Twitter is more commonly used by AU’s administration than indicated in a recent study evaluating how colleges use the site, ranking AU 65th out of 100.
An educational resource Web site titled UniversitiesAndColleges.org conducted a study evaluating the colleges listed on the U.S. News and World Report 2010 College Rankings and how they used Twitter. The study reported that the administration only uses six Twitter accounts. An unofficial count by the The Eagle proved this report incorrect. There are at least 18, including the Career Center, the Kogod School of Business, ATV, AU Athletics, AU Admissions, Student Government, the College of Arts and Science Undergraduate Advising and more.
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SCHOOLS WITH MOST ACCOUNTS 1. U of Florida: 24 2. U of Georgia: 22 3. Carnegie Mellon U: 17 4. GWU: 17 5. U of Mich.: 16 * AU: 6 MOST-FOLLOWED SCHOOLS TOP TWEETING NUMBERS —NUMBERS AND RANKINGS FROM UNIVERSITIESANDCOLLEGES.ORG |
The data was collected from Twitter.com in September 2009 in conjunction with TweetStats, taking into account the numbers of accounts and the number of followers, according to UniversitiesAndColleges.org.
“As the data was collected in the past, follower counts and user statistics have since changed. We believe these findings still provide an accurate picture of Twitter usage at top educational facilities,” the Web site reads. It also said its findings lead it to conclude that more prestigious and famous universities use Twitter more frequently than lesser-known schools.
The study — which counted accounts of departments officially affiliated with a university — ranked the University of Florida as the “top” Twitter school, with 24 administrative accounts. George Washington University ranked fourth with 17 Twitter accounts and Georgetown 43rd with nine accounts. State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the University of Denver tied for last place with only one account.
AU recently created its official Twitter account last week under the username AmericanU, according to manager of Web Communications Jonathan Hussey. The account’s goal is to share the work of AU students, faculty and alumni to the general public.
“We want to give anybody who follows AU the idea of what we do,” Hussey said.
AU Media Relations, as a department, is working on developing social media strategies, and he believes the trend will continue to expand on campus.
“I think university-wide, everyone is realizing Twitter isn’t just a flash in the pan — that it’s a valuable tool,” Hussey explained.
AU’s Twitter use could be helpful if it provided additional information students wouldn’t normally have access to, said Sydney Schwartz, a senior in the School of International Service.
“[O]ne of the main reasons I don’t have Twitter [is] because I feel it just duplicates information,” she said. “If AU Today is tweet[ed out], it wouldn’t be that beneficial. I think a lot of students would find it silly.”
However, she said she understands why AU is beginning to immerse itself in social technology.
The AU Career Center began tweeting over the summer, according to Geoff Silverstein, assistant director of marketing for the Career Center. Its purpose is to share information about career development, not only with the AU community, but with other career experts as well.
Silverstein estimated about 50 percent of its over 400 followers are AU students. The Career Center seeks to pass along information on Twitter because its staff members are aware of its growing student body presence, he said.
“I think it’s a convenient way to convey information that students are increasingly comfortable with,” Silverstein said.
AU’s community can expect to see its administrators tweeting more in the future, he said.
“It’s definitely happening — we’re seeing more and more Twitter accounts,” he said. “[AU] is doing a great job embracing these tools.”
You can reach this staff writer at srudnick@theeagleonline.com.
