Archive for the ‘twitter’ tag
Social Media and the SSAO
Social Media and the Senior Student Affairs Officer (SSAO)
Educate, Engage, and Energize Students
With the rapid growth of social media and accompanying surge in online activity, particularly among university and college students, student affairs staff are using the latest technologies to engage students and forge stronger ties to programs, services, and events. Increasingly, senior student affairs officers (SSAOs) are building their own communities and initiating important conversations through a variety of social media sites. This article provides an overview of social media and how it can help student affairs make and keep vital connections. Read the rest of this entry »
Student Affairs Live – Episode 1
Yesterday’s first episode of Student Affairs Live with Ed Cabellon went amazingly well. Ed, as always, rocked with insightful commentary / answers and the #SAlive backchannel on Twitter was super active. According to the stats, we had 70 viewers of the live broadcast! More than 270 tweets were posted to the backchannel. Overall, an amazing debut for the show. Student Affairs Live is part of the Higher Ed Live network and is sponsored by Inigral.
The next live show will be on Wednesday, March 23rd at 1:00PM PT with Laura Pasquini. Laura will be talking about Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) and the End of Silos in Higher Education.
Here are some of the top tweets from yesterday’s show:
Read the rest of this entry »
Social Media Unsessions at #NASPA11

I’m excited to announce that I will be leading two “unsessions” at the 2011 NASPA Conference. I’ll be facilitating two separate conversations. The first unsession will focus primarily on Twitter best-practices for professional development as well as how to use Twitter to connect with students. The second unsession is for folks who are ready to have a conversation about advanced social media tactics, strategies, and implementations. See you in Philly!
Twitter 202: Beyond #hashtags, @lists, and RTweets
Tuesday, March 15
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM
115 – B – Convention Center
Although only recently picked up by the general population, Twitter is now commonplace for individuals wanting to get breaking news. But Twitter is more than finding out what people are eating or the latest gossip. Attendees of this unsession should come prepared to share how they utilize Twitter in their professional development, as well as best practices for connecting with students. Please note, attendees of this unsession will benefit most if they already have a basic understanding of Twitter.
Social Media: Advanced uses, tips, and strategies for SA Pros
Tuesday, March 15
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
115 – B – Convention Center
Social Media sessions have been highlights of student affairs conferences for several years. It’s now time to talk about how we have been using the tools in strategic ways to communicate and create connections with our students. This unsession will be a facilitated conversation for members of the community to share their social media best practices and advanced techniques for using social media to enhance their professional “tech-deavors”. Be ready to chat, share, and learn about advanced uses of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube…a.k.a. “The Big 3.”
In addition to the two social media unsessions that I’m leading, there are two other must-attend sessions:
Social Media, Enriched Professional Development and the Future of Student Affairs
Coordinating Presenter: Mamta Accapadi
Monday, March 14
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM
115 – B – Convention Center
Social Media is not just a way to reconnect with friends from your past or share what’s going on in your day in less than 140 characters. Social media, especially with regards to professional development, is also a fantastic way to connect with colleagues and delve deeper into conversations. Attend this session, facilitated by author of the Leadership Exchange article Integrating Technology into your Daily Routine, to discuss ways to enhance your professional development capacity here in Philadelphia and beyond.
Facebook, Flickr, Foursquare, Film (YouTube): Facilitating familiarity through social media
Coordinating Presenter: Nathan Victoria
Monday, March 14
3:45 PM – 4:30 PM
115 – B – Convention Center
A little more than five years ago, all of the social media channels listed above did not exist. Now, these channels are used constantly to form connections and market to our student bodies. Attend this unsession to share your best practices around these social media channels, as well as have conversations about challenges you are facing.
Campus Auxiliary Services Social Media Marketing Short Course
The campus auxiliary services social media and marketing short course that I created and presented for NACAS is now available for sale.
Are you or your staff tasked with managing or leveraging your organization’s social media / marketing ventures?
