Facebook at OTEN

Overview

• Why Facebook Matters?• Why use Facebook?• How do I manage it?• How do I promote it?• Pages or Groups?• What are others using?• Risks• What’s in it for me?

In a Nutshell

Purpose: Student Retention, Creates a community for students

Community Connecting

•Started at Harvard University commercially from 2006, •Now used by all Major Universities around the world.

Why use it?

Facilitate Communication • Share multimedia• Schedule events• Facilitate student connections• Make announcements• Share interesting websites

Why use it?

Benefits• Students are comfortable with Facebook• Informal• Promotes collaboration• Cuts down on Help Desk calls

If I don’t use it?

If you don’t students will anyway. You need to be in the space to be able to respond.

Rats in the kitchen

Business Admin – In the nick of time

Why use it?

Our students are on social media.

We should be too

Get our message to our students where they already are?

Why use it?You are in “their” space – responses are clearly visible to allStudents interact with each otherForming community

Are your Students still using Email?

How do I manage it?

Monitor• Monitor wall posts and comments (delete inappropriate comments)

Respond • Respond to comments that need response from teacher • leave other comments for other students to answer • you do not want to overwhelm them, let them have their space, you will find

that most questions are answered by other students • just monitor and respond when necessary.

Ask Questions• Whenever posting a URL or video or link etc, prefix with a question

Where do I promote it?

Everywhere!!Best Places to promote

• directly after enrolment(student enrolment email)

• OLS• Email Signature• Connect Sessions• Website • Cross Promote (Blog, Wiki, Twitter)

Pages or Groups• What is the difference?

Source: The Big Four: Social Media Sites Schools Can’t Ignore MAIS-TEC, April 2009Lorrie Jackson Director of Communications and Marketing Lausanne Collegiate School (Memphis, TN)

What Are Other Organisations Using?

RecommendationsOfficial Section Facebook Page, to start Possible: Other Facebook Group Pages (Cert II,

Diploma etc) as needed, if you are worried about privacy.

Main Section Facebook Page

Cohort/Course Group

Cohort/Course Group

Cohort/Course Group

How much time is this going to take?• EXAMPLE: Community Services Page• Manage a very active Page• Time spent per week on average = 2.5 hrs• Check Page once or twice a day

• Result: Dramatic Cut in Help Desk Calls

Other OTEN Examples