Binghamton University is making its way to the top of the communication ladder as the school was recently named one of the top 20 using Twitter, according to the U.S. News and World report.
Teressa Pace/Photo Editor
According to Universitiesandcolleges.org, a school’s ranking included statistics on the number of accounts, the total number of followers per account, total number of users following each account, number of “tweets” per day and total number of tweets on Twitter, a social networking service.
The Web site collected data during September from Twitter.com, with additional statistics calculated using TweetStats. Only accounts officially affiliated with the university were included.
By using Twitter, users can send and receive messages known as tweets. These tweets can be up to 140 characters, similar to the size of a Facebook status, and can be sent to users through handheld devices and computers. Binghamton’s Twitter account ranked 15th for the number of tweets per day.
According to Ryan Yarosh, spokesman for BU, the University’s page was started about seven to eight months ago as another way for the school to communicate with students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends.
These people can choose to “follow” Binghamton University on Twitter, and receive updates about various events or breaking news happening on campus.
Binghamton ranked 18th for the total number of followers, placing well above schools such as Harvard University, Columbia University and other State University of New York schools. People choosing to follow BU also have access to photos and videos linked on Facebook and YouTube pages.
According to Yarosh, a major benefit of Twitter is how quickly the information reaches its followers.
“The immediacy is what really sets it apart,” he said. “Obviously YouTube is very different. That part offers us a platform to display videos to showcase the campus. Facebook is somewhat similar to Twitter, but really, the big difference is the immediacy.”
Katie Richards, a senior English and global cultures major who also interns at the Office of Communications and Marketing, attends many campus events and “tweets” updates about what is going on.
“When I Twitter during events I can see people’s responses right away and we can have a conversation about things going on. I think when people follow Twitter they follow it very closely,” Richards explained.
Twitter also offers a way for students to keep up with events they can not make it to.
“We were tweeting from events such as the Third Eye Blind/Kid Cudi concert. We got great feedback from people who couldn’t make the event but could keep up with it through Twitter,” Yarosh said.
Yarosh and Richards are the main “tweeters” and not only control Twitter but the Facebook fan page as well.
“The Facebook page gives us another way to communicate. Also, the way the pages are set up, we have it so things that are posted to the Facebook page are automatically sent to the Twitter page,” Yarosh said.
The Facebook and Twitter pages are now working together to attract a large audience. Both are aimed at keeping people updated with campus events and covering anything they may want or need to know.
“We have used Facebook to create a community between students, faculty and alumni, and since Twitter has become so popular it has become a great social media form for that too,” Richards said.
To follow Binghamton on Twitter, visit twitter.com/binghamtonu.