Social media is no longer an add-on for campus auxiliary marketers. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are now part of the traditional marketing mix. This two-part short course will teach you how to successfully leverage social media tools, mobile apps, and location-based services for sustainable auxiliary services marketing.
You’ll learn the latest strategies for creating a social media listening station and will learn how to effectively utilize: Facebook Places, Twitter Fast Follow, Foursquare, YouTube, SCVNGR, and QR Codes.
There were 64 institutions that signed up for the live webinar and over 500 total attendees. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The questions that I received from participants were tremendous. The short course is 2 hours of strategy combined with auxiliary services specific social media and marketing information.
#NASPA11 + #SAchat Tweetup
This year’s NASPA Annual Conference will be a social media student affairs extravaganza.
Have you signed up for the #NASPA11 #SAchat tweetup?
#NASPA11 Tweetup Sign Up Sheet
Monday, March 14 | 8:30 PM
Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Hotel Lobby
1201 Market Street
Meet, greet, and network with student affairs professionals from all over the world. The Philadelphia tweetup is going to be a major event. Don’t tweet? Never used Twitter? That’s okay, there will be plenty of folks to help get you into the Twittersphere. If you want to get a head start on learning how to use Twitter, I would highly recommend that you read this Twitter 101.
I’m guessing that a major topic of conversation will be the upcoming consolidation vote which begins on Tuesday, March 15th.
3 social media apps for listening / engaging
I’ve been testing out 3 web-based social media apps. Built to leverage the API’s of sites like Twitter and Facebook, these apps are web-based and can be accessed from any net enabled computer. TweetDeck (Chrome only), HootSuite, and Seesmic are all amazing in terms of functionality. I tested them all out using Google’s Chrome browser. This was mostly due to the fact that TweetDeck is only available as a web app via Chrome.
Aesthetically speaking, I really like the look and feel of Seesmic. It’s been my favorite Twitter app on Android and the web-based version doesn’t disappoint. It’s feature-rich and integrates the following social media services: Twitter, Foursquare, Google Buzz, Facebook, and LinkedIn. TweetDeck works almost as well as the desktop version. HootSuite has long been a popular alternative to TweetDeck. However, I find it’s interface to be less intuitive and quite a bit more “clunky” than Seesmic or TweetDeck. The API connection that TweetDeck leverages in Chrome is impressive. Tweets stream into your web browser almost as fast as they are posted. This makes it very easy to participate in Twitter-based chats using “ChromeDeck.”
In terms of social media listening / engaging, I would recommend that you try out all 3 apps to determine which one works best for you. I’ve been using TweetDeck in Chrome for fast-paced Twitter chats and Seesmic works really well in Firefox. HootSuite offers up a paid, Pro service for folks who want access to a larger feature set. It will be interesting to see how these app providers can continue to provide such amazing apps while at the same time covering their operating costs. While these apps are certainly not as powerful as the social media listening stations that Gatorade and Dell launched last year, I’m certain that you can do quite a bit with a browser, a connection to the Internet, and one of these web-based social media apps.
Which of these 3 apps do you use? Do you use something else?
Under the radar – #sachat needs to follow @tsand
One of my most favorite student affairs professionals is also one of the most unique SA pros in the biz. His name is Todd Sanders. As the Student Affairs “Web Guy” for the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, Todd is a prominent figure in the higher education web sphere. While I’ve never actually met Todd, I have virtually known him for several years. Having been a commenter on the higher education blogging circuit, I’ve run into Todd’s insightful comments for quite some time.
He’s also one of the funniest people that I “know” on Twitter. If you’re in student affairs and you don’t know Todd, it’s probably because there aren’t that many student affairs web devs in the SA-universe. The #SAtech crowd has had to regularly find communities that are outside of the usual student affairs associations. For example, I know that Todd has been a prominent member of the HighEdWeb crowd. It makes sense. Web Devs/Multimedia Producers/Marketers/Designers/etc. need to hang out with folks who share similar interests, challenges, and opportunities.
