Maddux NewsWire

SARASOTA, FL (June 19, 2009) – Thousands of people have likely seen the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s new website design, but many are likely not aware of the “other side” of marketing a University via the World Wide Web-a new-age technology term called “Social Media.”

Social Media has been around for years, since Classmates.com came on the scene in the 1990’s, but has really taken off in the past few years with the development of networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Over 85% of college students have a Facebook page, and universities have begun to capitalize on the attentive audience of not only students, but donors, alumni, community leaders, and university supporters.

The local institution has created a Facebook site for recruiting and marketing purposes, an MBA Blog (which stands for Web-log) with information and updates about the MBA program, a Twitter page where members can follow along with events and up-to-the-minute updates, and has a Social Media expert on staff who speaks with groups around the country on the benefits of social media networking.

“It all started with a management topic about how to use social media as a business tool-to recruit employees, gather customer comments and complaints, and connect with potential supporters,” said Dr. Delaney Kirk, professor of Management at USF Sarasota-Manatee and an expert on social media. “I became fascinated with the subject and had to learn more.”

Dr. Kirk terms the phenomenon “educational technology” and has used blogs with her students for years. Her undergraduate classes get an instructional blog, to which Dr. Kirk posts the class agenda, exams, notes, and schedules. Her MBA graduate students get an interactive blog, where she encourages critical thinking and responses to her posts.

Dr. Kirk wants to eradicate the misperception that social networking is just for teenage girls. Recently she spoke with the Venice Area Young Professionals Group (VAYP) about social media etiquette and the benefits of networking on the internet, and she will speak again at a lecture at USF Sarasota-Manatee in October.

“The presentation was done so well that an hour wasn’t enough for our members, the audience was captivated by Dr. Kirk,” said Michelle Ryan, director of Community and Member Relations for the VAYP. “Our VAYP members learned numerous tips on how to use the different and various social networking and media sites.”

Kirk hopes that even more social media can be utilized by the university, and eventually would like to include electives in the curriculum for social media.

“The power of the internet is enormous, and should be taught at the MBA level,” she said. “It gives an edge to our students to have these skills when they go out into the real world. We need to see more social networking in business fields, not just public relations and marketing.”

Besides the benefits of social media networking, Dr. Kirk also believes that most people are not aware of the harmful information that can be distributed via the Web, and instructs her classes to do a Google search of their own names to see what information is out there.

“In today’s times, one of the first things an employer will do when they see your resume is Google your name to see what pops up,” she said. “Applicants may lie on their resumes about their experience, degrees, past titles, and a multitude of other things, and nowadays employers can know the truth within seconds. It’s important to know what is being said about you on the World Wide Web.”

Changing the game: Students take advantage of social media networking on campus

USF Sarasota-Manatee has used other popular forms of social media as well. Information Session chats are held bi-weekly online, in which students can ask advisors questions about degree programs, financial aid, admissions, or other topics of interest. Recently, a “Virtual Career Fair” was held on campus, which allowed students to connect with potential employers on the internet rather than showing up on campus to interview face to face. This benefit appeals to non- traditional students who may be at work or have family responsibilities that prevent them from attending the event on campus.

“Our students appreciate the flexibility of the online career fair,” said Toni Ripo, Career Services Coordinator. “Sometimes students can’t make it at the time we have the event, and this gives them a resource to apply for a job.”

Students also appreciated a recent Online Orientation held by the department of Student Services. The online orientation was offered to newly admitted students for the Summer 2009 semester as an option to complete the mandatory orientation. Three live student orientations were also held on campus.

The experiment was highly successful. Nearly two-thirds of the newly admitted student population chose to complete their orientation with the Online Orientation option. The Online Orientation enabled students to access the information at a time that was convenient for them, as well as provided the ability to return to the information later as a resource. The feedback was positive; one student noted, “Online Orientation is a great, time-saving, and a fantastic idea for students with busy schedules that can’t make it to attend an orientation on campus.”

“It’s a new world, and businesses and universities have to keep up with new technology to stay on top of the game,” said Kirk. “Students, alumni, staff, faculty, donors, community members.all use and benefit from networking through social media.”

More information:

USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Facebook pages-USF Sarasota-Manatee, USF Sarasota-Manatee Alumni Chapter, and Circle K International USF Sarasota-Manatee, USF Girls STEM Summit, USF Sarasota-Manatee Accounting Society, Sigma Tau Delta USF Sarasota-Manatee

Twitter-http://twitter.com/USFSM

MBA Blog- http://usf-sarasota-manatee-mba-program.blogspot.com/

Dr. Delaney Kirk’s Blog- http://www.delaneykirk.com/

USF Sarasota-Manatee is an upper-level campus for those with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree interested in pursuing a baccalaureate or master’s degree, professional certification, or continuing education credit. The regional campus offers the prestige of a nationally ranked research university with the convenience of a hometown campus, including classes in south Sarasota County at Manatee Community College Venice.

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