Finding the perfect scholarly article for my semester project

Finding a perfect source to use that is relevant to a paper or research topic can be daunting sometimes, especially when the scope is narrowed to just scholarly articles.

But I have seemed to find the perfect scholarly article that will help advance my research on why social media is so important in advancing the mission of any undergraduate admission office for a university.

The scholarly article was found through the ERIC database through The George Washington University's library. It covers exactly everything I want it too. And as an added bonus, it is written by a students. Using Technology in Undergraduate Admissions: A Student Perspective, by Robin Lindbeck and Brian Fodrey, in the "Journal of College Admissions" captures the reasons and statistics as to why social media is important based on the viewpoint of students. In other words, universities can have a chance to hear exactly what goes through a student's thought process and how they can make themselves more appealing to the average student. 

For this reason, it will fit very well in the "Case for Employing Social Media" and new proposed campaign sections of my proposal for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at The George Washington University.

The argument that it makes is that the perspective of the prospective student has been absent from the discussion as to why and in what way universities should use social media. It aims to present a view that is representative of students. It shows how students' college decisions were influenced by a wide variety of technologies. To that degree, it relates it back to the overarching theme of why social media is actually very important to higher education.

Though there are obviously many variables that can be found in a study such as this, the article is very sound in what it has to say. As a quick note, I was convinced first of all because I felt some of the same feelings and went through some of the exact same things the article mentions when I applied to college. But also, its studies also cited prior research that agreed with it. Its own study also covered a wide-range of different students and addresses further research that can be conducted and how the current research can be applied immediately.

This study directly shows the important and need for a presence on social media from universities, specifically the admissions office. It gives context and reasoning behind what I believe and am advocating for and supports the idea that I am presenting.

The real audience of college admissions offices

The George Washington University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions is on social media to lure students to apply to the world's only university at the center of Washington, D.C. It also is one of several university admissions office that actively engages with users on social media.

However, its audience is narrow because of the scope of the topic. Unlike other organizations that aim to exponentially increase their follower counts, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions cannot have the same ambitions because it functions in a fundamentally different way. Admissions is usually a one-time event during the last year of high school. After that, once a student is accepted, there is no point to stay in touch with the Admissions office. Current students and alumni do not have an interest in following an admissions account that showcases what is great about the University and the process of becoming a student. In that sense, the audience for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions can be categorized under one group.

Its audience is primarily young, prospective college students who are usually in their senior year of high school. This range of people are on social media a lot and may be more impacted by marketing through this medium more so than through traditional methods such as radio and TV advertisements and direct letter.

In a Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project study, it found that its youngest age group, from 18 to 29, used social media most heavily, with an overwhelming 89% of the group using Twitter regularly. Never in history has there been such a hub for communication and marketing, even, quite possibly, a public square and forum. Because of the number of people on there, organizations, including the Office of Undergraduate Admissions can easily and effectively target its specific audience (its followers).

College-aged students started the frenzy of social media in the first place, driving MySpace and Facebook to extreme popularity. Facebook was even made in a college dorm by a college student. Because of this, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions is pushing updates that are virtually shoved into users' faces who all find the updates relevant. Many institutions, especially Yale, have focused heavily on using social media and marketing to attract prospective students. Those that have started enhancing their social media presence have focused on expanding communication with the general public and "broadening" their marketing.

Amongst that group, the audience can also continue to break down and get more narrow and specific. This can help a school bring up application rates from groups with regularly low enrollment. Harvard is using social media to specifically target prospective students who have lower incomes and require more financial aid. With social media, it can help them better get their word out.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions' focus on young people is very appropriate and will, in the long-run, most likely help the University with application numbers. There will be more widespread knowledge in the young people group as people continue to embrace social media.


Sources:
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/10/24/financial-aid-office-connection/
http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2013/11514/who-uses-social-networks-age-race-gender-and-income-breakdown
http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/admissions-goes-social
http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2013/02/04/admissions-office-amplifies-social-media-presence/

Economics discounts the innate good in people

"The fact that you possess a sense of morality, and we do not, gives us an evolutionary advantage..."
-Man of Steel

Or does it?

