BACHELOR PROGRAM BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT CENTER INNSBRUCK
PRACTICE LAB Summer Term 2014
PROJECT ASSIGNMENT: Social Media Strategy for MCI Business & Management
SUBMITTED TO:
Dr. Claudia Brauer
SUBMITTED BY:
Anastassia Ševtšenko Laura Smith Julian Spiegel Aneta Zebischová
DATE:
June 11, 2014
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES III LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................................... IV 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 2 SOCIAL MEDIA ..................................................................................................... 2 3 STRATEGY FOR MCI BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT .......................................... 4 3.1 SOCIAL MEDIA GRID..........................................................................................4 3.2 TARGET GROUPS & PLATFORMS .......................................................................6 3.3 HIERARCHY OF PLATFORMS ..............................................................................7 4 PLATFORM RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................... 7 4.1 GOOGLE PLUS ..................................................................................................7 4.1.1 Universities & Google Plus ...............................................................................10 4.1.1.1 Hangout Office Hours .................................................................................................. 10 4.1.1.2 Real-Time Conference Sharing ..................................................................................... 10 4.1.1.3 Recruiting ..................................................................................................................... 10 4.1.1.4 Guest Lectures ............................................................................................................. 10 4.1.1.5 Student Interaction ...................................................................................................... 10 4.1.1.6 Marketing/Promotion .................................................................................................. 11 4.1.1.7 Stay in Touch With Alumni ........................................................................................... 11 4.1.1.8 Get Higher up in the Organic Search Listing (SEO) ...................................................... 11 4.1.1.9 Benchmark Examples ................................................................................................... 11 4.1.1.9.1 Harvard University .................................................................................................... 11 4.1.1.10 University of Economics and Business in Vienna ....................................................... 12 4.1.2 MCI Business & Management & Google Plus ..................................................13 4.1.2.1 Google Plus and Facebook at MCI Business & Management ...................................... 14 4.1.2.2 Target Groups of Google Plus and Facebook ............................................................... 14 4.1.2.3 MCI Business & Management Activities on Google Plus ............................................. 14 4.1.2.3.1 Exclusive activities ..................................................................................................... 14 4.1.2.3.2 Collaborative Activities ............................................................................................. 15 4.1.2.3.2.1 Events (e.g., distinguished guest lecture) .............................................................. 15 4.1.2.3.2.2 Student Engagement Activities (e.g., photo competition) .................................... 16 4.1.2.3.2.3 Open Office Hours.................................................................................................. 17 4.1.2.3.2.4 Alumni Engagement ............................................................................................... 17 4.1.2.3.2.5 Research Publication.............................................................................................. 18 4.1.2.4 Demo Version............................................................................................................... 18 4.1.2.5 Resource Planning........................................................................................................ 19 4.2 FACEBOOK .....................................................................................................20 4.2.1. Basic Features .................................................................................................21 4.2.1.1 Facebook Pages............................................................................................................ 22 4.2.1.2 Pages Update: New Interface ...................................................................................... 23 4.2.2 Universities & Facebook ..................................................................................24 4.2.2.1 Texas A&M University .................................................................................................. 25 4.2.2.2 Munich Business School ............................................................................................... 26 4.2.2.3 Management Center Innsbruck ................................................................................... 28 4.2.3 MCI Business & Management & Facebook ......................................................28 4.2.3.1 Demo Version............................................................................................................... 29 4.3 INSTAGRAM ....................................................................................................30 4.3.1 Universities & Instagram ..................................................................................32 4.3.1.1 Universities are using Instagram to showcase their beautiful campuses and surroundings ................................................................................................................ 33
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.3.1.2 Universities are using Instagram to share events and public lectures ........................ 37 4.3.1.3 Universities are using #ThrowbackThursday on Instagram to share their history ...... 40 4.3.1.4 Universities are using Instagram to showcase student activities ................................ 41 4.3.1.5 Universities are using Instagram to connect directly with alumni and followers ....... 46 4.3.2 MCI Business & Management & Instagram ......................................................49 4.3.2.1 Target Group ................................................................................................................ 49 4.3.2.2 MCI Business & Management Activities on Instagram ................................................ 49 4.3.2.2.1 Campus introduction ................................................................................................ 50 4.3.2.2.2 Photo competitions................................................................................................... 50 4.3.2.2.3 Events ........................................................................................................................ 50 4.3.2.3 Demo Version............................................................................................................... 51 4.3.2.4 Year Plan ...................................................................................................................... 53 4.3.2.5 Resource Planning........................................................................................................ 55 4.3.2.6 The Outcome................................................................................................................ 56 4.4 YOUTUBE........................................................................................................56 4.4.1 Universities & Youtube .....................................................................................58 4.4.1.1 Content ........................................................................................................................ 59 4.4.1.2 Playlists......................................................................................................................... 60 4.4.1.3 Examples ...................................................................................................................... 60 4.4.1.3.1 UC Berkley and Harvard University........................................................................... 60 4.4.1.3.2 Stanford University ................................................................................................... 61 4.4.1.3.3 Boston College .......................................................................................................... 62 4.4.1.3.4 Munich Business School ............................................................................................ 63 4.4.1.3.5 University of Innsbruck ............................................................................................. 64 4.4.1.3.6 University of Economics and Business in Vienna ...................................................... 64 4.4.1.4 University of Vienna ..................................................................................................... 65 4.4.1.5 Management Center Innsbruck ................................................................................... 66 4.4.2 MCI Business & Management & Youtube ........................................................66 4.4.2.1 Target Groups .............................................................................................................. 68 4.4.2.2 MCI Business & Management Activities on Youtube................................................... 69 4.4.2.2.1 Open Office Hours..................................................................................................... 69 4.4.2.2.2 Introduction Videos to Lectures ............................................................................... 69 4.4.2.2.3 Erasmus Video........................................................................................................... 69 4.4.2.2.4 Projects and Excursions ............................................................................................ 70 4.4.2.2.5 Contests .................................................................................................................... 70 4.4.2.2.6 Events ........................................................................................................................ 72 4.4.2.3 Resource Planning........................................................................................................ 72 4.4.2.4 Demo Version............................................................................................................... 73 4.4.2.5 Year Plan ...................................................................................................................... 75 4.5 LINKEDIN ........................................................................................................76 4.5.1 Universities & LinkedIn.....................................................................................78 4.5.1.1 Benchmark Examples ................................................................................................... 79 4.5.1.1.1 Princeton University.................................................................................................. 79 4.5.1.1.2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)........................................................... 80 4.5.2 MCI Business & Management on LinkedIn.......................................................80 4.6 RESEARCH GATE ............................................................................................81 4.6.1 Universities & ResearchGate ...........................................................................82 4.6.1.1 Benchmark Example .................................................................................................... 83 4.6.1.1.1 University of Innsbruck ............................................................................................. 83 4.6.2 MCI Business & Management & ResearchGate ............................................... 83 5 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................84 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................85
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List of Tables TABLE 1: SOCIAL MEDIA GRID .................................................................................. 5 TABLE 2: PROS AND CONS OF GOOGLE PLUS ....................................................... 8 TABLE 3: PROS AND CONS OF FACEBOOK............................................................20 TABLE 4: PROS AND CONS OF INSTAGRAM ..........................................................31 TABLE 5: INSTAGRAM YEAR PLAN ..........................................................................53 TABLE 6: PRIZES FOR INSTAGRAM COMPETITIONS .............................................55 TABLE 7: PROS AND CONS OF YOUTUBE ..............................................................57 TABLE 8: YOUTUBE YEAR PLAN ..............................................................................75 TABLE 9: PROS AND CONS OF LINKEDIN ...............................................................76 TABLE 10: PROS AND CONS OF RESEARCHGATE ................................................81
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List of Figures FIGURE 1: WORK-BRAKDOWN STRUCTURE ........................................................... 2 FIGURE 2: TARGET GROUPS REACHED BY PLATFORMS ..................................... 6 FIGURE 3: HIERARCHY OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS ....................................... 7 FIGURE 4: GOOGLE RANKING ON ALEXA.COM ...................................................... 9 FIGURE 5: HARVARD UNIVERSITY ON GOOGLE PLUS .........................................12 FIGURE 6: UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS VIENNA ON GOOGLE PLUS ........................................................................................13 FIGURE 7: EVENT SHARING .....................................................................................15 FIGURE 8: ATTRACTING PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS .............................................16 FIGURE 9: PHOTO COMPETITION ...........................................................................16 FIGURE 10: OPEN OFFICE HOURS PROCESS ........................................................17 FIGURE 11: INTERACTION WITH ALUMNI ...............................................................17 FIGURE 12: RESEARCH PUBLICATION ...................................................................18 FIGURE 13: GOOGLE PLUS PROFILE OF MCI BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT ........18 FIGURE 14: EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT ON GOOGLE PLUS (DEMO) ......................19 FIGURE 15: FACEBOOK RANKING ON ALEXA.COM ...............................................21 FIGURE 16: DESCRIPTION OF FACEBOOK PAGES ................................................24 FIGURE 17: FACEBOOK PROFILE OF TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY (1) .....................25 FIGURE 18: FACEBOOK PROFILE OF TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY (2) .....................26 FIGURE 19: FACEBOOK PROFILE OF MUNICH BUSINESS SCHOOL (1) ...............27 FIGURE 20: FACEBOOK PROFILE OF MUNICH BUSINESS SCHOOL (2) ...............27 FIGURE 21: FACEBOOK PROFILE OF THE MCI.......................................................28 FIGURE 22: FACEBOOK PROFILE OF MCI BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT (1) .........29 FIGURE 23: FACEBOOK PROFILE OF MCI BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT (2) .........30 FIGURE 24: INSTAGRAM RANKING ON ALEXA.COM ..............................................32 FIGURE 25: UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA ON INSTAGRAM (1) .....................................33 FIGURE 26: UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA ON INSTAGRAM (2) .....................................34 FIGURE 27: UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA ON INSTAGRAM (3) .....................................35 FIGURE 28: BOSTON COLLEGE ON INSTAGRAM (1)..............................................36 FIGURE 29: BOSTON COLLEGE ON INSTAGRAM (2)..............................................36 FIGURE 30: YALE UNIVERSITY ON INSTAGRAM ....................................................37 FIGURE 31: UNIVERSITY OF LAUSANNE ON INSTAGRAM (1) ...............................38 FIGURE 32: UNIVERSITY OF LAUSANNE ON INSTAGRAM (2) ...............................38 FIGURE 33: UNIVERSITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN ON INSTAGRAM (1) ......................39 FIGURE 34: TED ON INSTAGRAM ............................................................................39 FIGURE 35: UNIVERSITY OF STANFORD ON INSTAGRAM (1)...............................40 FIGURE 36: UNIVERSITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN ON INSTAGRAM (2) ......................41 FIGURE 37: STANFORD UNIVERSITY ON INSTAGRAM (2) ....................................41 FIGURE 38: MUNICH BUSINESS SCHOOL ON INSTAGRAM (1) .............................42 FIGURE 39: MUNICH BUSINESS SCHOOL ON INSTAGRAM (2) .............................43 FIGURE 40: UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM ON INSTAGRAM (1) ..........................43 FIGURE 41: UNIVERSITY OF AARHUS ON INSTAGRAM (1) ...................................44 FIGURE 42: UNIVERSITY OF AARHUS ON INSTAGRAM (2) ...................................44 FIGURE 43: UNIVERSITY OF FRANKFURT ON INSTAGRAM (1) .............................45 FIGURE 44: UNIVERSITY OF FRANKFURT ON INSTAGRAM (2) .............................45
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová FIGURE 45: MODUL UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA ON INSTAGRAM ............................46 FIGURE 46: UNIVERSITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN ON INSTAGRAM (3) ......................47 FIGURE 47: UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM ON INSTAGRAM (2) ..........................47 FIGURE 48: NOTRE DAME UNIVERSITY ON INSTAGRAM ......................................48 FIGURE 49: DUKE UNIVERSITY ON INSTAGRAM ...................................................48 FIGURE 50: MCI BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ON INSTAGRAM ........49 FIGURE 51: MCI BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT PROFILE ON INSTAGRAM ............51 FIGURE 52: MCI BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT POST ON INSTAGRAM ..................52 FIGURE 53: MCI BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT MOBILE PROFILE ON INSTAGRAM ....................................................................................52 FIGURE 54: YOUTUBE RANKING ON ALEXA.COM..................................................58 FIGURE 55: STANFORD UNIVERSITY ON YOUTUBE ..............................................61 FIGURE 56: BOSTON COLLEGE ON YOUTUBE .......................................................62 FIGURE 57: MUNICH BUSINESS SCHOOL ON YOUTUBE ......................................63 FIGURE 58: UNIVERSITY OF INNSBRUCK ON YOUTUBE ......................................64 FIGURE 59: UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS VIENNA ON YOUTUBE ........................................................................................64 FIGURE 60: UNIVERSITÄT WIEN ON YOUTUBE ......................................................65 FIGURE 61: MCI ON YOUTUBE .................................................................................66 FIGURE 62: MCI BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT YOUTUBE CHANNEL .....................73 FIGURE 63: INTRODUCTION TO E-ENTREPRENEURSHIP .....................................74 FIGURE 64: LINKEDIN RANKING ON ALEXA.COM ..................................................78 FIGURE 65: PRINCETON UNIVERSITY ON LINKEDIN (1) ........................................79 FIGURE 66: PRINCETON UNIVERSITY ON LINKEDIN (2) ........................................79 FIGURE 67: MIT ON LINKEDIN ..................................................................................80 FIGURE 68: RESEARCHGATE RANKING ON ALEXA.COM .....................................82 FIGURE 69: UNIVERSITY OF INNSBRUCK ON RESEARCHGATE ..........................83
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1 Introduction We have been assigned with the task of launching the department on social media platforms. The main objective of this effort being the promotion of the department's international orientation and interactivity with both internal and external stakeholders. After an introductory meeting, we gathered our ideas together and set milestones in order to methodically reach desired objective. We shall initiate this process by analysing the internal and external environment, with a focus on competitors within the industry. Following this step, we plan to study the various platforms in order to fully comprehend the various advantages and disadvantages they present. In order to verify the suitability of the platforms, we will compare these features with the specific needs and means of the departments. After selecting the most appropriate and attractive platforms, we will create mock-up pages for a final presentation to the department. In addition to this presentation we will deliver a written project report with the details of our conceptual plan. The following paper is reporting on our project and therefore presenting the research we have made and the solutions we have discovered with in order to present the Department of Business & Management successfully on diverse social media platforms. In order to visualize the course of our project, the work-breakdown structure is outlined in Figure 1.
