Michelle Compton

In December TechCrunch published an excellent tutorial on how to hack the top row of Facebook pictures. Recently I was able to modify this to advertise for one of our events, a lecture by Duff Goldman.

First, this event was not well suited to the types of pictures otherwise used in these hacks (scroll to the end of the article to see some new pictures that have been used). I didn’t have one large picture we wanted to fill that space, but rather a series of information we wanted to display. Second, unlike personal profiles, the row of pictures on a Page is randomized from the last 5 posted pictures. Thus I had to create 5 separate images that would serve our need in any order.

Here’s how I did it.

1. Design 5 separate images for each of these blocks. Unfortunately I’m away from my work computer right now so I’ll update this with the size. If you are interested in changing your main profile picture too, you can do so with this template. I decided to keep our standard logo.

2. Create the template as outlined in the TechCrunch article. However, when you get to step #5, bring in each of your files, aligning them inside the template. Then proceed with the TechCrunch tutorial to step #8.

3. Create an album with these 5-6 pictures. There’s no tagging on a Page as there is on a profile so that won’t be necessary. Facebook will simply pull from your most recent album.

4. To take this one step further, you can now tag anyone in these pictures, creating the same look on their page. Remember for this you will want to tag the pictures in reverse order, last to first, on how you want them to appear.

If you add new pictures in an album owned by your page before you are ready to remove this banner, you can just click the x on each photo to hide it. If you want to unhide pictures later go to Edit Page > Profile Pictures and at the bottom you will see “Row of photos at top of profile: Unhide All.” Or simply click on Change Picture from the profile picture.

Let me know what you do with your pictures – I’d love to see what other creative options people create!

Out of my own love for the technology I’ve basically become a spokesperson for GroupMe. As soon as I became an active texter I started complaining that I wanted the ability to group chat on my phone and goodness am I thankful someone figured it out for me.

What is it?

From their website: “Start groups with the people already in your contacts. When you send a message, everyone instantly receives it—it’s like a private chat room that works on any phone.”

You create and name the group and they give it an individual phone number.  Save this number in your phone and keep it as long as needed.  One night, one week, or forever. When people respond, the text goes to everyone in chat style. You can even use it to create a conference call by dialing just that number. And if you need to reference what was said or miss something, the conversation is saved in your account online. The possibilities are endless.

Work Uses

I advise a student programming board, SUA, at the University of Kansas.  If anyone has worked with a group of 18-23 year olds you know the easiest way to reach them is by text.  I first set it up for my executive members and then created groups for each of one of the teams I advise.  This puts the Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator, Peer Advisor and myself all reachable with one number.  We can make quick group decisions, schedule meetings, and get emergency information in a matter of seconds.  And best of all, I don’t have to send one text and receive 4 different answers.  Everyone sees the conversation.

One night during our campus movie series, the executive member on duty did not show up to sell tickets and it was 15 minutes before show time before I found out.  I was able to instantly dial one number and get them on a conference call to find out who didn’t show and who could go cover.

Last week we took 2 advisors and 6 students to the National Association for Campus Activities convention.  With several overlapping schedules, trying to find meals, and attempting to get everyone sitting together in a dark ballroom of thousands, GroupMe was absolutely necessary.  In fact it was so helpful that once I started telling the other advisors about it they were instantly wanting to set up a number.

Personal Uses

The very first GroupMe saved in my phone was called “OT-HM Pathway.”  It was created by my roommate and included us plus our best friend who lives a block away.  (We call our apartment OT and hers is HM.)  We use it absolutely endlessly.  Chatting about life, making plans, etc.  We’ve since added another number that incorporates a friend who doesn’t live in town.  We can give life updates and quirky bits of information all at once, keeping them in the loop despite being hundreds of miles away.

A couple of weekends ago our town was having an art walk.  I created a number that expired the next day just for those of us going that night to coordinate when and where to meet. Can you even imagine that back in the days of calling your parents collect from a payphone when you were ready to be picked up we would ever dream we’d be able to so simply coordinate with technology?

Features

Even though it is merely a year old, my HTC Hero is worn out and no longer likes to find new applications.  Thus I haven’t had much experience with the GroupMe application.  However this has allowed me to discover how simple it is to use with just the online interface and text commands.

I have set up so many groups and quickly learned that I can synchronize my GroupMe account with my Google Contacts (which also syncs with my phone).  So I can just start typing a name and the person’s phone number will be filled in for me.