Is there something bigger we want to reach for or is self-interest our basic resting pulse? 

-The Newsroom

After my Microeconomics class today, this article ("Does Studying Economics Breed Greed?"by Adam Grant) popped up on my +LinkedIn feed. The article cited studies that showed how Economics was creating students with less values and more greed. Very appropriate. And I completely agree. As interesting as Economics is, I was telling my mom earlier this school year why I think it is fundamentally flawed.

Economics virtually asserts self-interest is 100% responsible for explaining how humans act. And it promotes that sense -- that our world is better when we focus on self-interest and maximizing our own utility. It states that this allows society to be more efficient and have more of everything and more is better. In fact, throughout the years, I have been told that Economics can happen because of "greed," and that it actually makes us all better off.

Courtesy: http://blog.tifwe.org/c-s-lewis-greed-and-self-interest/

But I'd like to think that the world doesn't work that way. That there's innate good in each individual. That we can have maximized efficiency while also being moral.

I was also telling my mom the other day that society's focus on economics, the economy, pure dollar signs and percentages, instead of over morals and values, is the exact reason our world economy is where it is today. The reason that 2008, and everything afterwards, happened.

In sports, you can't win a game by merely focusing on "winning." Likewise, you can't fix the economy by only caring about the numbers. In both, it's about the underlying values, whether it's the fundamental skills and teamwork or the sense of instilling morality.

It isn't a greed-less world that we are striving for. Or even one where everyone receives the same resources. Instead, it is one where we can harness greed to truly make the world a better place. It's one where competition, cooperation, ethics, morals and openness are all promoted.

Because we don't want to end up like the people of Krypton.

Social media utilization: weekly round-up 5

This is the fifth weekly round-up in which I analyze and monitor three Twitter accounts that I have chosen for their use of social media. The full explanation is here: http://iantangblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/explanation-of-semester-blog.html.

Today marks the end of the fifth week since I have started tracking their utilization, each using Twitter. Again, it was clear that the three entities have very distinct uses of social media, all aiming to contribute to the marketing of The George Washington University.


The George Washington University (@GWTweets)
The general University account continued to focus on what was happening around campus and heavily promoted Parents' Weekend and The Fray concert. It did a good job producing engaging content this week and garnered more Retweets and Favorites than usual. Because of the wide-range of topics, there wasn't a theme that represented the week.

The account did send out several tweets everyday while making sure not to cross the line to annoying. This can be shown because of the consistent interaction with the account. It used direct mentions and hashtags throughout. There wasn't too much special to note about this account.

The George Washington University Office of Undergraduate Admissions (@GWAdmissions)
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions continued to focus on their limited audience instead of the wider community as a whole. However, this week, it also had a very specific tweet aimed just at those applying at Early Decision.

Early Decision applications are binding and are designed for students most interested in attending a certain school. Many of the Office of Undergraduate Tweets get almost no interaction, yet this tweet received 6 Retweets and 9 Favorites, as well as a question. This is probably because the students most interested in attending the school are also probably more likely to pay attention to the Office's Twitter account and announcements.

Though the audience is limited, it does show the type of followers that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has and the content they should focus on. People who follow them mainly want updates to the application process. Because its Twitter handle is already so specific, its tweets should be as well. There is no need for it to cover as wide and broad of topics as it previously has because its audience doesn't care much about it.

The tweet only used a generic hashtag, but because it was so important and valuable to the people following the account, it naturally garnered lots of attention. This result probably would not have been the same when tweeting from the general GW account since most people there probably are not looking to apply for Early Decision. They are probably already part of the community.

This week, it didn't tweet about Parents' Weekend, but still garnered much attention. It could be problematic in that if they choose to only focus on the specific application process, there will be an endless cycle of following and unfollowing that takes place.