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Social Media Concept
1000 Analysis
2000 Idea gathering
3000 Concepts
4000 Demo versions
5000 Report/Presentation
1010 analyze various platforms
2010 brainstorming
3010 introduction about platform
4010 create demo accounts
5010 integrate research about platforms
1020 look for benchmark examples
2020 raw concepts (What are the possibilities?)
3020 detailled description of tasks
4020 create multimedia content
5020 integrate concepts
1030 Internal & External Analysis (SWOT)
2030 pros and cons for B&M
3030 set up year plans
4030 create demo posts and activities
5030 final presentation
2040 factsheets about possibilities on different platforms (OPO)
3040 budgeting/workforce planning
5040 submission of the report
2050 Selection of best concepts to work on
2060 interim presentation
Figure 1: Work-brakdown structure
2 Social Media In the world today there exists much confusion regarding the distinction of what does and does not constitute the modern definition of “social media”. How distinctive is it from the basic concept of Web 2.0 and can it not just be generally described as user generated content? Various answers have been provided by the academic community, whose conceptual definitions are as diverse as the topic itself. From a sociological perspective, social media can be defined as media that is generated by the actions of a group of individuals through digital means. However, some prefer to adopt a more tangible definition: it (social media) is a collection of internet applications who, on the basis of Web 2.0, permit the rapid and far reaching propagation of user generated content (Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010)).
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Building on the foundation of the previous definitions, one can group the different types of social media into five broad categories: blogs, where individuals can freely build their own web pages with any form of content desired (principally text with combinations of other media); social networks, where personal profiles are created and individuals are invited to share and communicate with selected peers within that given platform (Facebook being the most notable example); content communities, in which only specific types of content are published and then shared publicly or among communities in the network (Flickr being an example for visual content); forums, where specific topics/interest are discussed by groups of participants in the written form; and lastly, content aggregagtors, websites which form a collection of news and diverse gathered media from around the internet in order to provoke and engage the feedback of users (Constantinides, E., & Fountain, S. J. (2008)). One thing all of the various types of social media have in common is that they give one person the possibility to reach out to hundreds upon thousands of other individuals, even within a remarkably short span of time, if the message is of strong enough interest to the public at large. This potential of high impact is naturally one that attracts the attention of almost any marketer: though it presents itself as a double edged sword. Customer generated content that is at the basis of social media is, by definition, beyond the control of any firm or organization. This is also the reason why it has been denoted as “hybrid media”- media that does allow marketers the choice of how they want to present their brand (as was the case with traditional broadcasting and print media) but no choice in how it will be received or used by audiences (Mangold, W. G., & Faulds, D. J. (2009)).There is evidently a certain level of inherent risk associated with engaging in social media, but, with the right strategy, this too can be overcome successfully. Managers and marketers should embrace the phenomena by building on their own presence on various platforms, whilst always bearing in mind that they may be called to deal with any unforeseen issues. These confrontations, when conducted with rational and calm counter arguments and corrections, are not likely to be (in most cases) overly destructive to the effort as a whole. And lastly, it can be argued that the benefits of the positive reinforcement borne via word-of-mouth outweigh the costs of any isolated incidences of negative commentary that may occur. Therefore, the movement towards ever greater social media dynamics on the web is to be welcomed and not feared (East, R., Hammond, K., & Lomax, W. (2008)).
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Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ
3 Strategy for MCI Business & Management An integrated approach to a social media presence is vital in order to show consistency and to not confuse your target groups. Therefore, the following section provides an integrated strategy on how MCI Business & Management make use of different platforms and link the activities. In order to set the integrated strategy properly, firstly, a social media grid about the state-of-the art social media platforms and the possible target groups for MCI Business & Management is presented, secondly, it is shown how the chosen platforms cover the different target group, and, lastly, the connections and hierarchies among the chosen platforms are shown.
3.1 Social Media Grid Table 1, named the Social Media Grid, is where we compare social media platforms according to targeted groups. Here we have split the platforms according to its specifics as content platforms, multimedia platforms, blogs, career platforms and a researcher platform. Obviously not every platform can satisfy all needs of all the groups, however we can see that Google+ and Facebook result as being the best solutions. However there are some target groups as researchers where a more suitable platform should be utilized such as ResearchGate. The alumni can be reached by more than one platform. With Facebook or Youtube we can inform them about current events of MCI or any news and achievements, however LinkedIn actually gives them an opportunity to network and interact. Concerning applicants and current students we can observe that most of the researched platforms would be feasible for these target groups. Therefore in this situation we must later consider more aspects for suitability such as popularity of a platform and a reach that we could obtain with a specific platform.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Table 1: Social Media Grid
Platform
Applicants
Current
Exchange
Students
Students
Alumni
(Faculty Staff)
Google+
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Issuu
x
Youtube
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Flickr
x
x
x
Blogs
x
x
x
x
Researchers
x
x
x x
Xing ResearchGate
x
In order to reach all target groups relevant for the MCI, we decided to choose the following platforms: •
Facebook,
•
Google Plus,
•
Instagram,
•
Youtube,
•
LinkedIn, and
•
ResearchGate.
These platforms were chosen according to their popularity among the respective target groups as well as the features they offered and their ability to convey content appropriately.
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3.2 Target Groups & Platforms In order to show, which platform is especially dealing with which target group, and how all that is connected with Google Plus, we developed the concept below. As can be seen in Figure 2, no platform acts independently with a target group, but is always connected to the hub of Google Plus and Facebook, which ensures strategic consistency of the messages conveyed. The integrated strategy does not only enhance consistency, it also helps to deploy the advantages of the single platforms better, exploit synergies and in the end make the whole concept more than just the sum of the activities on each platform.
Figure 2: Target groups reached by platforms
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3.3 Hierarchy of Platforms Figure 3 points out again, how Facebook and Google Plus are used as umbrellas. The system is based on a single-line system, as known from organizational designs.
Facebook & Google Plus LinkedIn
YouTube
Research Gate
Figure 3: Hierarchy of social media platforms
4 Platform Recommendations This section is dedicated to introduce the platforms we have chosen in order to build the appearance of MCI Business & Management, give examples on how other universities use the platform and give detailed recommendations on how the platform can be used (e.g., description of activities, year plans).
4.1 Google Plus Google Plus is Google’s answer to Facebook. Google, the most popular search engine and most valuable brand in the world (as of May 2014), opened its own social network in 2011 in order to further diversify its portfolio. Being part of the Google world, having an account for just one Google service creates accounts for all other services too. That means, that if you own an Android smartphone and want to use the PlayStore (i.e., download apps), you automatically get a Google Plus account. Up to now, Google managed to transfer this opportunity (only) into 300 million active users (approximately ¼ of Facebook). Besides building connections with other Google services (e.g., YouTube), having a Google Plus account brings the site higher up in the organic section of the search ranking and makes it easily findable on Google Maps. In addition to all those Google network effects, the social network itself additionally offers unique features for the users. Especially notable hereby is the “hangout” feature, which facilitates group and/or individual virtual meetings including chatrooms and video conferencing.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Another particularity on Google Plus is, that there are no advertisements, in contrast to Facebook for example. This strongly influences the user experience by not being distracted or even annoyed by banners and sponsored posts interrupting your news feed. In conclusion, although Google Plus is not the leading social network at the moment, a large growth potential is attributed to it due to its diversification and various services that all connect themselves to the larger Google family. Table 2 shows the advantages and disadvantages of Google Plus. Table 2: Pros and cons of Google Plus
PROs
CONs
Easy way to send updates to specific audi-
Google+ is still not used mainstream
ences ‘circles’ Enables group meetings, discussions in
Facebook has a much larger audience
‘hangouts’ Positive effect on Google search ranking Good for marketing purposes Used and known all over the world Connection to google search, gmail, youtube, blogs
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Figure 4 shows the ranking of Google on Alexa.com. Because Google Plus is an integral part of the Google-imperium, it cannot be found split off from the corporate homepage on traffic ranking sites (http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/plus.google.com).
