Is Social Media the New Tool for University recruitment?

I think Missouri State have come a long way in recognizing the need or importance of using social media applications to advance the mission of the university. The university recently hired an Audion engineer, who was also given the added responsibility of developing Social Media to advance the cause of Missouri State.

However, after hearing from this guy in class about what he has done with social media applications since his tenure here, I came away with the impression that, as much as he is qualified in what he was originally hired to do, his knowledge and training on the use of social media does not match up to the demands of the school. This is evident by the fact that after three or four months that this guy has been at post, almost of the social media applications on the school's website are still in the inital stage of development. This guy should have a whole division under that should be responsibility for developing the University's social media applications.

I don't know if the univeristy authorities recognize the urgency of the situtation here. Social media is here to stay. Just like the internet itself, it is going to be the engine of communication in the second half of the 21st century. I have heard that some universities are now using social media as the tool for enrollment.

As a matter of urgency, the university should come out with a clear cut goal and budget to develop this sector of its PR activities. We should begin to employ these social media to recruit new students and enhance further the mission statement of the school. Just read this article by Nicholas Cifuentes, and you will know what I am talking about.

Will Broadcasting Survive the Podcast Onslaught?

Just as Tivo is for television, so is Podcasting for radio and video. Podcasting is simply an audio or video file delivered via RSS. Even though podcasting is new, it is becoming a mainstream communication medium. Many businesses and PR practitioners are quickly adapting to podcasting and employing it in many powerful ways.

Its many uses are in talk show, debates and educational training. Unlike traditional radio, podcasting allows it users to decides which programs they receive, listen to or watch. Its portability-that is, the ability to deliver it to your wireless handheld devices- allow its usage while on travel or business. The days of sitting down by your computer or radio to listen to news item are probably gone. Does that make broadcasting obsolete? I will leave the answer to the pundits and the media gurus to answer! For a more complete discussing on podcasting see PR News.

Customization vs. Standardization

Integrated Marketing Communication is defined as "A management concept that is designed to make all aspects of marketing communication such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing work together as a unified force, rather than permitting each to work in isolation." Public relations on the other hand has been defined as "the management of relationships between your company and all the "publics" with which it must do business." We can clearly see the correlation between the two management concepts.

A public relation practitioner is the face of his or her organization. It is imperative that he/she keeps a consistent message. This is where Integrated Marketing Communication comes into play. This also means that the organization should adopt a more balanced approach to its public. There must be a balanced between adopting a short-gun approach and customization. This is especially important in our more global environment.