Several text commands exist, such as being able to add members to the group on the fly (#add name number).  Additionally, at any time a member can mute the conversation from their phone with a simple #mute. When you send #unmute you are given link where you can see the transcript of the conversation you have missed.  This is especially helpful when my students decide to have completely unnecessary conversations using our number.

I’ve yet to experience the new location based feature, which looks like it revolutionizes GroupMe even further. Hopefully in a month we’ll be switching phone carriers, allowing me to get a new phone that likes adding applications and I’ll be able to take my GroupMe love to a whole new level. Meanwhile, thank you GroupMe for providing exactly the technology I desired and making life one step easier.

Every semester we publish a of calendar the semester’s entire events.  This semester we decided to include QR codes on every month, each offering a different opportunity.

Unless otherwise noted, we used a QR code generator by Kerem Erkan. (Thank you Nathan Haley.) You’ll notice that this site allows the code’s colors to be customized and we did use that option on a few of the codes.  However we found that the contrast must be strong for the code to work. The websites we inputted were shortened using the Google URL Shortner so that we could track usage.

January

This code took the user to a special link on our website that was not otherwise available.  It provided a text code that can be used as a buy-one-get-one coupon for our movie series.  Since this was early in the calendar we also included instructions on how to use the code.

February

For February we used Likify to generate Facebook Likes for our Page.  Likify provides an accoutn login, providing analytics (and the ability to change the direction of the code in case like me you incorrectly entered the information the first time and didn’t realize it until the code was printed).  As of halfway through the month we have received 29 views and 6 total Likes. This number is lower than I would hope but I do have to remember that people have to receive the calendar, scan the code and click “Like”.  With so many steps it is possible we lose people.

March

One of our largest events in March is Late Night Price is Right. This event is a full game show based on the original TV show. This code automatically generates a Twitter post that reads “I’m entered for an extra chance on stage at SUA’s Late Night Price is Right! #SUALNPR (RT for your chance)” through whatever Twitter application the user has installed. Hopefully the extra chance at being on stage for the show is an incentive.  We have incorporated our hashtag for easy tracking of entries and the call for retweets.

April

April marks the start of our Tunes @ Noon concert series.  This code takes the viewer to the page on our website that lists the bands which will be playing every Friday.

May

We sell a SUA Student Saver Card that offers students a series of discounts on our events and around campus.  The cards are sold primarily through optional campus fees. Since most students begin enrolling in May, we created a link to a post on our website that outlines the steps on how to purchase our card through optional campus fees.  Next to the code is information on all the available discounts.

June

The SUA Box Office sells discounted tickets to Worlds of Fun and the International Student Identity Card. The June code opens Google Maps through an application or their browser, giving directions to the SUA Box Office.

July

KJHK 90.1, the student run radio station at KU, is a sister organization to SUA through our parent department, Union Programs. They recently released applications for both Android and iPhone. With two codes on July, the user can download either application.

(As the semester progresses I will follow up with our findings on the most successful campaigns.)

At this moment I’m not even sure how I first discovered the wonder of the QR code but I know it was love at first sight.  I’ve since worked to discover new ways to include their use in our marketing strategies with Student Union Activities.

The first QR code we included was in an attempt to get more people Foursquare check-ins at our big comedy event of the year.

We first used a QR code to encourage people to check in at the venue and use our hashtag for the event #SUAaziz.  Our next large event was a concert by B.o.B and we used a similar poster with the hashtag #SUAbob.  We saw almost double the number of check ins for the second event. Honestly, half of it was the fun for us to develop the campaign.  Our use of QR codes has advanced quickly since these original events in September …. more to come.

Half of living in the world of student activities is being able to live in the moment (i.e. the two events that were happening in about 6 hours) and be working a semester ahead.  Our programming board is on a set schedule of always planning our events one semester in advance.  It gives us a lot more time to get the events planned and allows us to publish a professional calendar of all events at the start of each semester.

We are also already looking ahead to advertising our organization and opportunities to incoming students this summer at New Student Orientation. Just think, some of them haven’t even decided on KU and we already have opportunities planned for them! Not to mention their welcome week, Hawk Week, has been in the works since last August.

As the print deadline was quickly approaching, our office has been working and reworking paragraphs for the enourmous binder all incoming students receive and have made a fair amount of changes this year.

