WU social media draws prospective students

By Jonathan McFadden

mcfaddenj@mytjnow.com

Graphic by Jonathan McFadden & Shatesha Scales • mcfaddenj@mytjnow.com, scaless@mytjnow.comBefore marching in the traditional Blue Line, Loren Mixon already had her first taste of the type of people she would meet at Winthrop.

It wasn’t from the visits to campus the freshman made during the summer or on Friday afternoons. It was on the Winthrop class of 2014’s Facebook page where Mixon, English secondary education major, met a potential roommate and got to know some of her classmates through a game called ‘Hit or Miss.’ 

The game’s format: a student would list something about himself, such as his enjoyment of basketball.

Other students would respond with similar interests, saying, “I like basketball.” That would be called a hit.

If someone didn’t like basketball, they would call it a miss. 

“You get a bunch of really random information about people you don’t even know,” Mixon said. 

So it is with the world of social media, and Winthrop has jumped on the same bandwagon, bringing with it more interaction with prospective and current students.

The office of admissions uses Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Youtube, along with Foursquare and Gowalla, two social media networks allowing students to ‘check in’ to their geographical locations.

Students who check in on Winthrop’s Foursquare account can win a free T-shirt.

Despite the versatile options, Facebook remains the most popular social network among current students, said Rebecca Whitehead, assistant director of campus visits, engagement and student recruitment. 

Rebecca Whitehead uses the admission office’s Facebook page. The university is affiliated with about 20 social media websites, according to Winthrop’s social media webpage. Photo by Stephanie Eaton • eatons@mytjnow.com“That’s where we see the most interaction,” Whitehead said.

Not only do students flock to the Facebook page to receive updates, but they also enjoy looking at themselves in tagged pictures, Whitehead said.

Judy Longshaw couldn’t agree more.

“People tend to be very visual these days,” Longshaw said. “They like to see themselves.”

As one of the three staff members in University Relations that handles Winthrop’s social media presence, Longshaw helps manage Winthrop’s image and Internet interaction in a variety of social media outlets.

Some of those outlets include Youtube and Del.icio.us, a bookmarking service that allows users to share sites related to their interests. 

Working with Facebook, Longshaw—along with Kimberly Byrd and Meredith Carter—post photos, updates and news items that may be of interest to students. 

Kimberly Byrd, senior web developer in University Relations, usually puts RSS feeds from the university’s Facebook page and athletic information on Twitter.

“Facebook still rules,” Byrd said. “Twitter appears to be more popular with older folks.”

She may be right.

Some Winthrop professors have opted to create Twitter accounts, while others have created Facebook pages for their classes, Whitehead said.

Thirty-nine organizations and departments at Winthrop have their own Facebook pages, according to the university’s website’s social media information page.

About 13 departments have made use of Twitter, while three still have presence on Myspace, according to the website.

First Look Facebook

Though Facebook is frequented by current students, potential students get a first look at Winthrop through Zinch and Cappex, two networking sites designed to help students search for colleges. 

High schoolers may also make use of Youtube, prompting the admissions office to create videos talking about Winthrop to be posted on the site.

Each year, Whitehead creates a Facebook page for the fall’s incoming class. Right now, she’s working on the page for the incoming class of 2015. 

Having looked at pages for other classes, like the class of 2014, Whitehead has noticed a good correlation of students that are on the Facebook group and those that attend the next fall. 

Enrollment deposits and orientation were once the only means of gauging who would be attending Winthrop the next fall. 

Now, Facebook can tell the admissions office who will be an Eagle before any piece of paper can.