Figure 4: Google Ranking on Alexa.com
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4.1.1 Universities & Google Plus Universities around the world are starting to use Google+ in order to climb the search rankings. In particular, universities are taking advantage of the ‘hangouts' feature: ‘hangouts’ can create more awareness for the Google+ account, and therefore also more attention for the university behind the account (http://www.educationdive.com /news/10-ways-educators-and-universities-are-using-google-plus/38423/ 4.1.1.1 Hangout Office Hours The Google Plus “Hangout” feature is opening a new generation of interaction with faculty and administrative staff. “Hangouts” enable students to virtually meet with administrative staff or professors in order to solve problems or ask questions completely independently from where they are. (http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/04/31-great-ways-universities-are-usinggoogle/) 4.1.1.2 Real-Time Conference Sharing Events can be shared right at the time they are happening. Either photos may be uploaded, or the event is live-streamed using YouTube. Therefore, also people not being able to be present for the event may follow it. (http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/04/31-great-ways-universities-are-usinggoogle/) 4.1.1.3 Recruiting The “hangout” feature is the enabling technology to get also access to companies, who are not able to be present at recruitment days. Through easy video conferencing, they may communicate with interested people just via Google Plus. (http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/04/31-great-ways-universities-are-usinggoogle/) 4.1.1.4 Guest Lectures Instead of paying expensive flights to get the lecturer to the university, Google Plus can be used to create a “close to reality” virtual guest lecture by holding it over video conferencing. (http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/04/31-great-ways-universities-are-usinggoogle/) 4.1.1.5 Student Interaction Student interaction may be fostered with Google Plus by creating circles for study programs/study groups. In this groups, information can be shared. (http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/04/31-great-ways-universities-are-usinggoogle/)
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.1.1.6 Marketing/Promotion Universities are seeking for future students right where they are: on Google Plus. Google Plus enables universities to get in contact with prospective students and showing them the benefits of the university. In addition, also current students may be reached with marketing activities, for example when promoting an event. Furthermore, also exchange students from destinations can be attracted the same way as prospective new students, by showing interesting and appealing content. (http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/04/31-great-ways-universities-are-usinggoogle/) 4.1.1.7 Stay in Touch With Alumni Maintaining connections to alumni is always challenging for universities. Separate circles for alumni can be created and accomplishments and other events can be posted. (http://www.educationdive.com/news/10-ways-educators-and-universities-are-usinggoogle-plus/38423/) 4.1.1.8 Get Higher up in the Organic Search Listing (SEO) A Google Plus profile is instantly boosting your ranking in the organic listing of a Google search. Therefore, setting up a Google Plus profile is, besides the other advantages, also search engine optimization for your university. (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WG6RjvDbiv7Z9Vv4qWR2CvFIEvKmZ2qdD1 JEv1T5rfo/edit#slide=id.p32) 4.1.1.9 Benchmark Examples 4.1.1.9.1
Harvard University
Harvard University is one of the benchmarking examples when it comes to the use of Google Plus for universities. With more than 175,000 followers and more than 6.5 million views, they really use their potential and attract users. Figure 5, which is a screenshot from the wall of Harvard University´s Google Plus profile, shows that the institution posts a variety of different content. They post videos from achievements of their students (e.g., graduation), interesting information about the universities history as well as ongoing activities on campus (in this case renovations). Furthermore, events can be announced via Google Plus. (https://plus.google.com/+harvard/posts)
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Figure 5: Harvard University on Google Plus
4.1.1.10 University of Economics and Business in Vienna As one of leading users of Google Plus in the German speaking area, but still with less attention than the US universities, the Vienna University of Economics and Business accomplished to set up a Google Plus profile that excellently satisfies the needs of their target groups. As can be seen in Figure 6, they focus on the announcement of events, such as conferences or guest lectures. In addition, they also publish research from their faculty staff and try to reach prospective students with informative posts about the university itself and accomplishments (e.g., rankings). (https://plus.google.com/+wuwien/posts)
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Figure 6: University of Economics and Business Vienna on Google Plus
4.1.2 MCI Business & Management & Google Plus Up to now, neither the MCI, nor the department of Business & Management has an account on Google Plus so far. The social media strategy we have been developing, suggests to use Google Plus together with Facebook as “umbrella platforms”, meaning that they are promoting and connecting the other platforms in order to derive a unified strategic orientation, which enables B&M to reach all relevant target groups in a targeted way.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.1.2.1 Google Plus and Facebook at MCI Business & Management At the moment, due to the fact that Facebook is similar to Google + but still the more widely used of the two, we recommend to use both platforms simultaneously. This would be done by concentrating on designing the posts for Facebook and then just copying them to Google Plus, until its popularity and traffic increases. Moreover, both networks then have exactly the same content to share. Once, Google Plus catches up with Facebook – what is to be expected in the future – the design of the posts can be dedicated to Google Plus and copied to Facebook. With this parallel strategy the MCI ensures, that the widest possible audience is reached. Nevertheless, especially the new features Google Plus offers (e.g., Hangouts) should be used in the future to enhance interactivity. The expected rise of Google Plus is for example indicated through Google’s excessive acquisition policy and diversification. 4.1.2.2 Target Groups of Google Plus and Facebook Serving as “umbrella platform”, Google Plus aims to reach all target groups in a certain way. Nevertheless, in the end, Google Plus should provide basic information and content, but in order to satisfy the needs of different target groups completely, they will be directed to the platforms dedicated to their specific problems. 4.1.2.3 MCI Business & Management Activities on Google Plus In the portfolio of social media activities, Google Plus is basically focusing on two types of processes: exclusive postings/activities (only on Google Plus and Facebook) and activities connected to one of our other platforms (Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and ResearchGate), that we call collaborative activities. 4.1.2.3.1
Exclusive activities
Activities that are solemnly conducted over Facebook and Google Plus in general are not linked to special interactions with the target group. The following list provides examples for activities that can be conducted over Facebook and Google Plus: •
Accomplishments Google Plus and Facebook can be the channel to share accomplishments either of the whole institution (e.g., CHE-Ranking), or of particular students representing MCI B&M (e.g., Master thesis awards).
•
Interesting Links Google Plus and Facebook can be used to share links containing interesting and useful content for the readers. Therefore, for example links from the city of Innsbruck about upcoming events can be shared. In that respective, special attention needs to be paid to the content that is shared, because a flood of not useful information will cause a diminishing number of followers.
14
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová •
Photos In order to collect and visually present the department in a clean and intuitive manner, both platforms can include photo galleries within their interfaces. These galleries should be thematic and follow a clear logic. Themes would include: “Around Campus” (possibly seasonal), events (with separate galleries for the various types – open house, alumni events, guest lecturers), projects and excursions. These galleries will serve to categorically display pictures that are of relevant interest to the various target groups and will be instrumental for collecting “likes” and “shares”
4.1.2.3.2
Collaborative Activities
In the following section, different collaborative activities, that are mainly taking place on one of the other platforms but are facilitated by Google Plus and Facebook, are presented. Also the process of the collaboration is elaborated on in-depth. 4.1.2.3.2.1
Events (e.g., distinguished guest lecture)
Figure 7 shows, how events of MCI B&M can be on the one hand promoted, and, on the other hand be post-processed by using social media platforms.
Google Plus & Facebook
YouTube
•"create" event and invite people •share basic information about event (time & place) •link to official profile of guest lecture (if available)
•post photos in real-time from department's account •get real-time student posts by hashtagging MCI_B&M
•share short video about the event (e.g., exciting passages of the lecture or cutted summary
Google •link to post-event report on homepage or eventual media coverage Plus & Facebook Figure 7: Event sharing
15
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Attracting Prospective Students
Figure 8 shows the process of attracting prospective students with the help of different social media platforms in order to convey different types of content to the users.
•share information brochures about study programs Google •share important deadlines Plus & •share information events (e.g., open house day, exhibitions) Facebook •video "why study B&M?" •short introduction videos to selected lectures YouTube •short videos about exceptional activities (e.g., excursions)
•impressions from the campus & the city from department's account •immpressions about student life from students by hashtagging MCI_B&M
•announce end of application process Google •welcoming new students Plus & Facebook Figure 8: Attracting prospective students
4.1.2.3.2.2
Student Engagement Activities (e.g., photo competition)
Figure 9 shows the process of a photo competition on Instagram, which is facilitated by Google Plus and is aiming at engaging current students of MCI B&M.
•communicating framework (e.g., duration, evaluation criteria, price) Google •announcement of competition start Plus & Facebook
•receiving photos from students hashtagged appropriately Instagram
Google Plus & Facebook
•announcement of the end of the competition •show winning pictures •share photo of price-handover
Figure 9: Photo competition
16
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.1.2.3.2.3
Open Office Hours
The concept of virtual office hours we would like to apply, are further described in the YouTube part of this paper. This section gives a short overview and describes the process and interaction of the different platforms only. Figure 10 shows, how the two platforms work together in creating informative and useful content.
•announcement of upcoming virtual office hours Google •receive questions on the wall or in a community Plus & Facebook •video where questions are answered YouTube •share video from YouTube Google •repost if video refers to repeating topics (e.g., FAQs for prospective students) Plus & Facebook Figure 10: Open Office Hours process
4.1.2.3.2.4
Alumni Engagement
With the help of LinkedIn and Google Plus, Alumni engagement can be triggered (Figure 11).
Google •share creation of LinkedIn group to promote Plus & Facebook
•share job offerings LinkedIn •share alumni events Google •repost group regularly to make new alumni aware of it Plus & Facebook Figure 11: Interaction with Alumni
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.1.2.3.2.5
Research Publication
As shown in Figure 12, also research from our faculty staff that may be published via ResearchGate can be further spread by using Google Plus.
Research Gate
•publish publications of lecturers of MCI B&M
•share link to publications on ResearchGate Google •share link to author (professor of MCI B&M) Plus & •share improving MCI scores on ResearchGate Facebook Figure 12: Research Publication
4.1.2.4 Demo Version Figure 13 shows, how the landing page of MCI Business & Management.
Figure 13: Google Plus profile of MCI Business & Management
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Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ Figure 14 shows an example of a guest lecture that is shared as an event on Google Plus.
Figure 14: Event announcement on Google Plus (demo)
4.1.2.5 Resource Planning Creating a Google Plus account for MCI B&M is for free. In addition, since Google Plus does not offer advertisement possibilities such as Facebook for example, there are on the one hand no extra costs, but, on the other, no possibility to boost the awareness of the profile on Google Plus. Nevertheless, the fact that there is no advertisement on Google Plus itself (other Google services contain a lot of advertisements instead), makes it for users more convenient to use. The workforce planning is always depending on the traffic that is finally generated on Google Plus, and how much time reactions to user generated content need. Therefore, the person in charge with Google Plus at MCI B&M needs to be flexible to a certain degree in order to react to fluctuations in traffic, for example less traffic during semester break and more traffic before application deadline. However, in general the most important thing is to check the profile regularly for new updates or user inquiries and react to them quickly in order to also retain control over conversations going on you profile. Therefore, it is recommended to check the platform at least every two hours during office hours and react immediately. If there are some actions that want to be handled in even narrower time frames, alerts (e.g., for posts on the wall only) can be set on. This enables quasi real-time reaction.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
4.2 Facebook Known as the “go-to” social networking platform, Facebook has become ubiquitous in almost every corner of the globe. According to recent statistics, the platform boasts a staggering
1.28
billion
users,
of
which
1.01
billion
are
active
monthly
(http://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/) – constituting an estimated 67% of all the internet
users
world-wide
(http://www.businessinsider.com/a-primer-on-facebook-
demographics-2013-10#!GtwkF). Given these facts, it comes almost as no surprise then that the platform is currently ranked as the second most popular website in the world
(Figure
15)
according
to
Alexa.com,
second
only
to
Google.com
(http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/facebook.com). Table 3 shows the advantages and disadvantages of Facebook. Table 3: Pros and cons of Facebook
PROs
CONs
Provides access to an extensive and di- May lose 80% of its users in the next verse audience: current and potential stu- three years, according to Princeton redents, alumni, researchers.
searchers
Establishes and promotes positive and per- The basic “free of charge” Pages funcsonal image
tion offers a limited amount of visibility to the wider audience.