Student Union Activities (SUA) is a student organization that plans more than 250 events a year for the KU Community. SUA events are generated from seven student-coordinated committees, with programs and activities for a wide range of interests. Past events include bus trips to Kansas City’s First Fridays, lectures from Duff Goldman and Dan Savage, performances by B.o.B and Passion Pit, our very own Late Night Price is Right game show, and more. Get involved by joining one of the following student committees: Cultural Arts, Films & Media, Comedy & Music, Social Issues, Special Events, Communications, and Spirit.

Our office sells a SUA Student Saver Card through optional campus fees.  It allows students discounts across campus through our Union partners, free entry to our campus movie series, an opportunity at early ticket purchases and other unique opportunities.  Assuming the budget passes board this Thursday (and Andrew figures out how to install an Ethernet port behind the counter), we will also be adding a rewards program through a swipe function!

SUA Student Saver Card: For just $30, the SUA Student Saver Card is your ticket to movies, events, and discounts on the KU campus. Get free admission to more than 15 movies, from new releases to independent films.  You get discounts on select ticketed events, including headlining comedians, national bands and artists, and outstanding speakers. With the SUA Student Saver Card you will also be able to buy tickets before anyone else! Past advance ticketed acts for Student Saver Card holders have included B.o.B, Kathy Griffin, and Dan Savage. Plus, it’s a discount card too!  Simply show the card at the KU Bookstore and get 15% off your merchandise purchase (does not include textbooks, other stipulations apply). Get a free game of bowling at the Jaybowl, KU’s very own bowling alley, with the purchase of a shoe rental. If that wasn’t enough, get a free small soda with any purchase at all dining locations on campus. Also, earn rewards for attending SUA events – swipe your card at our events to earn prizes! For movie listings and full event schedules, go to suaevents.com, call (785) 864-SHOW, or stop by the SUA Box Office, Kansas Union, level 4.

And the biggest change in text? An overhaul of the naming and branding of the JR Williams Fund and the Hawk Zone.  The Williams Fund decided to take off the name JR, re-targeting their marketing, and we changed the name of the Hawk Zone to reduce confusion from the Hyvee Hawk Zone. Introducing the Williams FundU & The Hawks Nest:

Williams Fund U/SUA Hawk’s Nest. For only $25 you will receive membership in the Hawk’s Nest, a joint venture between Williams Fund U and SUA. Williams Fund U, formerly the Jr. Williams Fund, is the student membership option for the official fundraising arm of Kansas Athletics, the Williams Educational Fund.  Membership includes a free t-shirt, reserved football seating, free tailgates and free spirit items at every home football game, as well as other special spirit related opportunities.  In addition, you will accrue priority points towards future season ticket locations, which combined with the All-Sports Combo, value at up to $1,500 credit per season!  For more information, please visit williamsfund.com or suaevents.com.

Welcome incoming students, we are already excited you’re here … and you don’t even know it yet.

Every year at work during the winter break, we are given a topic on which to reflect and write a short essay.  One of the topics this year involves a noticeable change in student behavior.

We have been talking since October about the difference in this current group of student leaders.  They require a great deal more hand-holding and question answering.  In my time as a student leader, we had much more philosophical questions.  The things we did without asking anyone if it was alright, or how to go about it, are astonishing compared to my current students.  For goodness sakes two of my best friends waged a war against athletics for a fee that was seemingly illegally obtained, going all the way to the Chancellor with their presentation and documents.

We keep saying simply “We want them to fight us,” and “Just do something.”  We want the students to push back on our ideas, push back on “what’s how we’ve always done it,” and just run with an idea.  Want to add an eight programming committee focusing on food?  Let’s do it.  But you have to, I’m not going to write the by-laws.

There’s a lot of basic variables in the differences between my time and my current leaders:

1. I had less advisors and their duties were much more diverse, allowing much less one-on-one time. Whereas my students are required one hour every week with myself and an executive peer advisor where we discuss every necessary detail.

2. I wasn’t on scholarship or being paid.  I was placed in my position by another student without a lot of opportunity for advisor weigh-in.  Although I am not a voting member of the panel, myself and the other advisors, including the head of our corporation, assist in the selection process.

3. We were a part of the student government and thus not a part of a corporation as my students are currently.  Many decisions affect contracts and the business opperations of other departments (Bookstore, Dinning, etc) and thus must be cleared through necessary avenues.

Yet dispite these basic differences, i can even see a change across the past few years.  They had ideas and they ran with them.  So what’s changed?

