What is Twitter? Are you on Facebook? Have you seen the video on YouTube your students posted? So what?
As the social media revolution takes hold, these questions become less frivolous and more important for keeping abreast in a changing society. What does the social media revolution have to do with colleges and universities and engaging students, creating service learning opportunities and ultimately creating a more civil society?
As we ponder these questions, consider the most recent presidential election:
· 5 million Obama supporters networked across at least 15 social media sites.
· $6.5 million was contributed online by 3 million donors.
· 85 million people watched Obama on YouTube; 22 million watched McCain.
· Voter turnout reached nearly 57%, more than any election since 1968.
Engagement is up – political and beyond – and social media is playing a role.
We invite you to join us, whether in person or “virtually,” at the 2009 Missouri Campus Compact Conference in Jefferson City on September 25 to explore just what these social media tools are and what possibilities they may hold for us.
We’ll talk about the “what” of social media, discuss why it matters and share some ideas to get you started on the “how.” You can also participate in virtual conversations via Twitter and Facebook throughout the conference.
To join us via Twitter or Facebook you’ll need to create an account at http://twitter.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/. We’ll post additional information on how to participate as we get closer to the conference.
We’re also interested in how your institution is currently using social media to engage students. Please share your links and stories with us, e-mail to holly@umsl.edu . We’ll take some of the best examples and share them live on the big screen at our lunch session.
See you in Jefferson City, or on the web!
