Colleges Stepping Up Social Media Recruiting

Colleges around the world are increasingly turning to social media to connect with students.Brochures and leaflets may soon be replaced by Tweets and wall posts as college admissions offices invest more resources in online social networking.

ReadWriteWeb summarizes a study by the University of Massachusetts that points out the trend. More schools are utilizing blogs with comment systems, almost all are now on Facebook and Twitter, and many are quickly adopting LinkedIn to connect with current and potential students. Almost half are even recording podcasts these days. 

I remember when I came into school I joined an official "Class of 2012" group on Facebook that I later realized was basically an outlet for admissions to keep tabs on us. But in the last three years my school has adopted a number of official Facebook pages and Twitter accounts that are increasingly useful for disseminating information to the student body. 

So what social media does your school use? Do you see it as a helpful outlet for interacting with school officials, or as a malevolent method of surveillance? Let us know in the comments.