I’m having a hard time answering that question.  I’m afraid I’m having a hard time because I am focusing too much on it being a generational issue and/or an access to communication.  I am seeking an article that clearly proves that access to social media and smart phones have made my students more inclined to ask, knowing they can get a quick response.  I wouldn’t have dared call my advisor after normal hours (granted those went until 7 pm or later most nights) and yet now my students text and contact me via social media almost 24/7.  Even though I have yet to find anyone else supporting this idea, I still stand by it.

Now that brings me to the second half of this topic’s prompt which is: “How do we address this?”  To which I am unsure.  The simple response is seemingly to be less available.  Go back to my early days three years ago where I would barely answer texts and questions via social media would wait until the morning.  That’s easy to do I suppose.  But how do we pull back further?  How do we stop answering as many questions in general.  Because even if I’m waiting until morning.  They are still getting a response.

And can we even pull back?  Is that feasible for the operations of our office? And is everyone ready to let go of that control?  This second half is something to which I am going to need to give a lot more thought.

If anyone has experiences, advice or similar theories they would like to share, I’d readily welcome them.

My quest for a personal connection with religion began years ago, with the understanding I would get there someday.  There was never a doubt in my mind that I would be on this path for a while, with some sort of ‘end’ eventually becoming clearer.  In fact when asked my religious beliefs I always wrote “TBD.” With Christmas approaching the past few weeks, I have found myself thinking more about my current status on my path of religious discovery and consequently what Christmas truly means to me.  My reason for the season.

My father was raised Baptist, more as a thing his parents believed should be done than something in which they believed themselves.  Upon discovering science, he never saw room for both to exist in his life. My mother has never said much specifically about religion but always saw it as a sense of community. I was put in many church summer camps throughout the years at various churches, simply as an experience.  And anytime they became too fundamental, I was instantly removed.  One of my favorite childhood stories involves me being instantly withdrawn from a summer camp when I brought home a black bead to symbolize my sin.  My mom was much too liberal for most churches in the area.

Consequently I’ll give any church, any religious experience at least one try. The first time I ever connected with a church was a nondenominational Christian church in Kirkwood, MO which several of my friends attended.  I probably would have attended more if it wasn’t an hour away – which is a big drive for a young high school student in West County. The mid-week youth group grabbed me and was just down the street. Questions were presented as possibly having many answers, everything was largely up to your own interpretation, yet they always concluded with the doctrine of the church. Guidance with room for an individual experience.

Along the way I had also attended Catholic mass, services at a few different Methodist churches, and for a while attended a Baptist youth group (and church a few times) with a boyfriend.  Let’s just say that of all of that, the Methodist church stood the best chance.  In an attempt for more education on all religion I even had the chance to attend an open house at a mosque in Columbia.  It was a bit of a rushed experience and I wish I could see it and the operations on an average day.  There’s a few other religions on that wish list as well, which I need to force myself to make happen.

In the past year I’ve felt a greater pull to explore my beliefs.  In one day I started my morning at the Unitarian Universalist Church and ended with Solemn High Mass at Trinity Episcopal Church.  The high mass was beautiful. Rich in tradition and unlike any service I had witnessed before.  But to me it was more of a beautiful show than something with which I connected. However, the entire time I was at the church I thought “what a beautiful start to the week they have.” Such a warm, intense mass before entering Monday morning.

At the Unitarian Universalist Church I witnessed the Water Ceremony which begins their year. Having been founded largely by professors who traveled during the summer and returned for the academic year, this ceremony was basically to bring back home a piece of their journeys.  Each member collects water from their summer (or brings water to represent something symbolizing their summer) and pours it into one bowl as they tell the congregation of it’s significance.  The bowl is then used to water the plants around the Peace Pole. “The combined water is symbolic of our shared faith coming from many different sources.” This was an excellent introduction for me.  “Shared faith coming from many different sources” was exactly what I was seeking.

Another religious experience of note was my visit to the Washington National Cathedral.  For someone on a shoestring budget and without a car, getting from Foggy Bottom where I was staying to the Cathedral was a journey.  As that summer I was determined to see every inch of the city, I made the trek one Saturday.  And I was instantly in awe. Something felt so right.  To say I got chills isn’t exactly correct but I knew I could stand there and experience it for days. I’m a tactile person to say the least and all I wanted to do was stand and touch the columns.  The tour guide said words that amplified the feeling: “We are a place of worship for all.” I learned that they held daily prayers for peace, to which anyone was welcome.  Then I found their mission statement:

Washington National Cathedral is a church for national purposes called to embody God’s love and to welcome people of all faiths and perspectives. A unique blend of the spiritual and the civic, this Episcopal Cathedral is a voice for generous-spirited Christianity and a catalyst for reconciliation and interfaith dialogue to promote respect and understanding. We invite all people to share in our commitment to create a more hopeful and just world.

