Doing more with less: Creating an online community for accepted students

Doing More with Less: Creating an online community for accepted students Rachel Reuben Director of Web Communication & Strategic Projects, SUNY New Paltz rachelreuben.com doteduguru.com @rachelreuben

we’re all feeling the budget crunch • travel/conference budgets slashed • departmental budgets slashed • programs cut • endowments falling

we’re all feeling the budget crunch • losing positions through attrition, retirements & non- renewals • temp service budgets cut • reducing print even more • relying on Web and electronic media even more

what can you do? • partner with other departments • share/pool resources • interns, existing student staff • OLs, RAs, student ambassadors, greeters, etc. • task variety • beware of job enlargement / workload creep

how social media can help • Personal attention • One-on-one and one-to-many conversations • Social prooﬁng & viral marketing • Comfort level in their environment

how social media can help • Put personal face(s) to university • Build relationships & trust • listening - “grow bigger ears” http://is.gd/Nb8J • some free, most relatively cheap • reach more - targeted - with less

how social media *can’t* help • Not another bulletin board • Not a place to blow your horn • Not a place to jump up & down

another spoke in the wheel

online community for fall 2009 accepted students

what is Ning? • like Facebook • an online platform for users to create their own social Web sites and social networks • forums, videos, events, groups, personal proﬁles • ning.com • premium services / costs

admissions strategy • Accept ~4,400 students • Enroll ~1,100 students • Accept ~1,400 early action students • Maximize most highly selective students

admissions strategy • sticker on accept packet • invite students (upload ﬁle from Banner) • early action accepts Jan 1 - Feb. 21 • launched 1/2/09, invited 1,323 • all accepted students Feb. 21 - May 1 • invited 1,000 initially, then batches every 2 weeks • all transfer students mid-April - on

Café New Paltz: content • Baristas • Regular updates (videos with custom jingle) • Daily interaction, encouragement, conversation starters & joiners • “Café-shaped conversations” • personal, intellectual

Café New Paltz: results • Members: 690 • Paid PED: 52% • 70% from highest selectivity group • Photos: 1,168 • Videos: 22 • Forums: 93

Café New Paltz: additional beneﬁts • free(-ish) marketing research • no overhead account management - all done through Banner export / Ning import • give them a place to talk & converse on “our turf” without intimidating them

Café New Paltz: costs • $24.95/month to remove ads ($149.70 for 6 months) • ~$50 for props • existing resources • 2 HD Sony video cameras • Flip Mino video camera • student interns

Café New Paltz: anecdotes “I must be going. I’m deﬁnitely going to login again though. This is an amazing resource.” “Yeah, this is a pretty great thing set up here.” “Yeah, I’ve never run across a school with something this helpful & people this nice before! It’s great!” “I am really liking Café New Paltz. It is making it a lot easier to adjust & I think between this & orientation we should be good. :)”

Café New Paltz: after May 1 • asked the community • pitched to Student Affairs • Orientation connection • new baristas • fall

what about Facebook? • groups vs. Pages • member management nightmare • lack of design customization

our secrets • answer questions promptly • join in the conversation, encourage interaction • show examples at group tours & general info sessions • include links in e-mail correspondence • bags • interact postcards, Web site

things to consider • loss of control • time commitment • information overload • anyone can create an “ofﬁcial” account for your university

measurement • ROI --> return on inﬂuence • long tail effect • Café New Paltz • yield more highly selective students • think outside the box - Ning limitations & programming • quality not quantity (# of fans/followers/subscribers)

? ? questions Rachel Reuben reubenr@newpaltz.edu site: rachelreuben.com blog: doteduguru.com Twitter: @rachelreuben

Doing more with less: Creating an online community for accepted students

by Rachel Reuben on Jun 10, 2009

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