ENGAGING WITH GENERATION Y

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ENGAGING WITH GENERATION Y

• FaceBook the Cool Tool

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Engaging with Generation Y

• Todays presentation focuses on the
• positive promise of social network sites
• namely the use of FaceBook in order to
• engage successfully with Generation Y

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Who, what, when?

• Generation Y also commonly known as
• Internet Generation, Echo Boomers,
• iGeneration, MyPod Generation and
• Millennials
• Born between 1980 and 1990. Around 4.5 million
• in Australia and 70 million in US

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Common characteristics
Source Bryan Patterson
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Some interesting stats

• 97 own a computer
• 97 have downloaded music using P2P
• 94 own a mobile phone
• 75 of all SMS messages are sent by Gen Y
• 76 use IM and SNS
• 60 own mp3 players
• 44 read blogs
• 34 use web as their main source of news
• 28 author a blog
• 15 of IM users are logged 24/7

Source Wikpedia
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Speaking Gen Y

• Student A writes suuuppp!
• Student B replies nmu?
• Student A writes same
• Student B replies wht u u2 l8a?
• Student A writes dk
• Student B replies got tix 2 artic monkeys!!
• Student A writes sick!!!!!
• Student B replies Ok check u _at_ 7

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Social network sites

• Social networking sites (SNS) such as
• Facebook, MySpace, Orkut and Bebo are
• ubiquitous and Gen Y university students
• are spending a great deal of time on them

Source Dana Boyd
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History and trends
Source Dana Boyd
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FaceBook stats

• More than 100 million active users
• 4th most-trafficked website
• Most-trafficked SNS in the world
• Over 55,000 regional, work-related, university
  and high school networks
• Top photo sharing application
• More than 24 million photos uploaded daily
• More than 6 million active user groups

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Cornells guidelines

• The IT Department of Cornell University
  highlighted the following
• 5 areas
• 1. Invincibility
• 2. Caching
• 3. Freedom
• 4. Responsibility
• 5. The Law

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Stutzmans guidelines

• 1. Facebook is not going away. Students are
  curious and social
• networking is part of their life
• 2. Most of your undergraduates are already on
  Facebook
• 3. Students may not be smart about their privacy
• 4. Students do and say stupid things on these
  networks
• 5. Facebook has a unique culture

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Stutzmans Guidelines

• 6. Sometimes there are very positive and touching
  moments on social networking tools
• 7. Your campus IT does not offer anything like
  this for students
• 8. Students are trying out their identities on
  these networks
• 9. Figure out how to use these networks for
  positive learning interactions and provide
  guidance to your students
• 10. Do not try to kick students out of school,
  but, also, do not turn a blind eye to the
  phenomenon

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Why FaceBook?

• Lets take a common study abroad
• scenarioAnna will spend her next
• semester studying at the University of
• Sydney

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How does it work?

• Live demonstrationThe University of Sydneys
  2008 Study Abroad and Exchange Facebook Group
• www.facebook.com

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Random comments

• Chris saidI am a college Freshman going to
  Boston University. I often use Facebook to check
  up on friends status and parties in the works.
  What is surprising about Facebook is that at BU
  the Dean of Public Safety have over 100 friends
  from BU and colleges in the area. It is a great
  tool to use to get in contact with him if you
  ever needed

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Random comments

• CR said... I just heard a faculty member at
  another university mention that he uses Facebook
  for his advisees/majors. He posts general
  information and updates to help direct these
  students about upcoming events, appointment
  scheduling, and changes. By using Facebook,
  students receive (and read!?) the information
  within 2 minutes, rather than using Blackboard
  and only get the information after they log in
  (and if they read the Announcements)

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Random comments

• Robert French saidFacebooks reach
• within the college population is stunning.
• They have penetrated the market so
• completely that it has become part of the
• college experience

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Conclusions

• Improve social capital
• Build connections and friendships with other
  students
• Create new relationships and affinities
• Help students to improve their sense of belonging
• Educate students on appropriate citizenship in
  online communities
• Collect and share information
• Send messages to targeted groups
• Help establish connections to alumni
• Develop potential opportunities for professional
  development and networking

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Resources

• Facebook www.facebook.com
• Bryan Patterson, A-Z of Generation
  http//www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,220
  34750-5006016,00.html
• Fred Stutzman How University Administrators
  Should Approach the Facebook Ten Rules
  http//fstutzman.com
• Danah Boyd http//www.danah.org/
• Educause www.educause.edu/eli