Pages can interlink with other platforms, boosting traffic on all accounts. Can also be synced with Google + account. Great possibility to foster & facilitate interaction Pages' updates are easily viewable by followers and can be promoted via ads.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
Figure 15: Facebook ranking on Alexa.com
4.2.1 Basic Features Facebook (in the most rudimentary of terms) offers individuals the possibility to create a personal profile and also, if so desired, any number of publicly viewable “Pages” for businesses, institutions, organizations or communities which can be “liked” or “followed” by other users in the general public. Once established on the site, users can: connect with one-another as “friends” (that can also be “unfriended” if needed); engage in instant messaging and audio/video calls; create open or private groups; create and publish posts (composed of possible combinations or stand-alone text, links, pictures and videos) that then constitute individual “Timelines”; and receive notifications of any recent friends' activities that appear chronologically and/or according to popularity on the principal “News Feed” displayed on the personal home page. The extent to which a users' personal data is accessible to the public is at the discretion of the user, who can
21
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová specifically tailor his or her personal profile with privacy preferences – chosing whether posts and information are accessible to either: only themselves, “friends”, “friends of friends” or everyone on the web (http://www.gcflearnfree.org/facebook101/2). Many other features have been added to these basic few, the most notable of which being: the “Places” features, which permits users to share their current location with friends via mobile “check-ins” (https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook/whowhat-when-and-nowwhere/418175202130); the “Marketplace” feature, which allows users to post free ads (falling under the categories: for sale, housing, jobs, and other); the “Events” feature that helps users organize and invite others gatherings, parties and initiatives; and the “Opinion Poll” feature that allows users to receive feedback from others via custom created polls that are published as posts on personal Timelines and/or in groups or on pages (http://newsroom.fb.com/products/). 4.2.1.1 Facebook Pages Due to the previously discussed dynamics it is widely recognized that Facebook is a so-called “closed” social network, where users must opt-in to engagement with the displayed content (including advertising) – thus catering mostly to fostering stronger preexisting connections and awareness between the user and already established/recognized communities, social groups, products and services. It is well known that, in the world of social media, there exists a fine line between socializing and business. But, nevertheless, Facebook has still gained much momentum in the marketing industry with its “Pages” feature – offering many brands and organizations the opportunity to capture the attention of the massive and diverse audience that the platform has
acquired
over
the
years
(http://socialmediatoday.com/expresswriters/2249226/google-plus-overtake-facebookprediction-or-fiction). Pages are essentially Facebook profiles for businesses, institutions, non-profits organizations and communities. They have many of the same features that private profiles offer, but are specifically tailored for public viewing and customer interaction. Pages can be customized with stories, pictures, links, videos and applications (linking them to other social media platforms such as Instagram and Youtube). When users discover a page they can choose to “like” it and thereby follow the pages' subsequent activities on their personal Timelines (https://www.facebook.com/help/281592001947683/). In order to reach a wider audience, Facebook offers the page administrator(s) additional promotion through Facebook ads for a fee or “budget” of either $5, $20 or $50 dollars a day – with the alternative option of paying on a per click basis (https://www.facebook.com/help/getmorelikes). The reach of this promotion depends on which budget is chosen, but only guarantees exposure not success.
22
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.2.1.2 Pages Update: New Interface As of early June 2014 Facebook has launched a new streamlined design for Facebook Pages, with the added bonus of extra features to enhance the user experience and assist marketers with effective promotion. The following stand out as the biggest modifications in layout and functionality, and can be observed in Figure 16. •
Administration Navigation bar: simplifying the interface, giving easy access to “Activity”, “Insights” and “Settings”.
•
Build Audience Menu: allows administrators to view page statistics (likes and number of ads) and links them directly to their Ad Managers account.
•
New “Dual-Column” Interface: posts are displayed in the right column in typical Timeline fashion, whilst the left column allows for basic info (website URLs, contact details, addresses, photos etc.) and below this information apps are displayed.
•
Pages to Watch: is a benchmarking tool to view other pages' (competitors, peers, sponsors) statistics such as: engagement level, number of new/total likes and number of posts.
•
Posts Report: allows for users to view the most engaging posts from other pages that they are watching.
(http://www.informationweek.com/software/social/facebook-business-page-relaunch-4facts/d/d-id/1269458)
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
Figure 16: Description of Facebook Pages
4.2.2 Universities & Facebook Facebook, thanks to its ease of use and far-reaching promotional possibilities, has naturally already been adopted by many higher education institutions around the world. Many of these universities have utilized the Pages function to create a unique user experience by enhancing their posts with well written descriptions, YouTube videos and vivid photos that either stand-alone or constitute thematic albums (sometimes also derived for Instagram feeds).
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.2.2.1 Texas A&M University With an impressive 464 thousand likes and 185 thousand visits, Texas A&M University is one of the most popular pages on the platform and thus serves as an appropriate benchmark for US higher education institutions. The page has a simple yet elegant theme, staying in tune with the universities signature colours. The tone of the posts are up-beat and youthful whilst still holding a certain composure. Throughout the page one can find posts that are interlinked with, not only the day-to-day campus activities, but also to current topics and events that hold relevance in the world at large (thereby engaging audiences on a higher level). Also, with unique post ideas such as the travels of “Aggie Ring” depicted in Figure 17 & 18, the page stands out as being fun and engaging – with plenty of links to various complementary
social
media
platforms
just
a
click
away
(https://www.facebook.com/tamu).
Figure 17: Facebook profile of Texas A&M University (1)
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
Figure 18: Facebook profile of Texas A&M University (2)
4.2.2.2 Munich Business School The second benchmark chosen, due to its business orientation, close geographical proximity and popularity, is the Munich Business School official Facebook page. The page is well organized and consistently posts, on a regular basis, news updates and photos of student activities and school initiatives. The posts are informative and interesting, despite being at times excessively long-winded – signalling that the administration has succeeded in not merely amassing links but also creating unique content. As can be seen in Figures 19 & 20 the business school's main aim is to illustrate and highlight the exciting activities that its students undertake – an example being their “MBA intensive week” at the SDA Bocconi in Milan. With more than 63 thousand likes one can see that this formula, of providing informative insights combined with snapshots of fun recreational activities, is one that significantly boosts the page's attractiveness (https://www.facebook.com/Munich.Business.School).
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
Figure 19: Facebook profile of Munich Business School (1)
Figure 20: Facebook profile of Munich Business School (2)
27
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.2.2.3 Management Center Innsbruck Thus far, the Management Center Innsbruck does possess a fairy well established page (3000 + likes) for the institution as a whole and one stand-out affiliated page for the “Management, Communication and IT” department seen in Figure 21 (with 548 likes). Additionally, there are also other related pages from one or two departments and the students' representatives page which attracts a modest amount of traffic (https://www.facebook.com/department.mcit).
Figure 21: Facebook profile of the MCI
4.2.3 MCI Business & Management & Facebook In general, the current strategy observed in these pages is not producing bad results but is not gaining a significant amount of response either. In order to change this for the Business and Management department we suggest that it is of high importance that the page is not only updated regularly, but also interchangeably interlinks with the three other platforms we put forward in the report: Google + (in tandem, for content), Youtube and Instagram. By doing so it is more likely that the page will attract more traffic, even without additional advertising (though it must be noted that this still is to be considered as a more reliable way to increase exposure).
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Content wise it is recommendable that the posts are consistent with business theme and do not stray too widely off topic (which would give a disorganized appearance). The language should be professional yet still enthusiastic and youthful, with posts that are concise and clear yet still use some emotional cues (such as, for example, appropriate hashtags or keywords) to attract attention. As the Munich Business School demonstrates, it is important to always underline and emphasize any particularly unique and exciting opportunities that the students experience by giving full photo coverage and information. In the case of the Business and Management department, we strongly suggest that the English-speaking and international aspect of the programme be most heavily in focus. A more personalized form of engagement can then be fuelled with Instagram pictures of students and videos compiled on the Youtube platform. Also, polls can be utilized to encourage active participation in a more controlled manner, if this were to be of concern. The page should tell an authentic story and give insights into the day to day activities at the campus, thereby providing also outsiders a felling of “inclusion”. Due to the diverse nature of the target audience, no one form of content should be preferred over the other – but consistency and active feedback and activity is crucial in order for any success to occur. 4.2.3.1 Demo Version Below we have included a demo version of what the Business and Management's page could look like in the new Facebook pages set-up (Figures 21 & 22).
Figure 22: Facebook profile of MCI Business & Management (1)
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
Figure 23: Facebook profile of MCI Business & Management (2)
4.3 Instagram Instagram is a social media network that uses a mobile app to capture and share pictures between its users. The app uses filters to give mobile photos unique and finished looks, and other users can follow you and comment on your photos. Instagram was launched in October 2010 and became the number one application in the Apple “App Store” within 24 hours of its launch (http://infospace.ischool.syr. edu/2011/12/15/what-is-instagram-and-why-is-it-so-popular/). Instagram is a fun and easy way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures and short videos. You can snap a photo with your smartphone or use a photo that already exists in your camera roll, then choose a filter to add some funk to it, give your photo a caption, add hashtags, and share with a group of friends. Table 4 points out the pros and cons of using Instagram.
30
Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ Table 4: Pros and cons of Instagram
PROs Rapidly growing in Europe
CONs Hard to control possible uploaded content by students
Easy to integrated students/people
#MCI already has 36360 uploaded pic-
tures Linked into other social media platforms Important to come up with a unique #, in (e.g., Facebook)
order to integrate people/ students effec-
Good basis for creative contest
tively Europe has a rather small proportion on the overall usage of instagram
Easy to generate a lot of likes and clicks
According to web traffic collector and analyser Alexa.com, Instagram is ranked very high in United States (18th), still being extremely popular among other websites available in Europe (36th). The graph depicts constant increase in ranking in relation to other sites which means high market penetration would be achievable in a combination with great content provided from our side (Figure 24). (http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/instagram.com)
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Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ
Figure 24: Instagram ranking on Alexa.com
4.3.1 Universities & Instagram Instagram offers universities the opportunity to share integral or unique photos about a department, organization, or program with users. It offers an insider perspective into the program, and shares photos and information about offices, buildings, students, faculty
members,
or
other
parts
of
the
department.
(http://socialmedia
.colostate.edu/using-instagram/)
32
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová With colourful photos of student fairs, the campus as the seasons change, and pictures of basketball games with rival institutions, Instagram is fast becoming an exciting platform through which universities can share news, achievements, and pictures of daily life on campus. But it is not only for its novel approach to photo-sharing that universities are using Instagram: the social media platform is growing faster than Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest combined, and with the majority of users in key university student age brackets, it certainly makes sense for universities to consider Instagram’s merits. (http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2014/04/08/five-ways-universitiesare-using-instagram/) 4.3.1.1 Universities are using Instagram to showcase their beautiful campuses and surroundings Most university Instagram accounts share photos of historic campuses set in scenic locations. Many post shots of the wonderful effects of seasons in transition; in rain, snow, or sun, these universities always look beautiful! University PR and Communications teams can use Instagram in this way to connect with nostalgic alumni and show off to prospective students. There are several universities using Instagram like the University of Nottingham which posts captivating photos of their incredibly green campus. Princeton University also offers spectacular photos of their campuses. Figure 25 shows the University of Vienna posting a photo on their Instagram account of the campus with university flags on a sunny day with relevant hashtags to increase the reach.