Over the past year I’ve started to think Christianity will never be the true definition of my heart.  Yet at the same time that leaves me feeling very lost.  Where do you even begin as a white, suburban girl if Christianity is not your calling?  Everything I read about Buddhism pulls me in deeper.  Reading “Eat Pray Love,” my head was spinning and yearning to know more during the “Pray” section. Eastern religions seemingly carry something to which my heart responds.  This chapter of my journey stands simply at that: an understanding I need to do more research in this direction.

It wasn’t until my Grandpa passed that I started to ask more questions about my grandparents involvement in their church.  It was obvious at his funeral that it was significant.  Everyone there (and the church was packed) knew him from his town’s library or church.  I had known that my Grandfather had used his religious beliefs to carry him through what I know was an extremely dark time in his life. Suddenly his house was full of books, crosses, and they were hosting Bible Study weekly.  What I didn’t know, was that my grandma had always been active in her church.  It suddenly made a great deal of sense.  I had many childhood memories of “the Church Ladies” and attending social events with them.  Now I realize/know that all of these events involved my Grandma fundraising for the church.  When my Grandpa passed I realized all of my Grandma’s “dear friends” formed a group of four couples who had carried the church for years.

Before every holiday meal my Grandmother pulls together the entire family and says grace.  It’s the only time everyone is silent and standing in one place.  It’s the only time you can even hear yourself think in that house.  Every year it’s a thankfulness for what we have and a wish for peace. It’s one of my favorite family traditions, something of which I’m not sure she’s aware. It’s a grounding experience unlike anything else.  Last Christmas I held my youngest cousin (2 at the time) against me while my Grandma said grace and was overwhelmed.  Thankfulness, peace, and a desire to cry.

One reason I’m not sure Christianity is my home is that prayer, in the sense of a conversation with God, has never appealed to me.  In fact it makes me warm, uncomfortable, and feeling fake.  The idea of mediation is much more appealing.  A time of grounding and re-centering.  Not a conversation with an entity that I don’t even believe needs to hear from me or to whom I need to directly converse.  I believe this is why my Grandma’s grace impacts me to such a great extent.  Surely it’s the tradition as well, but a moment of only my Grandma’s voice, being thankful for all we’ve been given and asking for peace, feeling the energy of my silent family honestly surrounding me, that’s what it should be.

All of my experiences, all of these moments and encounters that I know are leading me to a journey, which surely will never end, but has developed some more concrete answers lately.  I’ve realized I believe most all religions are worshiping the same entity/entities.  Too many of the stories overlap and carry the same ideas for them not to have developed from one place. Their unique differences developed from individualized cultures and specific societal needs.  Religion is an incredible defining characteristic of one’s culture and society and thus it makes sense so many would be tailored to specific needs/desires.

But is it a God who intervenes on our behalf? Is the path already set before birth in a sense of fate? Is it simply a biotic relationship and the answer to ‘What is the meaning of life” is simply that there is none? Imagine me driving down the highway on my way to St. Louis for winter break, contemplating such.  I suppose there must be some version of a god/goddess/gods which exist for the human mind to have created such stories across numerous locations with intense similarity.

Where does this all leave me as of current? With a clearer understanding than ever before, because I finally understand my search will not come simply by finding a physical church in which I call home.  Honestly, I believe I may have found that in the Unitarian Universalists.

Unitarian Universalism is a religious community characterized by support for a “free and responsible search for truth and meaning”.  Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the belief that an individual’s theology is a result of that search and not obedience to an authoritative requirement. Unitarian Universalists draw on many different theological sources and have a wide range of beliefs and practices.

I can call a church (thus a building and congregation) as ‘home’ and look to it to keep me pushing myself on my path, but my decisions and beliefs will be my own, built off as many experiences as I can afford.

I could go on for pages more about the ties between religions and the universal themes present and especially how they have shaped my definition of Christmas, but I’ll save that for another time.

