Never before has finding news and information about the University been so easy. In recent years, there has been a proliferation in both the quantity and breadth of new media outlets used by administrators and Public Affairs staffers.
The scope of these new media publications is exhaustive. The University's Web site, along with the sites of its internal schools and departments, has been updated and expanded frequently during the past several years. Blogs cover a large chunk of ground as well; those in use this year include "Sustainable Dining at UVA," "Notes from Peabody II: The UVA Application Process" and another maintained by College Dean Meredith Woo. The University has its own Twitter page, as do most of the professional schools and several undergraduate departments. Online periodicals are put out by most schools and affiliated institutes: A&S Online is produced by the College, the Sorenson Report by the Sorenson Institute for Political Leadership, and UVA Lawyer EBriefs from the Law School, just to name a few. The University's Facebook page catalogues a host of recent news and sports stories. Other forms of communication, such as podcasts, are also used occasionally.
There is no question the University has taken serious interest in expanding its channels of communication. As new media like Twitter and Facebook have grown into highly influential mediums of exchange, this level of commitment is needed. The University's willingness to stay up to speed on technological innovation is promising. The manner in which it has used many of its new media publications, however, is less forward-thinking.
One of the great advantages of most new media, in comparison with traditional waves of communication, is heightened interaction with users. There are more ways to receive feedback and engage with readers. Currently, the University is using its communication systems mostly as a means of disseminating information, just as it has done in the past. Instead, it should embrace new media as an opportunity to change the way it interacts with the community.
It is not that the University has been entirely negligent in this regard - its blogs and Facebook account allow for user comments. The focus of its communication channels, however, is not on the interaction as much as the propagation. More traditional media, such as magazines, newsletters and the like are the best avenues for this kind of task. New media present the opportunity for dialogue.
The obvious applications of this technology are engaging with new students and marketing the University, both of which the administration seems to be exploring. The technology can also be directed at current students to gather meaningful input on matters of importance. This approach might best be modeled on a smaller scale, such as within academic departments. For example, when faculty and administrators need to make decisions about course offerings for the next semester, students could be notified via a departmental blog and given the chance to contribute to the conversation. Issues like this that students have a strong interest in would certainly draw attention.
Another very simple yet important piece of the puzzle is simply keeping new media updated and functional. It is significantly worse when a Web site appears defunct or neglected than if the site did not exist in the first place. Hoo Stories, a blog written by students and supported by the Office of Admissions, has gone two weeks without a post, and the last entry discussed the Tom DeLuca event that occurred a month ago. This blog certainly is not obsolete enough to be considered a liability at this point, but it is also not reaching its potential as a recruiting tool.
The nature of new media is to be constantly evolving, so its use must be continuously refined. The University has made the commitment to explore differing avenues of communication. To harness their full potential, the conversation must not be one-sided. Now is the time to let students talk back.
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