Figure 25: University of Vienna on Instagram (1)
33
Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ
Figure 26 shows the University of Vienna demonstrating its historical pride on Instagram by setting up a poster which celebrates being open since 1365.
Figure 26: University of Vienna on Instagram (2)
34
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová The University of Vienna has a “study-cat” who often delivers news on Instagram and other social media platforms about completing surveys, reporting the atmosphere of campus during finals and generally creates more entertaining content that proves to be highly appealing for students (Figure 27).
Figure 27: University of Vienna on Instagram (3)
35
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Boston College knows that one of its charms is the magnificent campus and it uses this strength to create beautiful content on Instagram. Study picture in the Kresge Reading room of Bapst Library is an eye-catching example of artistic way to picture the monotonous process of learning in the library (Figure 28).
Figure 28: Boston College on Instagram (1)
Boston College example of another magnificent photo on Instagram presenting its library on the last day of classes. As the figure exhibits, the photo has attained a lot of “likes” from other users meaning that it reached a wide range of people (Figure 29).
Figure 29: Boston College on Instagram (2)
36
Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ Figure 30 shows Yale University portraying its beautiful campus in a more modern way by snapping the picture using an ultra-wide-angle fisheye camera lens that creates picturesque panoramic view.
Figure 30: Yale University on Instagram
4.3.1.2 Universities are using Instagram to share events and public lectures Sharing key pictures of a panel discussion or audience interaction on Instagram is a great way to inform followers of the different events organized by the university. Going along the lines of live tweeting, some of the universities share pictures with interesting quotes from the speakers. Harvard University and Yale University frequently shares pictures of prominent speakers who grace their university. Yale School of Drama, in particular, often posts photos of alumni who have gone on to become major film actors. Harvard offers pictures of events in the field of scientific breakthrough and technological innovation.
37
Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ University of Lausanne in Switzerland has several posts sharing various events happening in the campus and externally. Figure 31 presents Social Sciences and Politics Association students by their stand. The University of Lausanne also has a unique hashtag for the university: #unil (Figure 32)
Figure 31: University of Lausanne on Instagram (1)
Figure 32: University of Lausanne on Instagram (2)
38
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová University of Liechtenstein is focused on two main fields: architecture and business economics. It is quite active Instagram user posting several event pictures and guests in university, promoting both of their leading programs as leading international university in Liechtenstein (Figure 33).
Figure 33: University of Liechtenstein on Instagram (1)
Yale University has the amazing advantage of regularly hosting famous TED conferences organized by Yale’s students in its campus. Their Instagram account is used to promote the event, invite students to take part and position itself to the public (Figure 34).
Figure 34: TED on Instagram
39
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Stanford University created beautiful photo content to demonstrate the opening convocation event at the university with the use of relevant hashtag: #WelcomeToStanford. The picture itself is very eye-catching and unusual which is probably one of the reasons for many positive comments and thousands of likes (Figure 35).
Figure 35: University of Stanford on Instagram (1)
4.3.1.3 Universities are using #ThrowbackThursday on Instagram to share their history Many of the American universities share historic pictures of their university, old year book photos of prominent alumni, and other such glimpses of their university heritage, under #ThrowbackThursday. As the hashtag suggests, these pictures are shared on Thursdays and are a great way of sharing with followers a university’s rich and colorful legacy. Throwback Thursdays offer some very interesting flashbacks: students in the library in 1927, a literature class from 1979s, a ‘50s Halloween Party, and the 1900 men’s basketball team. Some universities also use the hashtag to showcase some of the best talents to emerge from that institution, for instance Bill Gates, from his Freshman yearbook, shared by Harvard University. University of Oregon offers great ‘back in the day’ photos too, showing how students and staff coped without the internet.
40
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová University of Liechtenstein uses widely used “throwbackthursday” or simply #tbt to show off their beautiful campus in different seasons (Figure 36).
Figure 36: University of Liechtenstein on Instagram (2)
Stanford University uses popular ThrowBackThursday to take users back in time and show how the campus used to look like in 1920s. Quite a thought-provoking approach which triggers the current and potential students, staff and alumni to remind history of their university (Figure 37).
Figure 37: Stanford University on Instagram (2)
4.3.1.4 Universities are using Instagram to showcase student activities While it is interesting to see photos of events and panel discussions, what potential students might actually want to see is how exciting their student life at that institution
41
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová could be. And what better way to show this than share pictures of students having fun! For example, the LSE Student Union account offers colorful pictures of election campaigns, freshers’ registration stalls, and the different places students can explore in London. University of Nottingham features again with fun pictures of bake sales, charity runs, the Taekwondo club in action.
Munich Business School has a holistic approach on their Instagram account dedicated to represent students’ ideas on actions that they would take in order to improve the world. The concept is also backed with relevant hashtags (Figure 38 & 39).
Figure 38: Munich Business School on Instagram (1)
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
Figure 39: Munich Business School on Instagram (2)
Figure 40: Nottingham University shows on its Instagram account what sports activities students participate in and adds relevant hashtags to the event to reach higher reach.
Figure 40: University of Nottingham on Instagram (1)
43
Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ Figure 41 & 42: Aarhus University in Denmark is a great example of valuing student activities both inside and outside campus and their Instagram is all about capturing vivid moments their students are experiencing during their student time in Aarhus.
Figure 41: University of Aarhus on Instagram (1)
Figure 42: University of Aarhus on Instagram (2)
44
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Frankfurt University is using Instagram showing various activities its students are participating, as well as promoting events and displaying day-to-day activities in a quick photo update format (Figure 43 &44).
Figure 43: University of Frankfurt on Instagram (1)
Figure 44: University of Frankfurt on Instagram (2)
45
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Modul University Vienna has a very picturesque Instagram account providing insights of various student event like the Sustainability Week 2014 fashion show which was also reported in their Youtube channel (Figure 45).
Figure 45: Modul University of Vienna on Instagram
4.3.1.5 Universities are using Instagram to connect directly with alumni and followers Lastly, universities use Instagram to reach out to students old and new. Some universities ask their alumni, staff, and students to send photos of their favorite aspects of university life. The University of Southern California has an exciting account with Valentine’s Day photos of couples who met in college (and graduated together), images of a mother and toddler wearing matching varsity jackets to the game, and lots of photos their mascot. University PR and communications teams can employ this strategy to build a sense of community and affection for the university, perhaps most effective during drives for donations.
46
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Figure 46: The University of Liechtenstein captures a nice picture describing where it is situated in accordance to other European cities. Instagram helps to communicate standard information in a more creative way and draw attention to it.
Figure 46: University of Liechtenstein on Instagram (3)
Figure 47: University of Nottingham emphases school pride with posting Instagram photo welcoming students with and symbolic university sweatshirt.
Figure 47: University of Nottingham on Instagram (2)
47
Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ Notre Dame University uses its Instagram account to generate interaction with their alumni to discuss tassel colors that each represent a specific field of study (Figure 48).
Figure 48: Notre Dame University on Instagram
Duke University demonstrates on its Instagram account year 2014 seniors in Duke Chapel graduating from university. Great photo content which bring a lot of emotions to current students, staff and also alumni who follow the university Instagram page (Figure 49).
Figure 49: Duke University on Instagram
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
4.3.2 MCI Business & Management & Instagram At the moment, the pros of using Instagram have not yet been recognised by Innsbruck universities. This will give MCI the advantage of being the first on the market. In addition, since the German and Austrian universities mentioned in the examples (see Figures mentioned above) are not fully using the creative capacity of Instagram, MCI has the chance to become the market leader. This means that high need for generating interesting, exciting and intriguing content is present following the effective strategies tested by universities provided as examples (see Figures mentioned above). 4.3.2.1 Target Group The strategy MCI Business & Management department will undertake is to attract several target groups through creating and using both photo and video content and by adding relevant hashtags to generate high penetration. The target groups covered with Instgram include current Business & Management students, potential applicants, as well as ERASMUS students. Following, commenting and liking posts on Instagram is easy and accessible for everyone with a smartphone and an account of the platform.
By adding solely relevant and needed hashtags, it is possible to promote the international program to those not familiar with it before and attract potential students. When generating the right kind of quality content, the interconnection between various social platforms is obvious action. Once the appeal is noticed, humans are then driven by curiosity and need to find out more: this is where our content platforms as well as video platforms come into play. 4.3.2.2 MCI Business & Management Activities on Instagram Figure 50 shows three different types of activities the MCI Business & Management department may pursue on Instagram. •Both video and photo format Campus •Creative way to attract attention introduction
Photo competitions
Events
•Boost input from current students •Promotional effect
•Seasonal events •Academical events •B&M and ERASMUS
Figure 50: MCI Business & Management activities on Instagram
49
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.3.2.2.1
Campus introduction
MCI Business & Management department can easily promote their campus and overall atmosphere of the program on Instagram. By creating interesting photos (as seen in the examples section figures) which are eye-catching, exciting and good quality, MCI is able to trigger more visitors to its account. The idea behind is to have intriguing content for current students and appealing for potential applicants. The overall strategy is to boost university spirit and feeling of belonging in a loving academic community. 4.3.2.2.2
Photo competitions
Having photo competitions present on social media platform like Instagram gives B&M the chance to promote the program by using the content created directly from students. This is made possible through Instagram feature of adding the hashtag to the photos. As suggested in the year plan (see Figure X) Business & Management department will have a unique hashtag, in addition to contestants tagging their photos with the department’s account so it will appear on B&M account in “photos tagged” section. This allows to use photos and videos generated by local and ERASMUS students as an input to B&M Instagram account. The expected result is increased amount of awareness, followers and participation. Photo competitions are briefly described in the year plan generated specifically for Instagram (see Figure x). There will be seasonal photo competitions that need to be promoted on other social network platforms, info screens and flyers in the university campuses. A good way to trigger the buzz and promote active participation is to have good prizes in place (also suggested in the year plan section). This will also motivate more people to participate, create better photos and think more creatively to differentiate from other participants. 4.3.2.2.3
Events
MCI can use Instagram to capture photos from guest lecturers, student events and ERASMUS evenings happening during the year. This helps to promote Business & Management department from international point of view by showing to the audience various activities present. There is also the opportunity to encourage the exchange students to tag photos of their semester spent in MCI so they will appear in B&M Instagram account in already mentioned “photos tagged” section.
50
Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ Some technical issues would need to be resolved in order to benefit from this social media platform the most. For example, it would be required from IT department to add a logo of Instagram to the MCI B&M webpage so the viewer will be directed automatically to the B&M Instagram account. This feature is widely used for various social media platforms by most of the universities in order to promote and inform potential students about other sources to gather data. Plus, in B&M department case, it will add informal, yet still academic touch to the information already available about the course on the website. 4.3.2.3 Demo Version The following figures are showing how an Instagram profile for MCI Business & Management could look like (Figure 51, 52 & 53).
