GST 120: Leadership in Action: interviewed 10/22
Subjects: 15 freshmen, conducted as focus group
Where are they?
15 on Facebook, all check daily (would check hourly if they could)
10 on MySpace, one checks daily, most almost never check
0 on Twitter (in retrospect, should have asked why)
What Facebook communities do they join?
11 members of the Class of 2013 page (an unofficial student-run effort)
7 on SUNY Oswego Fans page (others said they would join had they known it existed)
Why join 2013?
Main reason: connect with future classmates.
Some said appreciated the updates.
One mentioned joining out of school pride.
How active on page?
Not very. None reported commenting on forums or starting discussions.
How used?
"I went through and added people who looked cool and cute girls."
Some connected with people attending same Orientation session.
Some connected with others in same residence hall.
Are there considerations on joining a group vs. page?
Don't really notice or care.
Would you feel differently if the 2013 page were set up by institution?
"Not really." (consensus)
"I'd trust it more"
"We don't look at who started it" ... just care about as place to meet people.
What do you do on Facebook?
Talk with other students
Stay in touch with friends back home
"We have a group where my high school friends and I let each other know what we're doing."
Keep track of events (where the parties are!)
Look up other people
Play Farmville
Have you joined other campus related groups?
Six have:
Scuba Club
Johnson Hall floor
WTOP-TV and field hockey
Rugby Club
Oswegonian newspaper
Del Sarte dance club
What do you think of MySpace?
Of the 10, only one visits daily; most barely or never visit
College should only consider "ff you're trying to reach middle schoolers,
maybe."
Mainly go there for musical acts, but now "less cool" that all bands have MySpace pages
Too much advertising
How interact with the Laker, a student affairs-run Web community?
Only 1 of 15 uses it regularly, and that's because it's a
class requirement for her
Others check less frequently, if at all ... weekly or so to once a month
"I'd meet people on the Laker, and then transfer over
to Facebook to talk to them"
Most went on about once a week when started
Did use it to find people with similar major or same orientation
session, then interact on Facebook
"I like to go and physically meet people" more than interact in cyberspace
Oswego.edu Web site
12 said they thought it was best source of information
Other three didn't really express an opinion
Good at walking them through step by step for procedures
None found social media most important source of information (more a place to connect)
Main uses for Web site?
MyOswego (registration/bill-paying information)
Athletics page
Angel (online learning)
E-reserves in library
Looked up/downloaded syllabi for classes
What did you like?
Just happy it worked ... usability more important than anything else
What didn't you like?
Housing signup: hard to find, system seemed to lose their information, took forever to learn who was roommate
E-mail password: Sent via paper in May, allowed to sign up in July (easy to misplace/lose/forget)
Sometimes hard to find things on Web site: a few navigate mainly by search box
Links (on MyOswego, among other areas) had unclear wording
Received e-mails with links that didn't work
What more could we do?
Consider AIM feature
- One student liked Buffalo AIM except they kept contacting him; he preferred to use on-demand
One student found very handy AIM (maybe Meebo) chat on our site (couldn't remember where)
Virtual tours of residence halls: saw Johnson, surprised by what seemed smaller, less modern rooms