Over the weekend, Microsoft founder Bill Gates revealed that he recently left Facebook, after fielding too many 'friend' requests, this according to AFP. Gates, attending an event in New Delhi, told guests that he recently tried Facebook, but gave up after receiving over 10,000 requests.
Gates, who received the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and
Development from India's president for his work with the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, said technology has been "hugely beneficial"
but, "All these tools of tech waste our time if we're not careful."
Given Microsoft's global brand appeal and dominance, did Mr. Gates expect less from his Facebook experience? Or, perhaps he had no expectations at all.
Social Insight for Colleges and Universities
Similarly, colleges and universities - encouraged by a rising number of higher
education (ahem) social experts - too are rushing into social technologies
with little idea of how their students participate, what objectives
they will accomplish, and with no strategy ... well, other than
'everybody's doing it.'
I'm an unabashed advocate of social technologies within an interactive marketing framework. That is, we learn something from our prospective students during the recruitment marketing process, and act in ways that demonstrate we are listening. It's a dialogue, not the fire hose of communication most engage in today.
You Need a Social Plan
From our research at DemandEngine, many higher education institutions are applying the same enrollment marketing playbook of irrelevance to social channels with poor results.
Rather than signing up for the latest free internet tool, ask yourself the following questions:
- How you want to change your institutional relationship with students?
- What is your audience ready for?
- What are your objectives? Listening? Embracing? Supporting?
- What strategies will support it?
- Then and only then, ask what technology tools support your plan?
Note to higher education enrollment managers and marketers; social technologies are not a panacea.