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This project aimed to promote sustainability at Columbus State University by engaging the academic community and alumni through social media. Events focused on creating a sustainable environment, economy, and quality of life. Despite challenges, participants generated engagement but faced issues like lack of preparation for viral campaigns and inadequate promotion by organizers and campus PR.
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Creating Sustainable Knowledgein a Global Environment Dr. Richard L. Baxter eCitizenship Project Columbus State University Columbus, Georgia Spring 2010
The Project • Purpose: Promote University’s Core Value of Sustainability • Organizers: Depts of Economics/Finance, Communication, Political Science • Program: Create a two-week series of events to promote theme, “Sustainable Knowledge in a Global Environment
Concepts of Events • Events were categorized as: • Creating a sustainable environment • Creating a sustainable economy • Creating a sustainable quality of life • Considered but not used: Creating a sustainable geo-political environment
Goals and Objectives • Create and test pilot program using social media to promote eCitizenship within the academic community and among alumni • Establish multiple social media sites to promote sustainability events • Create Facebook site with 800 fans • Create Twitter site with 100 followers
Strategy and Tactics • Divide Intro to PR class into four subgroups representing each college • Serve as liaison with event organizers • Obtain critical information about event • Make posts to sites creating interest in event • Generate posts by fans and followers
Strategy and Tactics: cont • Drive traffic to social media sites so as to promote sustainability events • Use personal social media sites to alert friends as to new site and its purpose • Work with university PR Office to promote sites through event press releases • Notify college majors of sites’ existence
Results • Generated 123 Facebook friends and fans • Generated 14 Twitter followers • Generated 0 YouTube videos • Students prepared and presented final reports evaluating project as a term paper
Problems • Students were not prepared to conduct viral media campaign • Organizers of sustainability events did not provide timely and substantive info • Campus PR Office failed to adequately promote social media sites prior to events • Facebook site creation caused confusion