Sean O’Key is a sophomore majoring in telecommunications at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. Sean has been blogging for a while on personal blogs such as The O’Key Factor before starting to post for his university’s admission office at Spokey’s STUDIO 360. Sean is one the 12 student-blogcasters who have been blogging and podcasting about the real student life at BSU since the beginning of the semester. Two months into his new gig, Sean gives us his insider opinion about this unique, interactive student recruitment initiative.
1) You have been blogging since the beginning of the semester as part of “Experience Ball State,” your university’s blogging initiative? Can you tell us how this type of blogging defers from what you do on your other blogs? How do you decide where to post when you feel like blogging?
I began blogging back in September for Ball State to promote student life at the university – but it was by no means the first time I blogged. I grew up around technology, and the Internet has always fascinated me; I found it to be an interesting and convenient method of communications with friends and family all across the world.
My blog on the BSU servers isn’t all that different from what I put on my personal blog, besides the fact that it focuses more on BSU than it does on my personal life from time to time. The goal of the initiative behind the BSU blogs is to give potential freshman more insight into what it’s like to go to college: Ball State in particular. I post daily happening from time to time when I feel they warrant a post … other times I complain about work load (either by fault of me or the university) but overall I try to maintain a positive tone. Of course, when I just come across something cool or interesting on the web, I post it on my personal blog, to share with personal friend and family. I generally try to keep the Ball State blog university- and school-life focused.
2) You also offer some podcasts on your BSU blog. As a student, how do you think blogging and podcasting compare when it comes to communicating a message. Which one is the most effective way to communicate with students?
Blogging and podcasting go hand in hand as far as communication in today’s society goes. With the evolution of RSS feeds (the ability to view the latest from a website without having to navigate to it) and other advancements, blogging is the most convenient method of both publishing and consuming information quickly and easily. Podcasting, which can take a more long-form model of information, is a great way to creat a more personal connection to a listener or end-user, through the transmission of voice and (sometimes) images.
3) What kind of feedback have you received up until now? Do you know who reads your BSU blog?
I have yet to receive a significant amount of feedback from readers to my blog, but I do know that I receive on average 150 unique hits per day from all around the world. So far I have had visitors from China, Romania, and Australia, along with the expected US visitors.
With the upswing of promotion work by the university lately, I expect to be getting more feedback from readers within the next few weeks.