Peter Konwerski, Senior Associate Provost and Dean of Student Affairs (@GWPeterK)
Unlike Alumni Weekend when Dr. Konwerski changed his cover photo to a related banner promoting the special event, the same cannot be said for Parents' Weekend. The generic and typical University photo was kept. Furthermore, there was not one overarching theme to Dr. Konwerski's tweets this week. During Alumni Weekend, there was a dedicated hashtag on almost all of his tweets, which was "#GWAW13." Though he did use #ColonialsWeekend throughout the week, it was more sporadic and used less often.

The fact that he only used "#ColonialsWeekend" once in 6 consecutive tweets implicates that Parents' Weekend may be less important than Alumni Weekend. In fact, the use of the hashtag was not originally from Dr. Konwerski as well. The lack of focus on Parents' Weekend may be the fact that that specific audience is known to not widely use Twitter or any other type of social network besides Facebook. Parents have been known for "invading" Facebook over the past several years, but many still are not on Twitter.

Therefore, Dr. Konwerski may have wanted to continue engaging with the audiences that do use Twitter most, instead of direct his tweets at an audience that may not be there.

Though it made his account look all over the place, it was able to cover a variety of interests and groups of people, whether they were students or part of the University community. There were many tweets about events taking place on Twitter and the focus on tweeting content with a photo attached makes it more engaging to look at.

This week, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions excelled again at their use of social media. While they have typically been the least effective because of its lack of focus and being seemingly indecisive, this week, it doubled down on what the account was actually made for and received more interaction than usual. Because the account wasn't made for a broad purpose, the focus it provided this week actually worked in its favor.

The importance of social media in education

Social media has had an important impact on education, in addition to the other major areas of life that it has fundamentally transformed. The better communication that can arise from good use of social media on an institution's part has the ability to create a well-informed student body, meaning more student engagement, more interested prospective students and community that aspire to go to that institution as well as a safer environment for learning to occur. This makes institutions stronger and proves why social media is so important in the field of education.

Source: http://synthesio.com/corporate/en/2013/uncategorized/5-universities/

Events

With the amount of events that go on around a college campus, it's hard for students to hear about everything that is going on, much less keep track of the days and times those events are. Because students are always on social media, especially when they are bored, social media quite literally injects announcements right in front of students' faces. Instead of requiring students to go to a different location to find these announcements, social media allows a central hub where students can have the streams of both personal and professional life. They can easily learn about the events taking place around campus and even join in on the conversation to immediately ask about important details, such as location and time. Instead of posters, social media allows for back-and-forth communication, instead of a one-way interaction. On top of that, many schools are able to generate buzz via social media by advertising "hashtags" that relate to the event. Each student that tweets about the event using that specified hashtag will extend the reach of audience that the university has. And, best of all, that is being created with no extra cost to the university.

Source: Mashable, http://mashable.com/2009/07/15/social-media-public-affairs/

Marketing (Branding, Customer Service and Feedback)

Social media has also played an important role in helping the reputation of an institution and how it looks in the eyes of the public. In fact, for prospective students alone, according to DigitalTrends, "some 38 percent categorized their social media findings as influential in their enrollment decision." Facebook accounts for 57% of that research method, while YouTube accounts for 42% and Twitter 18%. This means that the online presence they build directly relates back to the interest that is shown from prospective students. To make sure that the smartest and most brilliant people continue to be captivated by a college in this new age, a college must show it is capable of building an online presence that is both engaging and "cool," as in that the institution shows it understands and is relevant to the modern age. With social media being a two-way street, it also allows personal connections to form where students will feel more inclined to apply to a university because of attention he or she may get from the university. A tweet, a favorite or Retweet directed at a particular student may make that one student feel special and spread goodwill about the institution.

Source: DigitalTrends, http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/college-grads/; ZDNet, http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/how-do-universities-use-social-media-successfully/15059

Safety

In the past several years, social media has also played a large role in getting the word about alerts and security breaches, not just in universities but in large cities around the world. This has been extremely important because of the far reaches of social media in an age when security is becoming a high priority in society. It has worked really well in getting people to know about the ongoing security events because everyone is always on social media. As USA Today Educate quotes:

'Students use social media on a daily basis,' Sara Estes Cohen, an independent consultant in social media specializing in emergency response, said. 'It is important that emergency managers use the tools their communities are using.'