Figure 51: MCI Business & Management profile on Instagram
51
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
Figure 52: MCI Business & Management post on Instagram
Figure 53: MCI Business & Management mobile profile on Instagram
52
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.3.2.4 Year Plan Table 5 shows a year plan for MCI Business & Management for the activities on Instagram. Table 5: Instagram year plan
Month June,
Task July, Start-up phase
August
Notes Upload photos of campus, Innsbruck & Open house event pictures to create traffic & gain followers
September
Focus on incoming students
Pictures of buddy events and initial meeting at MCI Promote #MCI_bm
October
Photo competition
Topic: “Me and MCI”
Prize: MCI sweater
Students have to upload a photo on Insta-
Duration: 2 months
gram with a hashtag #MCI_bm in order to enter the competition. The most creative ones
(1-3
winners)
get
prizes.
Marketing campaign: Promote the competition on other social networks, MCI campus screens and on flyers.
November
MCI welcome party pictures
Post photos and promote hashtag
Halloween
MCI pumpkin pictures
Ongoing photo competition
At the end of the competition make a video of all the photos uploaded with the winner photo (and winner in a sweater). Add the video to Youtube channel (and
Christmas market
other social networks). Start adding pictures of Christmas market in Innsbruck (Glühwein, MCI students)
53
Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová December
January
Christmas & New Year’s Eve
Pictures of: •
Ice-skating
•
Glühwein on MCI I 3rd floor
•
Ugly sweater party
•
Firework picture
Uniball Erasmus student trip
Photos
Alumni/Guest lecture Skiing contest
Announce skiing photos contest and invite people to add their photos with #MCI_bm
February
24-hour Valentine’s day
Promote the contest in social media and on
Contest
flyers. On 14.02 students are welcome to
Prize: ?
add their creative Valentine’s day pictures with a hashtag #MCI_bm video/photos of what they liked during their stay in MCI
Fall ERASMUS students leaving March
Open house
Photos
End of skiing contest
Announce the winner
Prize: ? Spring semester party
Photos
Spring ERASMUS students arri- Welcoming night pictures val April
Excursion
Pictures/videos on external project of B&M group
Eastern break
Photos of eastern eggs in Innsbruck
Spring atmosphere
Photos of lunch break: 3rd floor, MENSA area, MCI chairs etc.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová May
Alumni/Seminars/Guest lectures Volleyball contest
Talk about these events with Student’s
MCI grilling party at
council
Baggersee June
Summer contest
Post photos with #MCI_bm of the most
Deadline: August
adventurous summer experience
Prize: ? Spring ERASMUS students leav- Post pictures of most interesting things ing
they did in their exchange semester.
4.3.2.5 Resource Planning Creating an Instagram account for MCI Business & Management is for free. At the moment, Instagram does not offer any possibilities for boosting the penetration rate through paying for advertisement. Therefore, no additional costs need to be accounted in order to have this social media platform account. Nevertheless, the topic of workforce employment needs to be addressed. Since Instagram account needs constant maintenance in order to bring desirable results, B&M department would require staff to continuously work on the content. In addition, some technical requirements need to be in place, for example the access to camera and video equipment. Table 6 additionally shows the prizes and the recommended budgets for the different competitions and activities on Instagram. Table 6: Prizes for Instagram competitions
Competition
Prizes
“Me and MCI” competition
1st – Aqua Dome voucher for 2 people (80€) 2nd – Stiftskeller restaurant coupon (50€) 3rd – MCI sweater (25€)
Skiing competition
1st – Freizeitticket (400€) 2nd – Coupon for sports equipment (200€) 3rd - Coupon for sports equipment (100€)
24-hour Valentine’s
1st – Dinner coupon (100€)
Summer competition
1st – Bungee jumping (120€) 2nd – Bar 360 voucher (50€)
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 3rd - MCI sweater (25€)
The total financial costs of holding Instagram competitions with the prizes proposes is 1150€ per year. The idea is to motivate as much students as possible to take part in the competitions and submit their photo content. The prizes suggested were chosen with the purpose of being attractive and desirable for young and active students. 4.3.2.6 The Outcome The result from using Instagram as a photo and video content platform will result in increased awareness for current, exchange and potential students. Not only will it provide recognition and upsurge popularity of the program, but create additional value due to the fairly novel academic approach (amongst German speaking universities) in positioning itself.
4.4 YouTube YouTube is a website designed for sharing video. Millions of users around the world have created accounts on the site that allow them to upload videos that anyone can watch. By posting a video on YouTube, you can share a video simply by sending the other person a url ‘link’ – that is, the 'address' of the relevant internet page. Every minute, more than 35 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube. When YouTube was created in 2005, it was intended for people to post and share original video content. But since then, it's also become both an archive for storing favourite clips, songs and jokes, as well as a marketing site for companies to promote their products. (http://digitalunite.com/guides/tv-video/what-youtube). Subscriptions help the user to follow any channel of their choice. They can simply subscribe by clicking a red “Subscribe” button bellow (or around) any video and Youtube will immediately add this channel to their subscriptions, which will also let them
know
whenever
new
content
has
been
uploaded.
(https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3309389/) A Channel is one´s own customizable profile which can be followed by subscribers. By creating a profile it is possible to upload videos, post comments or like and dislike
videos,
which
otherwise
wouldn´t
be
possible.
(https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3309389/) A Playlist is a set of videos the user likes, grouped according to the user´s specifications. One can have a party music playlist or advanced math lessons playlist. The
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová choice is personal, and it is possible to have as many playlists as desired. (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3309389/) Youtube Live Streaming is an event set up by a channel for a certain time and date. It allows the channel administrator to stream online in real time. There is a possibility to attach a comment section next to the video which allows the audience to post an immediate response or a follow up question. Youtube Live Streaming is a one way broadcast to the audience unlike from Google Plus Hangouts where an online session is composed of more than one broadcaster. Table 7 is summing up the advantages and disadvantages of using Youtube. (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2853700?hl=en&ref_topic=2853713) Table 7: Pros and cons of Youtube
PROs
CONs
Finding & reaching target audience around Staff with technical skills & software rethe world
quired
Very interactive
Time consuming
Opportunity to introduce classes, alumni Person responsible for maintenance reevents, MCI, the city, Erasmus students’ quired (answering comments, uploading experience etc.
videos etc.)
Easy maintenance
Technical devices required
Easy to share on other platforms
Youtube is owned by Google and its revenues are accumulated on Googles’s balance sheet. It is available in 61 languages and 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Also over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube;
that's
almost
an
hour
for
every
person
on
Earth.
(https://www.youtube.com/yt/press/en-GB/statistics.html)
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová As can be seen in Figure 54, Youtube is globally ranked as third, which shows enormous importance of this platform. Also Figure X demonstrates that about 80% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the US pointing out the internationally friendliness of Youtube. This assure the Business and Management department that by creating well planned and executed content, high market coverage can be achieved and large target audience around the world can be influenced. We cannot observe any significant differences neither between genders nor educational level of Youtube users. (http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/youtube.com)
Figure 54: Youtube ranking on Alexa.com
4.4.1 Universities & Youtube
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Universities create their own Youtube channels in order to stay in touch with a broader audience. Such international platform like Youtube allows universities to reach out to a wide scale of people all around the world and create awareness. Youtube channel provides possibility to connect to other social media platforms. On top of a channel there is a space for adding linkage icons of other social media platforms the university is present on as well a link to their own university website. This creates an opportunity for anyone to directly access the university main website for further information as well as following the university to any other media they may be more comfortable with. 4.4.1.1 Content The overall usage of Youtube for universities is promoting it with videos of various kinds. Anyone who looks up a university Youtube channel has certain expectations of what he will find, however there are so called basic videos that every university channel should have: a) Video introducing the university (possible introduction of different programs) this video should not be longer than 3 minutes because it needs to deliver the most important facts about the university, for more details another video can be made b) Video of surroundings and campus allows anyone (especially applicants) to imagine the study environment and atmosphere c) Video of a graduation ceremony simply proving your university’s potential and benefits
Further content is all about exceeding the expectations and creating an added value by creative and smart videos. It could be said that there are two kinds of content. The first category, targeted videos, would be directly created for reaching to a specific target group such as alumni, current students or applicants. Targeted videos are focused on delivering information to a certain group and expecting some sort of feedback in return such as commenting or sharing a URL link to distribute information. The second category, promoting videos, would be videos of any kind for anyone who is interested in that university. With the idea of an inside view for anyone on the outside, these video are supposed to inform people about what is currently happening at the university or what has already happened. These videos only promote the university in a sense that there is always something to be excited about or proud of (www.youtube.com, http://www.openculture.com/2008/01/10_university_collections_on_youtube.html,
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/05/11/AR2008051102214_2.html?sid=ST2008051102248). Of course both of these categories overlap however they are important when creating the video rather than what impact it will have afterwards e.g., a German speaking university striving for an image to be internationally friendly should have either English videos or German videos with English subtitles. However an English video invitation to a German guest lecture misleads the audience and leaves it disappointed. 4.4.1.2 Playlists All videos should be grouped into playlists in order not to leave any video untraceable for later retrieval and also for keeping all videos in order. Videos require time and willingness to stay watching from the audience and therefore “misclicks” due to misleading information must be eliminated. Videos should therefore be named accordingly to its content to avoid misunderstanding. If an applicant wants to know something about the university and cannot find what he or she is looking for or finds videos that seems to be the right one however after 2 minutes of watching finds out it doesn’t answer his or hers questions, an applicant may lose interest or even assign a bad image to this university. It is very easy to click through videos and therefore the magic is in keeping the audience interested. It is important to note that not all videos in playlist must be necessarily created by the main channel or even by the university. It is possible to group random Youtube videos into different playlists however one must be careful to stay focused on university issues. A bad example of this issue is demonstrated below. A good example of such playlist is Our University on Youtube or Erasmus at our university, where videos of current and exchange students promote the university. Nevertheless, videos that the main university channel likes or channels to which it subscribes to reflects on the image the university is creating in minds of the audience. (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57792?hl=en&ref_topic=16653) 4.4.1.3 Examples 4.4.1.3.1
UC Berkley and Harvard University
University of Berkeley and Harvard University are one of the few universities with a great variety of academic courses uploaded to their Youtube channel. What makes their Youtube channels spectacular, are its scales and the scopes. Not only is there provided content for each class but it is done so on a constant basis. Students from different universities all around the world tend to use Berkeley’s and Harvard’s lecture videos to fill in their gaps on certain subjects.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.4.1.3.2
Stanford University
Stanford University Youtube channel has very interesting and popular videos with different guest lecturers and commencement speakers that have become famous all over the world due to Youtube video distribution. A wide focus in the channel is posting interviews and discussions with professionals and mostly alumni in various areas creating the opportunity for audience to get a glimpse of less academic but perhaps more motivational videos as can be seen in Figure 55. However the most interesting feature of Stanford Youtube channel is a playlist called Standord Open Office Hours. Stanford posts updates about an upcoming Open Office Hours on Facebook and encourage anyone with a Facebook account to comment with a question they have for the respective person who will be answering those questions. Afterwards a video answering these questions is made, posted on Youtube and shared again on Facebook. Stanford calls these series as an opportunity to converse with great minds at Stanford. (https://www.youtube.com/user/StanfordUniversity/featured)
Figure 55: Stanford University on Youtube
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.4.1.3.3
Boston College
Boston College has been very successful with creating their image on youtube.com by variety of content shared. It satisfies all the basic needs for universities which are present on youtube.com however two extraordinary playlists are worth mentioning. As can be seen in Figure 56 one of them is called Boston College Minutes in which each video tells story about life at the University within only 60 seconds. The videos differ in content however every single one provides an opportunity to a deeper look into the everyday life at Boston College. The second playlist is called #BCexperts Hangout which is a series of conversations with Boston College faculty, staff and alumni about their area of expertise and news of the day. All interviews are held via On Air Google+ Hangout with questions accepted via Google chat and Twitter using #BCexperts. (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK6uws7aS-4dyOjDU1S4CF7RozIsAUz54
&
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA2D8F7707C61F91F)
Figure 56: Boston College on Youtube
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.4.1.3.4
Munich Business School
Munich Business School has only 13 followers which does not refer to a successful Youtube involvement. One of many reasons would be a fact that it only has 13 videos which obviously are not clustered in playlists and also it has no other channels linked to this main Munich Business School channel. Nevertheless, see Figure 57, two videos targeted at Erasmus students, where current Erasmus students briefly talk about their experience at Munich Business School, are an opportunity to promote not only the university itself but also its international friendliness. Another very interesting video worth to be mentioned is a video of a student project, which gives a possibility to any prospective applicant to see what studying at Munich Business School would be like, with a description: “In the second and third semester of their studies, all Bachelor students at Munich Business School conceptualize, organize and finance a social service project of their own. These team projects help the students to gain a different perspectives [sic] on matters such as project management, team work, social responsibility and many more. A group of MBS students followed one project team around to give you an insight into the Social Service Project at Munich Business School.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmnzPBi-2IM & https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2WOg5o2bVnzARrKf6iNHIQ)
Figure 57: Munich Business School on Youtube
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.4.1.3.5
University of Innsbruck
Looking at Figure 59 it seems like the University of Innsbruck has a moderate amount of videos in their playlists, however the truth is that most of its content is not provided by the university itself. The only content that is actually provided by the University are of course videos of different campuses, introduction of Innsbruck and some videos of research that is done at the university. Other than that there is an amount of videos, created by the University, concerning ÖH elections, which are however not clustered into a playlist. The rest is only a content assembled on Youtube. (https://www.youtube.com/user/uniinnsbruck)
Figure 58: University of Innsbruck on Youtube
4.4.1.3.6
University of Economics and Business in Vienna
This is somewhat not a very successful example of a University presence on Youtube. As visualized in Figure 59 the University of Economics and Business in Vienna has three playlists and they all consist only from videos talking about state debt crisis. The university as many enjoyable videos with a decent amount of “views”, however they are lost in between all the other videos. The more videos a channel has the more attention must be paid to grouping them into playlists, otherwise no one can ever find a video e.g.,
of
the
campus,
if
it
has
been
uploaded
3
years
ago.
