Monday, 22 November 2010
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Accidentally building an audience on Facebook
It's almost exactly three years since I set up the University's Facebook Page, as part of the landgrab when 'Pages' were first introduced. Since then we've done very little with the page other than keeping it ticking over. I've kept a slow trickle of updates flowing into our stream, usually press releases or public lecture listings, but very little else.
Given the lack of effort expended, it's been to a bit of a surprise to realise of late that our Facebook Page has become rather popular. We're approaching 6000 'likes'. We've almost trebled our number of 'likes' in 12 months, with a big spike when A-level results came out but continuing to grow at 50 - 80 new ones per week (see images below). This is especially impressive given that we've never posted a link on the homepage or main student pages of the website.
Our levels of interaction are relatively low; we get tiny numbers of 'likes' or comments on most posts and almost no questions on our wall, though we do very little to encourage any. But last night when I posted an update about our presence on University Challenge we picked up half a dozen comments and 45+ 'likes' within the hour. We also know that we get a small spike in traffic to stories on the website or videos on YouTube when we post them on Facebook. In short, it's clear that there's an audience out there and that it's comprised of people who, having sought us out, are interested in what we have to say (especially when we say something interesting!)
The ambition of Facebook's expansion - the changes to Messages announced yesterday, the Foursquare-style checkins, the open graph Facebook-isation of the whole Web and persistent rumours about ventures into search and mobile - mean users may well soon be spending even more time in Facebook. For the forseeable future we'll be continuing with our light touch approach, but as Facebook grows and our audience on Facebook grows too, we may find that we've accidentally grown a valuable communications channel deserving of much more attention.
Related info: For anyone wondering if their department or office should be on Facebook (or Twitter, or LinkedIn etc.), we're producing some guidelines to help you decide and to help you do it well if you do take the plunge. These aren't quite ready yet, but they're coming (better late than never!) In the meantime, feel free to contact us for individual help and advice.
Given the lack of effort expended, it's been to a bit of a surprise to realise of late that our Facebook Page has become rather popular. We're approaching 6000 'likes'. We've almost trebled our number of 'likes' in 12 months, with a big spike when A-level results came out but continuing to grow at 50 - 80 new ones per week (see images below). This is especially impressive given that we've never posted a link on the homepage or main student pages of the website.
Our levels of interaction are relatively low; we get tiny numbers of 'likes' or comments on most posts and almost no questions on our wall, though we do very little to encourage any. But last night when I posted an update about our presence on University Challenge we picked up half a dozen comments and 45+ 'likes' within the hour. We also know that we get a small spike in traffic to stories on the website or videos on YouTube when we post them on Facebook. In short, it's clear that there's an audience out there and that it's comprised of people who, having sought us out, are interested in what we have to say (especially when we say something interesting!)
The ambition of Facebook's expansion - the changes to Messages announced yesterday, the Foursquare-style checkins, the open graph Facebook-isation of the whole Web and persistent rumours about ventures into search and mobile - mean users may well soon be spending even more time in Facebook. For the forseeable future we'll be continuing with our light touch approach, but as Facebook grows and our audience on Facebook grows too, we may find that we've accidentally grown a valuable communications channel deserving of much more attention.
Related info: For anyone wondering if their department or office should be on Facebook (or Twitter, or LinkedIn etc.), we're producing some guidelines to help you decide and to help you do it well if you do take the plunge. These aren't quite ready yet, but they're coming (better late than never!) In the meantime, feel free to contact us for individual help and advice.
Monday, 8 November 2010
Learning about accessibility
The web design and development education site Think Vitamin Membership have recently done something rather nice by making their whole series of accessibility videos available for free (you normally have to pay to view their videos).
The series starts with the absolute basics of what accessibility is and how different disabilities can impact a person's use of the web, and goes on to cover more advanced topics such as how to make dynamic web applications accessible, so there's something there for people of all experience levels. Even if you already know a bit about accessibility, these videos are a handy reminder.
The series starts with the absolute basics of what accessibility is and how different disabilities can impact a person's use of the web, and goes on to cover more advanced topics such as how to make dynamic web applications accessible, so there's something there for people of all experience levels. Even if you already know a bit about accessibility, these videos are a handy reminder.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Encouraging students to explore their campus - Foursquare for universities
I somehow missed this when it was launched back in September (probably because I was up a mountain in Peru, far away from the internet). The location-based social network Foursquare now offers a service specifically for higher education, with its Foursquare for universities programme.
The more playful side of it is the set of five badges for universities, including Campus Explorer for people who check-in at more than 10 locations on campus, and Campus Munchies for checking-in at five dining rooms on campus.
A more practical application of this could be the use of tips to provide helpful bits of information about campus landmarks, lecture halls, sports facilities, accommodation, catering facilities, etc. This could be really useful especially for potential students on open days and new students finding their way around at the start of term.
You also get the ability to define your own special offers - you could for example give discounts to the people who most frequently check-in to campus cafes and bars, which could work as an incentive to eat there rather than going off campus.
Via Mobile in Higher Ed
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