Again, as mentioned before, in addition to the fact that everyone uses social media, it also allows for a two-way communication: "The fact that it allows the community to post calls for help, questions, and other comments is what makes social media unique." This keeps the community much safer and educates students on the current situations on the campus.

Source: USAToday Educate, http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/ccp/more-universities-relying-on-social-media-for-emergency-communication

How to tweet ineffectively

Over the past month, I have monitored activity from three Twitter accounts: the official account of The George Washington University (@GWTweets), the official account of The George Washington University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions (@GWAdmissions) and the account of the Dean of Student Affairs and Vice Provost, Dr. Peter Konwerski (@GWPeterK).

Of the three, I have slowly concluded that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions uses their social media, specifically Twitter, in the least effective way. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has such a limited role that is reflected in its use of social media. Its tweets do not get much interaction because it has a narrow scope of audience.

This was one of its recent tweets:

This tweet is specifically directed to prospective students currently in the middle of the college application process. It has a brief description of the image that is included with the tweet. However, the main focus is on the image and the tweet would be meaningless and useless if there was no attached photo. For this reason, it is very image-driven. The purpose is to inform prospective students that they can schedule an interview with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, even if they do not live close of campus.

It is surprising that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions decided to disseminate this type of information in this manner, especially because the interview is not a required aspect of an application. There was no rush in tweeting this information (see paragraph below) and narrows the audience to just those applying to the University. It automatically excludes everyone else that may be just looking at going to The George Washington University. It can obviously be implied that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions assumes that their entire audience is comprised of prospective students since the tweet doesn't necessarily use a specific pronoun or subject.

It is a lot of information and people who are on Twitter are probably not trying to search for information regarding application interviews. Instead, they are trying to catch up on updates. Furthermore, the tweet was sent out in August 2013, several months before high school seniors really consider their applications. The interest may have been low, which the absence of Favorites and Retweets show.  It isn't content one would actively Favorite or Retweet either.

I think that this tweet is ineffective, especially on Twitter, because it focuses so heavily on the image. There was no link included where additional information can be found in a full-sized page. The image takes several clicks to open fully and may not be clear. However, it does allow for a better preview. Still, the narrow scope of the tweet and the difficulties the broader public may have relating to this renders the tweet ineffective, except to a very targeted audience that definitely did not perceive the tweet well.

Using social media to promote corporate social responsibility

Corporate social responsibility is becoming more important than ever. Customers now expect companies to care about more than just earning profits. And, with the prevalence of advocacy and consumer groups for virtually every interest, companies are now expected to be socially responsible to a standard set by society, whether they agree or not.

The official logo of The George Washington University (www.gwu.edu)

Because of that, a strategy to establish and communicate a company's corporate social responsibility is extremely important. At the same time, the budget that should be granted for this activity should not be too excessive and should blend in with Public Relations and Marketing. Because of the role social media plays in connecting consumers with companies they love, it has become an important place in building trust and portraying the corporate social responsibility to the general public.

Here's how to do it for one of the organization's of which I am currently monitoring on social media, the official Twitter account of The George Washington University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Because an institution's corporate social responsibility may play a role in where prospective students choose to end up studying, the account for the Admissions Office should also tweet about the University's core values. For this example, let us assume that the focus is on a "green" school that is mindful of its carbon footprint and water usage. As it has been shown this year, the University cares about its impact on the world and wants to reduce water usage, as seen with the aggressive marketing campaigns it has had throughout the school, challenging different residence halls to use less water than others.

Here's how it would work. Each week, The George Washington University could share how its water usage was for the week, using the hashtag "#GreenGW." It would include a link to a splash page that went in-depth into this core value and how the University is addressing the problem. It could engage users by asking how they reduce their water usage.