(https://www.youtube.com/user/wuvienna)
Figure 59: University of Economics and Business Vienna on Youtube
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.4.1.4 University of Vienna The University of Vienna faces similar problem as University of Economics and Business, too many videos not grouped into playlists. Only 20 out of 54 videos are in three playlists, which leaves videos such as “Happy” of the university of Vienna, where students dance around the campus to a very famous song by Pharrell Williams called Happy, lost and pushed down by new uploads. Nevertheless the worst aspect if this channel is its subscriptions, as can be seen also in Figure 60, which are totally irrelevant to university content. This can also happen when “liking” videos of others or putting them into a so called “favourite” category. It creates a very unprofessional image of a
University
and
therefore
should
be
avoided.
(https://www.youtube.com/user/univienna)
Figure 60: Universität Wien on Youtube
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.4.1.5 Management Center Innsbruck MCI has its own channel as well with 22 subscribers and only 8 videos. On a plus side, MCI has a featured channel Management, Communication and IT where videos of guest lecturers are displayed. Another channel called mci4professionals has only 2 videos however is not connected to the main MCI channel as its featured channel and therefore missed the opportunity of benefiting of these videos (Figure 61). (https://www.youtube.com/user/MCInnsbruck)
Figure 61: MCI on Youtube
4.4.2 MCI Business & Management & Youtube Taking into consideration all the information given in the previous section on the overall usage of Youtube by universities and also a lesson learned from good and bad example, we created a unique MCI Business and Management strategy. There are a few features that MCI B&M must be aware of in order to be successful on Youtube. The features relevant to videos are the first category. Headlines must always correlate with a content of videos and also must be easily understandable yet precise. The description of a video is always next to the video itself however only 3 lines are displayed always. These three lines must include further explanation of content of the video and only lower in the description there can be less relevant information and linkages to other social media platforms or the main website of MCI. The third feature concerning videos is a thumbnail which is the picture accompanied next to the video. This must also correlate with the actual content but at the same time it must be appealing to the
audience
to
play
this
video.
(https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2854319?hl=en)
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová The second category is composed of the overall channel features. Each channel has a possibility of connecting it to other social media platform as well as to any website. B&M must take advantage of this feature and connect the MCI website of Business and Management department, Instagram account and Facebook account. The Google Plus account is created upon creating a Youtube channel and therefore it is immediately connected by itself. Nevertheless MCI website must also connect its site to this B&M channel to help with promotion. (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3026513?hl=en&ref_topic=3290374) Another channel feature is a channel trailer, which is a video that appears to non-subscribers upon entering the channel and can be opt to start playing immediately. This video must be creative and attractive to anyone who stumbles upon this channel in order to attain their attention but also create a positive image of our channel and the university as well. This is the first step in allowing the audience to interact and therefore a great importance must be given to a channel trailer. This trailer should be preferably created before letting the channel go public so that we present our competitive advantage from the very beginning. Further information on efficiency of channel playlists are
covered
in
the
introductory
section
to
this
platform.
(https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3026513?hl=en&ref_topic=3290374) The success measures of a channel can be found in section called Analytics, which provides all necessary information for evaluation channel’s success such as number of viewers along with their location, views for each video accompanied with information if the spectator has seen the whole video or just its part. Analytics tracks all traffic on the channel, likes and dislikes of videos or subscriptions.
4.4.2.1 Target Groups As have already been mentioned, Youtube serves to attract all kinds of target groups relevant for universities. Business and Management department want to attract with their videos especially current students, prospective students and alumni. Nevertheless creative videos attract attention of anyone who is interested in particular topic or university activities. Most of our videos will however be mostly targeted at applicants and alumni by the idea of an inside view from the outside. We want to promote our department and inform about all the activities which these target groups may not be able to take part in. Therefore we want to give them an opportunity to be part of our community and follow our activity from wherever. The only section targeted specifically at our current students is a Youtube video contest, which encourages students to upload their videos and win appealing prices along with promoting our department. All of the specific video contents will now be elaborated on.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová (http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2012/nov/29/universitymarketing-student-engagement-tips) 4.4.2.2 MCI Business & Management Activities on Youtube 4.4.2.2.1
Open Office Hours
MCI B&M Office Hours is a video containing answers to questions posted on Facebook and Google Plus. This event will be announced on Facebook and Google Plus along with endorsement of posting questions as comments to this event. The finished video will be shared on Facebook and Google Plus. We suggest holding MCI B&M Office Hours twice a year, where anyone is able to ask about further questions they may have. Each event will be focused on a certain issue such as application procedure, Erasmus program formalities or Study abroad. In the video the questions will be answered by someone from the Business & Management department. All of the answered questions will be included in the Youtube description of the video so that anyone can check ahead if their question has already been answered. 4.4.2.2.2
Introduction Videos to Lectures
MCI already has a video introducing the university on the main MCI channel; however it is 8 minutes long and contains uninformative information. Business & Management department needs to create its own introductory video of this specific program to promote its strengths. Also, introductions to some of the lectures will be helpful for applicants to decide whether they are interested and satisfied with the program’s curriculum. Especially classes that include interesting group works such as Entrepreneurship and its Venture presentation, Change Management with the game, Supply Chain management with a Beer game and interesting cases where students apply knowledge gained in class, Turnaround management with interesting cases and their applications, Negotiation and Conflict where students face real situations and must negotiate a satisfying outcome, offer great possibilities to attract prospect students. 4.4.2.2.3
Erasmus Video
There are two types of videos in this category. First, videos created by Erasmus students themselves about their study at MCI which are grouped into a Business and Management Erasmus playlist by an administrator. The department should encourage the incoming students to make these videos via Google Plus and Facebook and possibly offer an MCI gift in exchange.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová The second video section is created by Business and Management department itself. Each video consists of about three Erasmus students, each from a different country, answering questions about their study at MCI and stay in Innsbruck. This also shows to what extent is MCI internationally friendly by the variety of students asked. This idea was inspired by a video published by the Munich School of Business as can be seen in Figure 57. 4.4.2.2.4
Projects and Excursions
As illustrated in an example of Munich Business School, a video of a student’s project is a remarkable opportunity to demonstrate the practical orientation of the Business and Management program towards real life experience. In the 4th semester are all the students required to make a Practice Lab project with well-known companies such as BMW, Swarovski or MCI itself. Creating a video of either following one group throughout the whole project process or capturing bits and pieces of each group would be an excellent example of the program benefits. Planned excursions likewise allow students to get in touch with a real time experience and get a peek into the authentic surroundings of a business. In the 4th semester the students of B&M 12 attended an excursion to Plansee and afterwards had to create a presentation combining gained knowledge from the excursion itself with anything else that we have already learned within our study. A video capturing this experience may create a noteworthy proof of the practicality of the Business and Management program. 4.4.2.2.5
Contests
An effective way of encouraging current students to a deeper interaction with MCI Business & Management on Youtube is holding a contest. In this contest students of Business & Management program, either local or exchange, would be asked to create a video on a predetermined topic or within one theme. A contest will be announced via announcement video on Youtube stating the topic or theme of videos as well as rules and deadline. This video is shared via Facebook and Google Plus to create awareness. The submission of a competing video would be done by leaving a comment on an announcement video with inserted link of their competing video. In order to be entered into the contest a contestant must state the name and year of their program. All of the competing videos will be allocated into a playlist on MCI Business & Management channel, which will be promoted via Facebook and Google Plus. The video that gets the most “likes” will become the winner. A final video of the contest along with the winner is created for the further awareness of Business and Management department and again shared on our umbrella platforms.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
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Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ 4.4.2.2.6
Events
A Graduation Ceremony is an opportunity to show the applicants and also the current students what awaits them as well as for alumni for whom this video will become a great reminder of their time at MCI. Therefore a sneak peek video of a graduation ceremony at MCI for a wider public audience is advised. Guest Lectures at MCI that are held in English are a brilliant advertisement of MCI itself and also its international friendliness and therefore a video of such event should be created in order to promote MCI along with Business and Management program. Open house is held three times a year by MCI and attracts many people, mostly from around Europe. However Business and Management department wants to attract wider audience from all around the world, who may not be able to attend the Open House on their own. Therefore a sneak peek video of this event will be a useful tool for any prospective student for their decision process. Any other video of an event held in English, such as MCI Summer Session, can be beneficial in promoting Business and Management department as well. 4.4.2.3 Resource Planning Creating a Youtube channel for MCI B&M is free of charge. The workforce planning is however a more difficult issue and the conclusion is that a Youtube channel requires one to two employees. First is the need for a highly skilled person who would be creating the videos. Videos must not only recorder at once and posted, but they need to be actually creatively created to attract wider audience and to be compelling for the audience to subscribe and come back. This person would have to be employed by MCI, because according to our year plan there will be a new video every other week. Second issue is the interactivity with the audience which could be either done by the same person who creates the videos or a new position would need to be established. This person must be responsible and have a deeper knowledge about the Business and Management program as well as the MCI itself in order to be able to answer possible question or deal with difficult situations. The task for this position is to interact with the audience with comments and provide useful information as well as analyzing the traffic on the channel. Working it close relationship with the IT person on one hand in order to make sure, our videos are reaching specific internal goals and on the other hand to improve our performance continuously. Other than that, no more employees are needed for the channel to stay active.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová Lastly, the prices for video contests must be included in a monetary resource planning and therefore we present following suggestions. For the winter sport contest for a creative adventurous sport video we suggest a first price to be a Tirol Freizeitticket for a following season of worth €403, second price a gift card for winter sport equipment of worth €250 in any of Innsbruck’s sports shop such as Intersport and the third price € ÖBB Vorteilscard Classic of €99 . Concerning the second contest of taking MCI B&M abroad we suggest the first price to be a Voucher to Area 47 of worth €300 and a second price to be a Voucher to Area 47 of €200 and the third price a Voucher to Area 47 of €100. Therefore all in all the resources needed for the contests will be €1 352 for the upcoming university year. 4.4.2.4 Demo Version Figures 62 & 63 are showing the demo version of the MCI Business & Management Youtube channel and of a video.
