With Ball State students constantly connected to each other and the world via social media sites, it's no wonder that university departments are taking notice and wanting to create their own Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Today there is a workshop about planning and managing successful Facebook pages.
"The goal is just to give ideas and share strategies and techniques for departments that are interested in having successful Facebook pages for Ball State," Katie Bohnert, marketing communications manager for the university libraries, said.
Having a business Facebook is different than a personal profile, she said. There is a lot when it comes to managing social media and the workshop is designed to help integrate people into the changing technology of today.
Parking services has 200 followers and 17 tweets with @BSUParking, the University Police Department has 257 followers and three tweets with @BSUPolice and the College of Communication, Information, and Media has 1,109 followers and 1,589 tweets with @BSUCCIM. CCIM also has a Facebook page with 621 likes.
CCIM is one college on campus that has been active in the social media world.
"I feel like it has helped in part to establish a relationship with the current college, our students and our alums," Lori Byers, associate dean of CCIM, said. "It allows us to keep up with them and allows us to promote our current students."
For graduation in May, CCIM trended on Twitter for the Indianapolis area, showing that students are proud of their college and want to be a part of it after graduation, she said.
The desire to start using social media for CCIM was all about positive relationships.
"It's a great way to maintain that relationship while people are at school and after," she said. "Social media continues this incredible sense of communication on campus and virtually anywhere you are."
Alumni also use the Facebook page College of Communication, Information and Media Alumni Update to say where they are now, as well as post employment opportunities and internships.
Some departments, such as Parking Services, are just now getting into the social media trend with a Twitter account.
"We have just started using Twitter," Nancy Wray, parking services office manager, said. "BSU communications recommended that we get one. We went through them to set up a Twitter page and they suggested Twitter as opposed to Facebook."
Not all BSU departments or colleges are as avid social media users as CCIM. Parking services will be using Twitter for announcements such as parking lots closing, permits that are available for sale and general information.
CCIM uses its Facebook page as well as its Twitter account for promotional material, awards and to send out professional information.
Bohnert encouraged departments to attend the workshop to learn more about social media and how it can aid in helping to communicate with current students and alumni.
"It's for anybody who is interested in setting up a Facebook page or has one that hasn't been as successful as they hoped," she said. "It's about strategies for a new direction."
In the future, more Ball State departments and colleges may become connected through Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites.
"If I had it my way, every single current student and every single alumni would be connected to us," Byers said.
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