It would be low-cost because it's virtually all through social media, a free medium where anyone can post anything free of charge. Yet, people would understand the University's focus on making sure water is not wasted. It also shows prospective students the focus The George Washington University has before they get on campus. While current students can see the University's push, social media allows prospective students not on campus, and the general public, to see that core belief of the University before they come.

Social media utilization: weekly round-up 4

This is the fourth weekly round-up in which I analyze and monitor three Twitter accounts that I have chosen for their use of social media. The full explanation is here: http://iantangblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/explanation-of-semester-blog.html.

Today marks the end of the fourth week since I have started tracking their utilization, each using Twitter. Again, it was clear that the three entities have very distinct uses of social media, all aiming to contribute to the marketing of The George Washington University.


The George Washington University (@GWTweets)
The official account of The George Washington University focused on two things: the government shutdown (and how it impacted the school and students) as well as events happening around campus. Sadly, the tweets regarding events happening around campus focused on retweets and were not as helpful nor interesting. However, regarding the government shutdown and a few select events, the University thrust itself into the larger picture, and related the University to the entire DC community and problem that the entire country was facing.

Oddly, while the University used hashtags for generic world issues such as "World Bank" and "Global Poverty," it did not use it for the government shutdown. By not using those hashtags, the top tweet about the government shutdown received 4 retweets, 1 favorites while the bottom tweet that used hashtags relating to a bigger picture received 9 retweets, 2 favorites. Both are still low for a University account that has many followers, but it does show the power of hashtags.


The George Washington University Office of Undergraduate Admissions (@GWAdmissions)
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions focused on the School of Engineering and Sciences and the event they were putting on for prospective students. However, they did also tweet about other cool events happening around campus, while putting a marketing spin on it.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions used @Mentions more than hashtags. When compared to the tweet that the University tweeted, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions added the phrase "One of hundreds of events the @elliotschoolgw hosts..." While students already at the University may know this, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions was smart to add that phrase to attract students by showing the opportunities they may have here. With the fewer amount of followers, the tweet received 3 favorites.

What could be problematic is whether prospective students believe that assertion. There should be a list of other events that have happened in the past.


Peter Konwerski, Senior Associate Provost and Dean of Student Affairs (@GWPeterK)
After the Alumni Weekend passed, Dr. Konwerski immediately reverted his cover photo back to a generic GW banner that promoted the entire school rather than just one event. The immediacy of this helped in preventing problems about confusion as to when Alumni Weekend was for those visiting his profile as well as end the use of the "#GWAW13" hashtag.

Dr. Konwerski's cover photo.

Additionally, his tweets returned back to focusing on events happening around the University. He utilized "quote retweets" to address comments, concerns and questions of users on Twitter. A quote retweet is when you retweet someone's content, but also add commentary. With midterm season in full swing, Dr. Konwerski focused his tweets heavily on addressing midterms, as well as tools the University has in place to assist students.

As can be seen, Dr. Konwerski utilized no hashtags in his tweets, only retaining the one that the original user, @jacqueline_t25 had used. Instead, he @Mention-ed @GWTutors, a resource that can be utilized as a student. Dr. Konwerski's tweet does not require anyone to have prior knowledge and is very short in length. He uses the phrase "you know" to more personally connect with whoever tweeted it.

Though Instagram and Twitter's scuffle left Twitter users unable to preview Instagram photos right on Twitter, it is not an area that could be problematic in this instance. The photo certainly adds on to the tweet, but other users do not have to have an Instagram, or even look at that photo, to understand the tweet and Dr. Konwerski's response.

Still, despite the helpfulness of these tweets, Dr. Konwerski receives very little favorites and RT's. Mostly, it is from the original user. Therefore, the knowledge or interest about these services may be very minimal and Dr. Konwerski should continue to try and expand the interaction he receives.

This week, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions actually excelled by tweeting more about events happening around campus instead of just tweeting directly towards prospective students. While tweeting about those events, that could be happening thousands of miles away, it successfully involved those that were not present. However, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has been typically the worse at social media throughout the time I have been tracking. This is because it typically focuses on addressing student questions instead of promoting the school.

