NEMA Workshop: Social Media as a Tool for Academic Engagement

From a NEMA bulletin; this one looks like a really interesting take on an issue (social media) that’s getting a lot of press lately.

Campus Connection: Social Media as a Tool for Academic Engagement

Thursday, August 11, 2011
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA
Registration Deadline: August 4, 2011Register Online

Within a culture that has a thirst for social networking and desire for instantly updated information, the college audience especially seems to be plugged in 24/7. Social media can transform your relationship with the college aged audience, so how do we as institutions dedicated to education take advantage of these tools to engage our core audience: the student body?

Session Topics:

The Psychology of Social Media Networks
Deb Biggar, User Experience Designer
Biggar will break out the social psychology influences that make social media networks popular.  She will focus on usage broken down by demographics and many of the internal motivators that all humans share.  Deb holds a MS in Human Factors in Information Design from Bentley University and has designed human-computer experiences for 11 years.

The Museum On-campus and On-line
Kate Rettstadt, Graduate student, Harvard University Extension School
Rettstadt’s thesis is focused on Academic Museums and Galleries and their use of social media to engage their inherent audience.

The Rising Dependence on Social Media at Museums in the U.S
Jane M. Mason, Director of Marketing and Communications, Ohio Historical Society
Mason co-authored a case study with Sara Schultz, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN. The study is featured in Sustainable Museums of the 21st Century  and discusses engaging museum visitors through social media in an experimental program at the Walker called “Open Field.”

Social Media Strategy and Management
Michael Byrnes, Senior Account Executive, Matter Communications
Social media can transform your relationship with college-aged audience if it is used correctly. Learn how to create and maintain a social media strategy for your institution from a marketing professional.

Personal or Institutional? Finding your ‘Facebook voice’
Maggie Cavallo, Outreach Coordinator, Montserrat College of Art Galleries
Most academic museums and galleries have an institutional facebook page. But who is it for and what language should you use to communicate? Likewise, twitter is a rich source of instantly updated information, but what should you tweet about and who is listening?

Open to all NEMA members and non-members alike. Register today!

Tags: nema, social media, workshops