Keeping the Sites Straight

With dozens of social media sites out there, knowing which ones will work best for your operation can be a challenge. Here is some advice on what's out there, who uses it and what benefits they find with it:

ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY: Facebook, Twitter and eComment Board.

“I've found that creating Facebook events, such as a ‘Lobster Dinner’ and inviting our fans to attend can help drive traffic and draw a bunch of new fans to the page,” says Stephanie Keith, Marketing Manager/Controller. “Our Twitter account took a while to catch on, but we've seen an increase in the number of students and groups jumping on the Twitter bandwagon. I have it set it up so that our Facebook and Twitter accounts are linked and anything I post on Facebook also posts on Twitter. Our eComment board allows students to leave comments for each of our specific dining segments, see what others are commenting on and chime in on a topic.”

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN: Facebook, Twitter, Green Scene YouTube, DHFS YouTube, blogs, and Gowalla check-ins

“Blogs give us a place to write longer entries and showcase photos and videos. They also give different employees a chances to post,” says Scott Meyer, Director of Food Service. “We also have two YouTube channels that we are going to combine, giving a single hub for all DHFS videos whether they are food service, housing or sustainability related. Gowalla check-ins are also going to be part of our strategy going forward.”

PARKER ADVENTIST HOSPITAL: Facebook, Twitter, Yammer, Yelp!, and an App

“People are writing about us, and we need to be a part of the conversation,” says Ryan Conklin, Retail Manager of Culinary & Nutritional Services. “You have to be visible to be successful, so we're trying to be in as many social networks as possible.”