A super-sized McDonald's fail on social media

McDonald's had has its fair share of criticisms throughout its history, especially during recent years. While the company was quick to embrace social media, it has not been all that successful, especially given its reputation amongst Americans. So, it was not too much of a surprise when its Twitter Promoted Trend campaign backfired on itself in January 2012.

It started when McDonald's used two Promoted Trends, #MeetTheFarmers and #McDStories, in an attempt to "raise awareness of the Supplier Stories campaign." After a while, many "customers" on Twitter started twisting what the hashtag was about, posting tweets such as:

So PETA and McDonalds got into it today on Twitter. I was surprised I didn't know there was actual meat at McDonalds. #McDStories (@johngarrettX) 

Hospitalized for food poisoning after eating McDonalds in 1989. Never ate there again and became a Vegetarian. Should have sued. #McDStories (@Alice_2112_)

#McDStories I lost 50lbs in 6 months after I quit working and eating at McDonalds (@JKingArt)

That is a small sampling of the thousands of horrific, and downright disgusting, tweets that flowed through the stream that day, even after McDonald's immediately reacted and took the Trend down.

And it seems like other companies haven't learned from McDonald's mistake, as shown by Microsoft's even worse recent social media fail where it promoted #DroidRage, asking Android users to share their bad Android stories for a chance to win a Windows Phone.

These campaigns were posed to backfire for both companies. Looking at it in hindsight, there are many things McDonald's could have done to prevent the catastrophe from happening.

Twitter: Target for All
First, unlike other networks such as Facebook and Google+, Twitter content (especially Promoted Trends) is available for anyone to see and contribute to, while Facebook and Google+ allow for brands to communicate with and target just those that designated they were a fan through a Like or +1.

Even though they don't have to be a fan to take such action, many people probably would not deliberately go out of their way beforehand to have "Liked" or "+1ed" a page of a brand they disliked. Twitter may not have been the best place to conduct this activity, especially when its known for the legion of users who use Twitter specifically for complaining.

Instead, this campaign may have worked better on Facebook and Google+, where McDonald's could have directed it at their fans, asking them to re-share stories onto loyal fans' individual Timelines.

Specific vs. Vague
Second, the #McDStories trend is generic and vague, allowing Twitter users to use it however they'd like to their own advantage. It doesn't specify what the trend is for and whether it is asking users for good or bad stories.

To fix this problem, McDonald's probably should have marketed the hashtag heavily beforehand, giving Twitter users context as to what it was for. But more importantly, the hashtag should not have been used at all. Instead, a more specific hashtag, that could not be manipulated as easily, should have been used.

Know Your Market Position and Reputation
Third, McDonald's incorrectly gauged how customers, and Twitter users specifically, perceived McDonald's. The hashtag only promoted the skewed view customers have of McDonald's, probably the opposite goal McDonald's had. As a company that is seen as an "inferior good," McDonald's should have crafted its campaign carefully.

Just like Microsoft, McDonald's should not have asked for consumer content when many customers see the company as a joke. It should have tried effectively changing its reputation before asking customers to comment on what they think of McDonald's.


Social media is still a relatively new environment where many companies are just getting started and experimenting with the waters. Still, companies should be more careful and objectively think about how a campaign could be misconstrued and used to the advantage of customers who may have had a bad experience with the company.

Sources
http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/12/05/microsofts-droidrage-twitter-campaign-backfires/

http://www.mashable.com/2012/11/25/social-media-business-disasters-2012/#gallery/biggest-social-media-disasters-of-2012/521295e95198406611001874

http://www.thenextweb.com/twitter/2012/01/24/why-mcdstories-didnt-have-a-happy-ending/

http://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-twitter-campaign-goes-horribly-wrong-mcdstories-2012-1

http://www.therealtimereport.com/2012/01/24/lessons-from-the-mcdstories-promoted-trend-controversy