the-standard.org
Volume 107, Issue 15
The Social Media Issue
#PrezTweets MSU President Clif Smart is on Twitter — are you following?
By Trevor Mitchell The Standard At 4,001 and counting, MSU President Clif Smart probably has more Twitter followers than you. And why shouldn’t he? He’s not using it to show off Instagrammed pictures of his lunch or to share the funniest MSU hashtags — he’s using it to promote the university. In the past few months, Smart’s Twitter account has featured pictures from the winter graduation ceremony, highlights from Jay Nixon’s speech on campus, live tweets from basketball games and even some interaction with students. Smart also retweets articles about the university and Springfield, sometimes adding his own commentary. But what gave him the idea to start using Twitter? In an interview, Smart said there were several reasons that he began using the website. Admissions staff and others at the university had told him it was an effective tool, and Smart believed it would be a good way to interact with students he wouldn’t otherwise ever see around campus. He also pointed to Kirk Schulz of Kansas
State University and Santa Ono of the University of Cincinnati as examples of university presidents who use Twitter effectively. Finally, Smart said he “hoped it might change my image away from the old bald guy who works in Carrington.” Smart said he did Screenshot/THE STANDARD feel as though using President Clif Smart’s Twitter feed. Follow him at @ClifSmart. Twitter had helped him become better connected to the campus accomplishments that the university has and what was going on around the university. achieved. In the future, Smart said his plans for his “I follow 192 accounts, most of which are connected with MSU, Springfield or other uni- Twitter account simply include continuing what versities, and I can much more easily get out he’s been doing but always trying to improve, information about the university and what while also “engaging the university community in some specific discussions.” events are happening.” And what about #ComeOnClif — the hashSmart gave the gun scare at Drury University and other Springfield universities early last tag asking Smart to cancel classes that comes October as an event that benefited from his up any time the weather’s looking bad? “Makes me smile — has no impact on the use of Twitter, saying they were immediately able to send out a “we goofed” message to decision though.” You can follow President Smart on Twitter over 3,800 people. He also said it enabled him to share photos @ClifSmart, or visit his blog for more informaand accounts of happenings around the uni- tion at http://www.missouristate.edu/presiversity that many might be unaware of, or dent/.