Figure 62: MCI Business & Management Youtube channel
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
Figure 63: Introduction to E-Entrepreneurship
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.4.2.5 Year Plan Table 8 is showing a detailed year plan about recommended activities for the department of Business & Management on Youtube. Table 8: Youtube year plan
Month
Week
Video
Details
36
Introductory video of B&M
38
Introductory video of 2 lectures
41
Welcome video of incoming students
43
Graduation ceremony of B&M 11
45
Welcome video of B&M 14
By B&M 13 in Cloud 9
46
Announcement of Sport contest
47
Open house
Deadline for contest March
December
50
MCI B&M Office Hours – Erasmus issues
January
2
Introductory video of a lecture
4
Erasmus video
7
Introduction of a lecture
9
Open house
11
Contest Sport video winner
13
Open house
15 17
Announcement of a Summer Contest – Take MCI B&M abroad Excursion by 2nd or 4th semester
20
MCI B&M Office Hours – Admission issues
September October November
February March April
May
22
June
24
26
Choice by B&M
Announcement in October on Google Plus and Facebook Choice by B&M 3 participants from different countries Choice by B&M
Deadline in August
Announcement in February on Google Plus and Facebook Guest Lecture sneak peek Baroness Julia Neuberger Rabbi DBE, Senior Rabbi, West London Synagogue, London Company project of 4th semester students Following one group during the whole process Alumni weekend
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová July
August
28
MCI Summer Session
30
Erasmus video
32
Introduction to a lecture
35
Contest Take MCI B&M abroad winner
3 participants from different countries Choice by B&M
4.5 LinkedIn LinkedIn is a career/professional platform, whose main purpose is to maintain and expand professional connections with potential clients, peer groups and colleagues. When creating an account you add your CV and any accomplishments that you would like to share with the general public. Members also present their skills and gather recommendations (endorsements) by other members which either confirm or negate its truthfulness. All this information is used either by employers (for publishing jobs offers, searching for potential candidates and reviewing the profiles of future employees) or job seekers (for receiving available company offers and saving the jobs they would like to apply for). A company can also create its own profile. LinkedIn members can add their employer to their own profile or just follow companies that they are interested in it. All of these activities create a network of professional connections (http://press.linkedin.com/about/). Table 9 is reinforcing the pros and cons of LinkedIn. Table 9: Pros and cons of LinkedIn
PROs
CONs
Creating closed group for alumni interac-
Focus on closed groups no use for
tions
applicants
Only basic version is for free
Advanced account is not free of charge
Professional level of social media
Focused only on afer-study period life
Does not require day-to-day updates Closed groups live by their own life
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Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ LinkedIn is currently available in twenty-two languages in over 200 countries and territories. Out of more than 300 million registered users, 39 million are students and recent college graduates and, according to LinkedIn, they are its fastest-growing demographic. Revenues for year 2013 were $447.2 million and are gathered by payments for premium profiles, advertisements and talent solutions. As showed in Figure 64, LinkedIn is globally ranked 8th and the number is rising. Out of all its members, the majority of 33,8% are from the United States, in the third place is the United Kingdom with 5,4%. This seems like a small number however we must not forget the whole picture. According to LinkedIn statistics, Europe all together accounts for about 65 million of members. This depicts a great importance in Europe. In Figure 31 we can also observe that the gender distribution show a slight dominance of women, and the majority of users report to hold a graduate degree. (http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/linkedin.com; http://investors.linkedin.com/; http://press.linkedin.com/about/)
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Figure 64: LinkedIn ranking on Alexa.com
4.5.1 Universities & LinkedIn Many universities are finding LinkedIn to be an effective tool to provide alumni with career resources. Universities create a group for its alumni and allow the networking magic to take place, with alumni sharing job opportunities by posting information to the group and creating subgroups that are focused to specific career or regional alumni chapters. Most university/alumni groups are private and therefore there is only little info about it available for the general public. MCI itself has a LinkedIn profile with 1,908 followers with only little input. MCI also has an Alumni & Friends private group, where they posts link to other platforms, however most of its content can be found on Facebook as well.
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.5.1.1 Benchmark Examples 4.5.1.1.1
Princeton University
Princeton has its own profile with 64,599 followers (Figure 65 & 66), where all of its achievements, events and even graduates' theses are publicized. However Princeton is most known for its (more than 45) private alumni groups for sports clubs, class/year groups,
and
for
specific
departments
e.g.,
marketing
(http://mashable-
.com/2009/07/23/alumni-social-media/;https://www.linkedin.com/edu/school/Princeton).
Figure 65: Princeton University on LinkedIn (1)
Figure 66: Princeton University on LinkedIn (2)
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.5.1.1.2
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
MIT’s university profile has 144,336 followers and it is mostly used for promoting its students and alumni. MIT displays their achievements, articles and interviews (Figure 67). Naturally, MIT also has a lot of its own private alumni groups that allow students to join before they graduate so that
they can network
with former
alumni
(http://mashable.com/2009/07/23/alumni-social-media/; https://www.linkedin.com/edu/school/mit).
Figure 67: MIT on LinkedIn
4.5.2 MCI Business & Management on LinkedIn Due to a fact that MCI Management Center Innsbruck has a company profile on LinkedIn already established, we suggest creating a private group for Business and Management Alumni. LinkedIn platform directly targets the alumni target group and promotes the future connectivity of alumni to its Alma Mater. For this group all the alumni are welcomed to request a membership which will be approved by an administrator. All interesting activities on other platforms will be promoted in this group, especially invitations to events from Facebook and Google Plus as well as a follow up sneak peek Youtube video of the event. This private group also allows the alumni to interact with each other and there is a possibility to help out other alumni to their dream job. All current students are able to join this group already during their studies in order to provide the opportunity to find an
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Ĺ evtĹĄenko, Smith, Spiegel, ZebischovĂĄ interesting internship, which takes place in the 6th semester of Business and Management program. Additionally, we suggest the Business and Management department to encourage its faculty staff and also the external lecturers to join LinkedIn in order to promote interactivity of alumni and MCI. This provides an opportunity for alumni to retain the relationships that they have formed also within the MCI during their studies. Concerning the resource planning, creating a LinkedIn group is for free and does not require a special person to keep this group active. The person responsible for Facebook and Google Plus must only share relevant and interesting information on LinkedIn.
4.6 Research Gate Founded in 2008, Research Gate is a platform designed for researchers all over the world in order to collaborate on their research and get feedback from peers. The researchers also connect their accounts to the accounts of their institutions (and also departments), therefore, it is also an indicator for the research activity of an institution (rankings are provided). Due to the limited target group (only researchers), of course, the global rank of this platform is not too high, but nevertheless, the number of visitors is steadily growing and the network expands quickly. From the figures below, it can be seen that currently, more male than female researchers are using the platform. Figure 68 shows that the popularity is the highest in the US, but also Germany, India, and, surprisingly, Iran, are countries with high shares of visitors (http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/researchgate.net). Table 10 lists the pros and cons of using this platform: Table 10: Pros and cons of ResearchGate
PROs
CONs
Collaboration on research
Mainly biology and medicine research
Already 4 million researchers worldwide
Time consuming
Share, discover, use and distribute findings
Cannot be controlled, only facilitated
Ask questions and get critics from peers Stats provide reputation Job board function
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová
Figure 68: ResearchGate ranking on Alexa.com
4.6.1 Universities & ResearchGate The following figure shows the current ranking of universities according to their research activity and quality on Research Gate (Figure 37). From the ranking, it can be seen that all “big American universities” are among the top ranked and that the trend of using this platform completely reached the states. Therefore, it is expected, that this trend is also impacting the rest of the world (https://www.researchgate.net/institutions?ev=nav_institutions).
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová 4.6.1.1 Benchmark Example 4.6.1.1.1
University of Innsbruck
Figure 69 shows the profile of the University of Innsbruck on ResearchGate. They managed to attract quite a high number of members (887), considered that those are only people publishing research and have gathered over 10,000 publications up to now. What can also be seen is that they are publishing regularly (every week).
Figure 69: University of Innsbruck on ResearchGate
4.6.2 MCI Business & Management & ResearchGate The MCI already has an account on ResearchGate, but the department of Business & Management has not been created so far. Therefore, research by faculty members of the department cannot be connected (e.g., Bernd Ebersberger published some articles). In order to change that, we recommend to put the department virtually into existence on this platform to reach not only the target group, but also improve the reputation of the MCI and especially the department. The target group of MCI Business & Management on ResearchGate are definitely the researchers, so the faculty staff. Being active on ResearchGate would, on the one hand, increase the ranking of the MCI and especially the department of Business & Management on ResearchGate since this is dependent on the number and also ratings of publications, and, on the other hand, would make visible what the core research top-
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Ševtšenko, Smith, Spiegel, Zebischová ics at MCI Business & Management are. Especially the latter is important for master students since they often choose their university according to special topics in a master’s program. In order to exploit the benefits of ResearchGate for MCI Business & Management, it is recommended that the Head of the Study Program recommends the platform to the colleagues. It is then the responsibility of every each and every faculty member to initially set up the account and be active on the platform afterwards.
5 Conclusion In conclusion, after careful research and analysis of various diverse social media platforms, we have narrowed down our strategy to include six principle outlets which we have extensively discussed within this report - four of which are directly controllable and two which are indirectly influenceable. We have done so by selectively gathering information and critically processing it both individually and collectively. After this period of research we then proceeded to discuss our findings and compile an interim report that was conclusively presented to representatives of the department. With the feedback generated from this session we were able to create a clear picture of the final strategy that we have concretely outlined here-within. We hope that our plans and suggestions will be of help and usefulness for the department, also for future developments and changes. According to the resource analysis for the different platforms, we came to the conclusion that in order to conduct the strategy as outlined, at least one person is needed to monitor the platform and cope with the created traffic. In addition, especially for the activities on Youtube video creating and cutting capabilities are vital in order to produce quality video content, which could result in the need for another person. Furthermore, the competitions would require a budget for the prizes (for further information see the respective sections).
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