A Kentucky university is aggressively fighting parody and criticism of school officials on Twitter and other social media sites, which students and free-speech advocates say is a constitutionally questionable attempt to silence any negative comments. eCampus News
At issue in the case: Whether universities have a right to discipline students for online comments made from off-campus computers. The Minnesota Supreme Court heard oral arguments Feb. 8 about whether a former University of Minnesota mortuary science student had a constitutional right to free speech when she posted remarks about her lab cadaver on her Facebook page. eCampus News
Like most of the Internet Giant’s social networking efforts, the reception of Google Plus has been up and down. After a long-awaited debut and a surprisingly positive initial reaction, the smoke is clearing away to reveal a growing nugget of doubt. After all, compared to Facebook, Plus is a ghost town. But wait, should we even be comparing the two? A closer look indicates Google has something different — and potentially way more powerful — up its sleeve. CMS Wire
Penn State's storied football program is reeling under allegations of sexual abuse by a former coach. Several have been implicated in this mess including the athletic director and business manager. Mike Greenberg ("Mike and Mike" on ESPN) called this the "worst crisis in college sports...ever" on his Tuesday morning radio show. How are they handling the crisis via social media? Social Media Today
Last week Google+ introduced brand pages, an almost exact match for Facebook Pages. While Google now claims that Google+ is not a competitor to Facebook, the Pages products are so similar that they are bound to go head-to-head. Brands are going to end up getting more value out of one or the other. ReadWriteWeb
Raise your hand if you're a brand marketer who thinks posting to Facebook during "norma" business hours is the way to go? It's ok if you have your hand raised because you're not alone. However, you would also be wrong as a new study reveals that the best time to post a branded message to Facebook is in fact AFTER "normal" business hours. Social Media Today
Teens have some of the highest social networking penetration of any age group. eMarketer estimates that 81% of internet users ages 12 to 17 will use social networks at least monthly this year. Pew Internet & American Life Project found in July that 16% of online teens used Twitter, doubling the 8% figure found in September 2009. Teen girls were more than twice as likely as boys to use the microblogging service, at 22% vs. 10% of the respective populations. eMarketer
With the launch of Pages earlier this week, many colleges and universities are scrambling to set up their institution’s presence on Google+. Browsing the nearly 200 institution pages established thus far, I found a mix of empty and flush pages, the majority of which appeared to me to be followed mostly by higher ed industry professionals, not institution stakeholders. While the land grab is to be expected, it’s important to ask are we just being cutting edge for the sake of it, or is there real potential with the platform? Higher Ed Live
How are people actually using Facebook on mobile devices, and how are they interacting with brand pages in particular? A new study by social media marketing firm Vitrue found that text and image-based posts on Facebook brand pages in mobile drew the highest engagement levels, drawing 21.5% and 20.4% of "Likes." Online Media Daily
For universities, deciding to use social media is a no-brainer. With so many key populations embracing social media, universities almost have no choice but to integrate these platforms into their marketing and communications plans. Mashable
For universities competing to attract top students, it's no longer enough to have a glossy brochure and a sleek website. Schools like Johns Hopkins are reaching out to engage with applicants on Facebook and Twitter. They're also finding that a robust social media campaign, along with such creative features as student-run blogs, can lure prospective students while a stale online presence can turn them off. CNN
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale is facing questions and criticism over its decision on Friday to remove from its Facebook page comments about the strike by faculty members at the institution. Inside Higher Ed
Fully 65% of adult internet users now say they use a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn, up from 61% one year ago. This marks the first time in Pew Internet surveys that 50% of all adults use social networking sites. Pew Internet Life
Hosting an online contest is an effective method for marketing on Facebook. As many companies have already proven, a contest can cut through the clutter of marketing messages and attract people to your business Page. Contests are not a new concept. Consumer marketing companies have traditionally relied on them to create buzz and attract traffic, taking advantage of the irresistible lure of winning something of value for free. Social Media Today
Despite the overwhelming evidence of the impact of Social Media on the perceived public image of a business, many Customer Service (CS) and Public Relations (PR) executives still handle negative Social Media (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Yelp, etc.) by ignoring the bad publicity. Social Media Today
There’s a scene in the 1983 classic “Mr. Mom” when new stay-at-home dad Jack Butler attempts to drop off his kids at school. It’s a simple task, really, but as his kids and others are quick to point out, he’s doing it wrong.
When it comes to location-based services and how we employ them in a university setting, I think many of us may be employing the similar Jack Butler method while achieving similar results. We’re doing it wrong. Patrick Powers