UP connects to community online by going social media savvy
(Photo courtesy of fromthebarn.org)
By Kelsey Thomas, Staff Writer thomask15@up.edu
When junior Amanda Ewing snapped a photo of a picturesque sunrise on The Bluff and posted it on Instagram, UP tweeted the picture and posted it on their Facebook wall with the caption, "Wow! Check out this AMAZING shot of this morning's sunrise, taken by student Amanda Ewing." More than 540 UP fans liked it.
When potential class of 2017 Pilot Courtney Flynn received her acceptance letter, she posted a picture on Instagram and Twitter. The UP Instagram account commented, "Congratulations!!! Hope to have you on The Bluff next year! #FuturePilot."
When an alumna tweeted congratulations to Portland Magazine for its top national ranking, UP retweeted them.
As fans, prospective and current students, parents and alumni have turned to social media to share their pictures, stories and love for all things Pilot, UP has followed.
Marketing Director Joe Kuffner said social media has become an important tool in meeting people where they are.
"It's communicating with people in their own space," Kuffner said. "We want to take advantage of all the tools there to stay present with people."
Ewing said she loves seeing pictures of campus events and scenery on her newsfeed and homepage.
"I think it's a cool way to network, and I know a lot of students look at the page," Ewing said. "It's a great way to connect alumni as well as current students from across campus."
Since launching on Nov. 27, the UP Instagram page has gained 624 followers. The official UP Twitter has almost 2,000 followers, a 463 percent increase since Jan. 2011.
Senior Philip Stenberg started following UP on Twitter because he said it is an easier way to stay updated on activities on campus than checking the UP Portal or the calendar online.
"I'm on my phone a lot more than my laptop," Steinberg said. "So the Twitter page is helpful."
Kuffner said different crowds tend to congregate on specific sights. Parents and older alumni and friends tend to be active on Facebook and Youtube, while prospective students, current students and recent alumni follow UP's Instagram and Twitter.
"Students tend to have so many Facebook friends and like so many pages that we get lost in the shuffle," Kuffner said. "We tend to take a more prominent place in the newsfeed of older Facebook users."
Kuffner said he hopes to begin live-streaming more events so families can watch their children participate in activities other than sports. The one continual live-stream camera on campus, the bell tower webcam, is very popular according to Kuffner.
"You wouldn't believe how many people are on the webcam at all times," Kuffner said. "It's amazing."
But for now they plan to continue providing an online community that unites UP fans across the world while keeping them informed and connected.
Now that deserves a retweet.
