A good reference from Mashable. Here is a quick overview but check out the full article for details and screenshots.
Barack Obama, Ashton Kutcher and even Red Bull, I expect… but a Catholic University and a board game? Now that makes the list (included in A Roundup of 20 Effectively Branded Facebook Pages) a little more interesting.
Facebook allows developers to create their own custom tabs, using either Flash or Facebook’s own markup language. Some more forward-thinking companies have now taken the opportunity to do this.
And, I have to admit, that I might just friend Threadless after checking out the effort they have put into their presence on Facebook. A clean design and great community interactivity, all rolled into an above-average Facebook page.
Here is the list from @DailySEO.
Read more about why these 20 were chosen.
I don’t know that I will pay for the full study, but I do appreciate the summary of key findings by @derekeb from the recent January issue of Developmental Psychology entitled “Adolescent peer relationships and behavior problems predict young adults’ communication on social networking websites.”
One finding showed that…
“The interactions young adults are having on their Facebook and MySpace pages are more similar to than different from the interactions they have in their face-to-face relationships”
It is just nice to see some research that shows the positive reinforcement social tools can have on relationships… Check it out!
Do HS students really want an Admissions counselor friending them on Facebook?
As a smaller agency, we don’t have the resources to do some of the heavy lifting to get the research we need to create an intergrated campaign for a higher education client. Really, with such great companies out there who specialize in the heavy lifting (research) it frees us up to be creative. No need to reinvent the wheel here.
So, that was why I was happy to stumble accross James Tower’s resent research - Scrolling Toward Enrollment: Web Site Content and the E-Expectations of College-Bound Seniors
It is a study of 1,000 students asking them some tough questions… do you really want an Admissions counselor friending you on facebook? Do you want to get financial aid info sent to you via text message? And many more.The findings are informative and insightful.
Here are a few of my favs…
How do you find a school online?
- Google or other search to find schools by name—41%
- Use a site to match me, like My College Options or The College Board—38%
- Enter words or phrases into Google—35%
- Refer to a printed document with a URL—13%
- Use NCAA or other athletic site—5%
- Guess until I get it—4%
- Research on MySpace or Facebook—3%
New marketing tools will come and go, but a well-built website will always be the top place to focus attention.
Respondents listed the following as their top five content items for campus social networking:
- Discussions about courses and academics
- Discussions about student activities and extracurricular options
- Insight into school culture and diversity
- Communication with current students and faculty
- Communication with prospective students
Colleges and universities need to start a converstation with students about things they want to talk about. A Facebook page is a must. A Twitter account is great. But what are you saying and who is listening? Better yet, is what your are discussing interesting enough to be passed on?
