Unless you were already on vacations or enjoying your office holiday party, you’ve probably heard about what some (and according to my sources, Andrew Careaga was the first to coin that term) have called “FacebookGate”
A few days before Christmas, Brad Ward uncovered, on his blog, a scheme perpetuated by College Prowler and another company to create hundreds (more than 300 according to Brad’s research) of Facebook “Class of 2013” groups under false pretense and using some trademarked material (logo, name, etc.)
A lot has been written about the topic, but it looks like things have settled down on the Facebook front thanks to Brad and the community – some “fake” groups were deleted by Facebook itself, and it seems like others have been handed over to legitimate admins, i.e real admitted students of the Class of 2013.
But, the biggest lesson in the wake of this FacebookGate is just a reminder:
Institutions can’t control everything – especially when using a third-party website like Facebook.
Good news is that alternatives (some almost free, others a bit more expensive) to Facebook are available if your institution want to interact with prospective, admitted or current students in a controlled environment.
Mark Greenfield (UB), Mike Caulfield (MIT OpenCourseWare) and Adam Stahr (UNL) will share winning strategies, good tips and practical advice on how to use these alternatives – including the NING platform available for free – in a 3-webinar series scheduled next week (Jan 13-15, 2009).
The goal of this series – that was scheduled before the FacebookGate story broke – is to help you evaluate and create a private social networking website, the perfect solution if all the media attention around the Facebook groups has scared your boss or your Admissions folks.
I’ve just postponed the registration deadline for this series to this Friday – January 9, 2009 at 9PM ET.
You can find out more about Social Networks MBA, this 3-webinar series, and secure your spot (places are limited) by visiting www.higheredexperts.com/socialnetworksmba
Questions? Just email karine@collegewebeditor.com