUARE
 Increased Visibility
 Advertises office location
 Provides check-in spot for “points”
 Student usage increases advertising
 Incentives to “check-in” through
specials
 Mayor Special
 Seasonal/Monthly Specials (e.g.
Halloween, Valentines, Big East)
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
USES OF FOURSQUARE
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED
– FOURSQUARE –
Successes
 Increased visibility of office location
 Student check-ins assist in advertising
Challenges
 Limited student participation
 Necessary to “own” the location to get the most out of
Foursquare
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Twitter
 Regular and on-going #SCTalks
 Twitter Challenges (e.g., seek and find)
Facebook Wrap-up reflection challenge
Marketing to future residents
 The Brand
 Social Media channels
 SC Class Connect and #SCTalks
Student and staff blogging and vlogging
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
IMPLICATIONS
Social media is a requirement to reach students
If you are not invested, it won’t work
Acknowledge that a technological divide exists –
don’t let it dictate your directions
Building your brand is more important than likes
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
IMPLICATIONS
 Be where your students are – Find and stay with them!
 Stay on top of current trends (e.g., Pinterest, Path, etc.)
 Post regularly and consistently from “your” voice
 Remember that social media is a conversation
 Use a social media dashboard to help you manage accounts
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
QUESTIONS
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NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
SOURCES
 Educause. (2008). Retrieved from: http://social-media-optimization.com/2008/09/college-
students-use-of-social-networks/.
 Educause Center for Applied Research. (2011). ECAR National Study of Undergraduate
Students and Information Technology. Retrieved 2/15/12, from
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERS1103/ERS1103pdf.pdf.
 Facebook statistics. Retrieved 2/15/12.
http://newsroom.fb.com/content/default.aspx?NewsAreaId=22.
 Falls, J. The problem of promoting you, your cause, your business with social media. July
31, 2009. Retrieved 2/29/12, from: http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/search-enginemarketing/the-problem-of-promoting-you-your-cause-your-business-with-social-media/.
 Foursquare. Retrieved 2/15/12, from: https://foursquare.com/about/.
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
SOURCES
 Freeman, G. (2010). The important of staying young: A professor reflects on student styles and
interests today and 20 years ago. Journal of college and character, 11, 2, 1-6. Retrieved
from: http://journals.naspa.org/jcc/vol11/iss2/9/.
 Google Maps. (2012). [401 Skytop Road, Syracuse University] [Satellite map]. Retrieved from:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=401+skytop+road+syracuse+university&hl=en&ll=43.017466,76.114268&spn=0.01299,0.027874&sll=37.0625,95.677068&sspn=56.856075,114.169922&hq=401+skytop+road+syracuse+university&t=h&z=16
 Heiberger, G. and Junco, R. (2011). Meet your students where they are: Social Media. NEA Higher
Education Advocate. Retrieved 2/15/12 from: http://blog.reyjunco.com/pdf/HeibergerJuncoNEA.pdf.
 ICMPA. International Center for Media and Public Agenda. (2010). A day without media: Research
conducted by ICMPA and students at the Phillip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland,
College Park. Retrieved 2/15/12
from: http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/sociss/release.cfm?ArticleID=2144.
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
SOURCES
 Mashable. (2011). Retrieved 2/15/12 from: http://mashable.com/2011/10/31/cellphones-college-
students/.
 Messiah, N. Twitter. January 15, 2012. Retrieved 2/15/12, from:
http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2012/01/16/twitter-is-adding-11-new-accounts-per-second-andcould-pass-500-million-in-february-say-report/.
 Munoz, F. M. and Strotmeyer, K.C. (2010). Demystifying social media. Journal of student affairs
research and practice, 47 (1), 123 – 127. Retrieved
from: http://journals.naspa.org/jsarp/vol47/iss1/art8/.
 Nielsenwire. (2012). Survey: New U.S. smartphone growth by age and income. Retrieved
2/22/12 from http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/survey-new-u-s-smartphonegrowth-by-age-and-income.
 Social Media Landascape 2012. Retrieved 3/2/12, from:
http://www.fredcavazza.net/2012/02/22/social-media-landscape-2012/.
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
PERMISSIONS
 @AnneMarieNY. Permission to use Twitter profile picture and name
received via Twitter message 3/2/12.
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
CONNECT WITH US!
Twitter
@SU_South:
http://www.twitter.com/su_south
Facebook
South Campus Apartments:
http://www.facebook.com/SCAptsatSU
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
THANK YOU!
Eric M. Nestor
Assistant Director
Office of Residence Life
Michelle M. Shea
Syracuse University
Residence Director
emnestor@syr.edu
Office of Residence Life
@EricMNestor
Syracuse University
mmshea@syr.edu
@michellemshea
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012
SU | Residence Life
NASPA Annual Conference
Phoenix, Arizona s March 10 – 14, 2012