This Christmas Eve I’m attending a church service for the first time ever.  I suddenly got the desire a week ago.  Instead of driving an hour in the snow to the Unitarian Universalist Church to which I was originally feeling called, I’ve elected to spend the evening with my baby cousins at the Methodist Church around the corner.  Family defines Christmas for me in a greater way than any other message I will receive that night.  Family creates the traditions I call Christmas more than the Christian definition of the holiday.

Ultimately, my reason for the season …..

My holiday season begins in Thanksgiving, includes the Winter Solstice, an Americanized Christmas, and concludes on the New Year – my birthday.  A time to be thankful for my past year, for the experiences which have shaped me, good or bad. A reflection on how I’ve grown and where I’m headed.  A thankfulness for the world around me, the natural impacts on my well-being as a human and the mulualistic relationship in which we exist.  A time of family, traditions, watching baby cousins grow, spending time with my mom, hearing my Grandmother say grace.  Celebrations with friends I love more than words, in a true form only we could manage.  A moment of self reflection and a heartfelt thank you to whatever is guiding us.

Being able to interact with the actual product will absolutely change my opinions, but watching the official video offers my initial reactions to Facebook’s new messaging.  Here’s my stream of consciousness responses as the video plays.

1. I appreciate the concept.  Conceptually the idea of “a person and a message” is very reflective.  I would love to see the orginal conversations and brainstorming ideas on this in a conference room.  I think this is something which can be, and has in fact, been discussed at length in regards to social media entirely.   I would have died for a course in college that discussed the sociology of social media.  And I feel like “a person and a message” sums up that course.

2. It seems that Facebook is taking every current social media communication style and merging it into one idea.  Which seems to be their style – hijacking other ideas and not really coming up with anything new.  Although I’ll outright say that I think Facebook half-asses most of their new updates and imagine this won’t completely make the mark the first time.  Most of their ideas aren’t completely orginal, just newly intergrated into their already existing a product in constant motion.  Take chat for example.  Facebook chat still doesn’t consistantly work correctly.  For goodness sakes AOL’s AIM has been around since I was in middle school.  Don’t reinvent the wheel.  Possibly there’s something more complicated here that dives deeper into programming but …. still.  Functioning chat shouldn’t be hard.  So I’m ready to see all the ways their grand ideas are not completely reached in a fully functioning advancement.  Off that soapbox and back to the original idea, it seems that this is going to be integrating Twitter, chatting, email …. but I don’t feel like I need to.  In fact my gut reaction was that my phone basically accomplishes allowing me to have everything together.  It can use gmail, gchat, facebook, twitter …. In fact I talk with two of my best friends all day long across all four and don’t ever feel like it needs to be more completely in one place.

3. I don’t have the issue of an email from my friend falling between two emails about bills as the video claims.  Between my own labeling system and priority inbox from gmail, I only have to see the emails I want and need to deal with in that moment.  And I can block anything I’d like.

4. This will never cause the end of email as everyone has been crying if there is no way to BCC or include a subject line.  It is instantaneously impractical for business usage.  Didn’t I read that the original ideas where from high schoolers?  We spend the entire time my college students are in office explaining the practicalities of using BCC and CC to your advantage.  The politics and benefits of such are a sole bullet point on our training agendas.  Don’t fear email – you will still be needed.

5. My “box of letters” is in fact my gmail.  My Facebook messages are forwarded to email.  I can get mention notifiers to my email.  My gchat history is saved.  It contains my entire SMS backup.  And if I simply search “Annie” it comes up with every conversation I’ve had with her across all such locations.  And it’s easier to scan as I can remember where we had the conversation, or still search if I can’t remember the venue of the conversation.  In fact 2 hours ago I searched “Annie hair Sarah” and found where she had given me the phone number of her hair dresser, Sarah.  I couldn’t remember if it was gchat or SMS but by that search I was able to scan both areas.

Ultimately I might end up loving Facebook messages but I’ll be honest in saying that Google currently runs my life and I don’t see that ending anytime soon.  And Facebook has yet to do anything I find completely revolutionary.  Here’s to proving me wrong.

(Handout from a presentation I gave at the 2010 NACA Central Conference.)

