IT

Social security

Internet use is evolving rapidly. It may not be clear where some of these developments are destined yet, but, as Ludwood Interactive advises, it is nonetheless vital for schools to set goals for use of social networks

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, a small privately owned college in the state of Pennsylvania in the US, made news this month by announcing a week-long ban on the use of social networking websites on its campus.

The university has a technology-centred curriculum and the experiment is designed to get both students and staff to think about how they use emerging social networking tools and what effects the tools are having on their academic community.

According to Insidehighed.com, Ed Darr, who is the provost of the university, came up with the experiment as a way to examine practices where people who work within a few hundred yards of each other use the web as their main form of communication on a daily basis.

What is social networking?
Social networking is a generic term used to describe the collection of a combination of internet tools such as: discussion forums, blogs, status updates, photo and video-sharing, instant messaging and text gateways.

These “Web 2.0” tools allow users to submit information and interact with other users on the site, creating a community of users able to share information and socialise with one another either directly or in groups. Widely known social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube have all adopted some of these tools to create their online communities.

In addition to these well known sites, there are also a huge range of subject-specific social networking sites with vibrant communities of users based on profession, hobbies and other interests.

Rapid growth
The dramatic growth in the use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter represents both enormous opportunities and challenges for independent schools.

It is difficult to overstate just how dramatic the growth in social networking has been. Nielsen found in May 2010 that, over the previous three years, UK internet usage had increased by 65 per cent and of that time spent online, the use of social networking sites by UK online consumers had more than doubled, with social networking now the most popular internet activity; increasing from 9 per cent to approximately 23 per cent of UK internet time. The next most popular activity was the use of personal email (7.2 per cent), games (6.9 per cent) and instant messaging (4.9 per cent).

Charities have also been particularly quick to adopt social networking tools to aid with both fundraising and campaign strategies. For example, a survey from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research found in 2009 that 97 per cent of the large charities they surveyed were using social media, while less than 80 per cent of the Fortune 500 companies had adopted social media.

Will Facebook decline?
Facebook continues to be the largest social networking site. However, there is some evidence to suggest that it is now on the decline among younger users. A recent poll of 600 teenagers aged between 13 and 17 by the Montreal Gazette found that while 90 per cent of those surveyed had a social network profile, almost 20 per cent had either abandoned their Facebook profile or visited it less than they did a year ago, with 68 per cent moving away in the last six months.

The survey showed that among those who had left Facebook, reasons given were: 45 per cent had lost interest, 28 per cent found other websites, 21 per cent said that their friends were not using Facebook, 16 per cent because their parents had joined and 14 per cent believed there were too many adults.

This may be a reflection of the increasing complexity of the platform, with a range of what some argue are frivolous and intrusive applications that can lead to relentless status updates posted into your profile or newsfeed.

If there is indeed a long-term decline in Facebook usage, it might also be a reflection of the notion that what is popular is “uncool” and will lead to a decline in younger users.

An October 2009 Pew Internet and American Life Project survey found that the median age of the Twitter user is 31 and had remained stable in the previous year; while MySpace was 26, down from 27 in May 2008, and LinkedIn had reached 39, down from 40. The most significant changes was with Facebook with a median age of 33, up from 26 in May 2008.

Social networking opportunities
Because they are already “knowledge communities” in the real world, it is clear that independent schools are ideally placed to benefit from many opportunities presented by social networking on popular sites.

A basic strategy using social networking might range from a simple Facebook group, Twitter account, or YouTube channel as a method for communicating with alumni and fundraising for the school. A more sophisticated and joined-up communications and marketing strategy would use a range of these sites and be integrated with the school’s traditional print and other communications.

Many independent schools will also use external developers and their own staff to develop their internal social networking resources in conjunction with existing web services. This might include compelling web directories for alumni, which help to foster a continued relationship with the school and allow the school to maintain contact information and handle privacy policies in relation to this data.

Internal social networking tools also present an opportunity to develop more meaningful relationships and communication with and among staff, students and parents to foster a deeper, more vibrant and effective learning environment.

Challenges of social networking
Social networking tools, of course, can also produce significant challenges for independent schools, including “cyberbullying” of members of the school community or attacks on the reputation of the school. This is a well documented phenomenon. Becta’s 2008 E-safety and Web 2.0 Report said that 46 per cent of the teachers it surveyed had reported a negative experience caused by pupils using Web 2.0 technologies.

The (former) DCSF produced an excellent guide in 2009 entitled Cyberbullying Supporting School Staff. This guide is available online and sets out detailed advice for dealing with this issue. It defines “cyberbullying” as “... the use of information and communications technology, particularly mobile phones and the internet, deliberately to upset someone else”.

Potential damage to school reputation
But these technologies also give members of both the school community and the wider public the opportunity to publish opinions about your school. While it would be understandable to view this as a danger or threat, it can also be seen as an opportunity to better understand how others see your school and to communicate openly and effectively about its strengths and improve on any weaknesses.

Many commercial organisations now task their marketing and communications departments with the job of regularly searching for comments about the organisation within social networking sites. The idea is to respond quickly to questions, compliments and, where there are criticisms, work with others within the organisation to resolve problems.

Intellectual freedom and attainment
It is clear that as these tools become more sophisticated, social networking and related internet tools will offer unrivalled new opportunities for students to learn and collaborate both locally and globally.

In an increasingly digital world, where social networking tools will play an ever more important role in both personal and professional contexts, the real challenge for schools will be to foster an educational environment that maximises intellectual freedom and academic attainment using these tools, while minimising their potential for a negative impact on both individuals and the wider school community.

 Ludwood Interactive is an internet development company specialising in the independent school sector. Brent can be contacted via www.ludwood.com. 

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