So why am I blogging about Todd this evening? Great question! The cool thing about Todd is that he is currently on the cusp of being a veritable student affairs celebrity for his overall amount of awesomeness.
Todd submitted the video at the top of this post for the Mercedes-Benz Tweet Race. His video was selected out of thousands of submissions. I mean, how could anyone resist the Mercedes-Benz logo made out of carrots! In all seriousness, Todd’s videography skills are top notch. I’ve never known anyone else in the student affairs community that can do what Todd does. I am thrilled that his video was chosen for this philanthropic contest.
“The Twitter-fueled campaign (http://on.fb.me/SBTweetRace) will put four two-person driving teams behind the wheels of specially equipped 2011 Mercedes-Benz vehicles – each embarking separately from Chicago, Los Angeles and New York and Tampa — on February 2 and converging on February 4 at Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas, Texas.
Mercedes-Benz is donating $25,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at the start of the race AND another donation of $20,000 if #MBteamS gets to Dallas with the most social points! However, if they can raise $5000 here, the grand total going to St. Jude will be $50,000!
Once the race starts on February 2, the driving teams will depart from their respective locations and attempt to generate as much Twitter activity, or “Tweet Fuel” as possible for their journey to Dallas. Over a three-day period, they will earn points not only for collecting Tweet Fuel, but for their performance on a series of social media-related challenges they will face along the way.”
So how do you help Todd, Team S, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital?
It’s simple:
Campus Auxiliary Services Marketing in 2011: Social Media, Mobile Apps, and Sustainable Strategies for Success
I’m pleased to announce that I will once again be teaming up with NACAS to present information/strategies for campus auxiliary services marketers:
Are you or your staff tasked with managing or leveraging your organization’s social media / marketing ventures?
Social media is no longer an add-on for campus auxiliary marketers. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are now part of the traditional marketing mix. This two-part short course will teach you how to successfully leverage social media tools, mobile apps, and location-based services for sustainable auxiliary services marketing.
You’ll learn the latest strategies for creating a social media listening station and will learn how to effectively utilize: Facebook Places, Twitter Fast Follow, Foursquare, YouTube, SCVNGR, and QR Codes.
Part 1: Feb 22, 2:00PM – 3:00PM EST
Part 2: March 1, 2:00PM – 3:00PM EST
*Includes some pre- and mid-event “homework.”
In partnership with NACAS – the largest auxiliary services support organization serving higher education.
Blogging for Inside Higher Ed
I’ve been blogging for Inside Higher Ed (IHE) for 6 months. The word cloud represents the most-used words in the 45 posts that I’ve written for my “Student Affairs and Technology” blog. Twitter has been one of my favorite topics to write about. It’s such a wonderfully versatile social media tool.
I’m thoroughly enjoying my ride as a blogger for IHE. I write at least 2 posts per week. As a seasoned blogger, having deadlines and a post quota has been incredibly motivating. My editor has a fantastic sense of humor. He has been a delightful boss. I can’t wait to see if I can crack 100 posts in 2011.
The only caveat of course has been that this blog has been a bit neglected. I’ve been much more active on Twitter in 2010. With a paid blogging gig and Twitter taking up more of my publishing time, I do try to put something up on this site from time to time. Stay tuned for significant site updates. I plan on incorporating more of my consulting endeavors on this blog as I continue to navigate the “Stoller Coaster.”
TweetDeck: The Best App for Twitter

I’ve been a big fan of TweetDeck for quite some time. It’s my go-to “mission control” app for Twitter. I generally have somewhere between 20 to 30 active panels of various searches, hashtags, and lists. The latest version of the TweetDeck desktop client incorporates “real-time streaming.” The nifty thing about TweetDeck is that it is available as a desktop client and as an app for iPhone, Android-based phones, and the iPad. If you want to leverage the power of Twitter as a communications and marketing platform, TweetDeck is by far the best free app for staying connected.