Playbook Secrets: How to Effectively Use Social Media for Cheap Marketing
Better understand why and how you should be using the social media greats (Facebook, Twitter) plus a few new sites (Foursquare, Gowalla).  Learn these tricks to market your events for free, including a few off the beaten path ideas!
Presenter: Michelle Compton, Student Development Advisor, University of Kansas
mcompton@ku.edu (636) 236-8901

1. What types of social media are you using?  What level?
2. Facebook
   1. The Page
      1. Do you have one?
      2. Difference between Profile and Page.
   2. Conversation
      1. The number one thing to remember about Facebook when using it in a business context is that social media is a conversation.
      2. Your users want to have a conversation to hear, be heard, and share.
   3. Negative feedback
      1. Based on research on best brand practices, it’s the decision of my communications team to not delete negative comments.  We want our social media pages to be true and active engagement, not forced and not censored.  Granted with being associated with the University we do watch for extremes such as very objectionable language or harassment.
      2. Additionally we have a standard response: “We are sorry that you are not excited about this particular event. At our website www.suaevents.com you can find our full line up of events for the year.  We hope to see you at another event.”
   4. Tone
      1. Users joined Facebook to find their friends, not just read another online advertisement.
      2. We try to use a lot of “I” and “We”
   5. Ripple Potential
      1. Think about your own personal use of Facebook.  Status updates that provoke you are the ones you notice the most and, consequently, the ones on which you comment, or better yet, “Like”.  Asking questions, posting trivia, and leading up to big announcements via status updates go a long way.
      2. Get on the News Feed!
         1. RESOURCE: “Cracking the Facebook Code” Thomas Weber, October 18, 2010, http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-10-18/the-facebook-news-feed-how-it-works-the-10-biggest-secrets
            1. “It’s not the amount of activity you  have, but the type”
               1. “Having friends who stalk you will help your popularity”
                  1. Facebook sees you as someone in which people will be interested.
               2. “Links appear more frequently than status updates-presumably because links are more effective at driving ‘user engagement,’ which translates into people spending more time on Facebook.”
               3. Photos
                  1. “Facebook likes clicks, and photos deliver them.”
               4. Comments
            2. What’s the overall lesson? Engagement!
   6. Basics
      1. Changing Profile Pictures
      2. Tagging in status updates
      3. Asking questions, getting feedback
      4. Contests (beware Facebook regulations)
      5. Having the audience post pictures
      6. Post pictures from an event
      7. Have your students suggest to friends
      8. Brand event pages
         1. Contact SUA:
         2. CALL (785) 864-SHOW
         3. VISIT http://www.SUAevents.com/
         4. FOLLOW http://www.twitter.com/SUAevents
      9. Paid advertisements?
   7. Look at businesses
      1. Coca-Cola, Red Bull
      2. Create your own landing page
         1. “HOW TO: Build a Facebook Landing Page for Your Business”, Matt Silverman, http://mashable.com/2010/02/22/build-facebook-landing-page/
3. Twitter
   1. Conversation
   2. Hashtags!
      1. National Convention #naca2011
      2. Central Convention #nacacen10
   3. Make a customized background
      1. “Branding Yourself on the New Twitter” CreativePro.com http://www.creativepro.com/article/branding-yourself-new-twitter
   4. “Personal” Accounts: @SUA_Michelle
4. HootSuite.com
   1. Accessible anywhere.  Even has a mobile app that syncs with your account
   2. Allows for scheduled posting on Facebook and Twitter
   3. Additionally you can have members of a team linked
   4. Stats
      1. Links most clicked
      2. Mentions
5. Location Based
   1. Foursquare/Gowalla
      1. On Foursquare, a user “checks in” to locations (as pinpointed via satellite) to invite along friends, leave tips glued to GPS coordinates (like ordering advice at restaurants), and compete for digital rewards in the form of badges, or titles like “mayor” (for the user who checks in the most at a venue). Similarly, Gowalla asked users to check in places in order to collect digital goodies, akin to virtual geocaching.
      2. Foursquare is positioning itself primarily as a social utility and city guide, while Gowalla is leaning toward its gaming roots and attempting to bridge the gap between virtual and tangible goods.
         1. “Foursquare vs. Gowalla: Inside the Check-In Wars,” Shane Snow, March 11, 2010, http://www.fastcompany.com/article/foursquare-vs-gowalla-who-will-rule-the-check-in-at-sxsw
   2. Do you have a Box Office or any office where you would like to drive traffic?  Offer a special for checking in.
      1. Get a window cling
      2. Foursquare Makes it Easy for Businesses to Sign Up, Jennifer Van Grove, http://mashable.com/2010/04/22/foursquare-claim-your-business/
   3. Specialized venue check ins for events verse existing venues
      1. Lose information if not managing but splits numbers
   4. Integration with hashtags