Facebook and Colleges. Not so Good

Why Facebook is not the answer for colleges.

Before I tell you why you should not use Facebook in college admission, let me first tell you that we, at MoreThanGrades.com, use Facebook. We have a Fanpage that is quite active and use it to post upcoming events like our virtual on-line college fairs. We also have a Facebook application that allows students to follow their favorite colleges while on Facebook -College Scoop. So if we use it, why shouldn’t you?

Recently, colleges have had to wrestle with the dilemma of “friending” students. Is it right for a college admission officer to friend a student? If so, what happens after that student enrolls or doesn’t’ enroll? Then there is the issue of looking at a students profile for information, something students are not very comfortable with. Will college deny admission or scholarships based on information they find in a student’s profile? That question is still an open question.

It seems that Facebook is one of those things that colleges feel they have to use since “everyone” is using it but many don’t really know how to use it. Just because it is free does not mean everyone should just dive in.

So, what’s the answer?

There is no doubt that Facebook can be a valuable tool if used correctly. Just having a fanpage or group does not mean the page is functional. Colleges need to monitor their pages and provide content and interaction. But even with this, Facebook is not the panacea many believe it to be.

Recently, a few companies have begun to market recruitment platforms based on Facebook. The argument here is that Facebook reaches millions of high school aged students and is therefore the place to be. Some of these platforms come at a significant cost. But consider this: Building your school’s recruitment on Facebook would be analogous to building your house on a rented piece of property. Ultimately, the owner of the land is the one who holds all the cards.

What if Facebook decided tomorrow not to allow email information to be collected from Facebook users? How would that impact your marketing campaigns? Facebook can decide whatever it pleases and you are then left with a platform that is worthless for your purposes. Will Facebook ever make such a drastic change? It is anybody’s guess but changes do happen regularly.

Last week, Facebook announced it is making a major change to its fanpages; they are changing the box feature. For those of you not familiar with the box feature, it allows users to create an area where information can be placed on a Fanpage. (In an area that is very visible.) What’s more, boxes are able to accept html coding, (which allows users to create links or embed objects,) a de facto area where users can create ads for whatever they please and then place them on the left side of the page in a very visible area. Where are they now? Squashed on the top of the page and buried among all the other tabs. If a user doesn’t specifically look for that tab, it will never be found. Still think building your social media on Facebook is a good idea? My guess is that this real estate directly interfered with Facebook’s own ad placement, so it is no wonder they decided to change this. So what’s next? Who knows? Isn’t that the point?

Facebook is a great tool if used correctly since it cost nothing to join Facebook, and it allows colleges to reach students in an area they are familiar and comfortable with. But like any tool, it needs to be used correctly, with some guidance, and not as the main tool for marketing.

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