Friday Five: Episode One Edition

Now that this blog has arisen Lazarus-like to dispense pearls of higher ed social media wisdom, I am taking advantage of the fresh start to experiment with a few different regular features. (It's hard not to think of Delmar's salvation at times like this. It's the straight and narrow from here on out... come on in boys - and girls! - the water's fine!)

One new feature will be a bi-weekly "Outside Inspiration" article highlighting trends and cool ideas outside of the higher ed world, and another will be a weekly "Friday Five" links compendium of things around the internet that I like, which may or may not be related to higher ed and social media. I might also post an essay from time to time, mainly because I want to punish you all with my ramblings.

OK, enough of that... onto the Friday Five!

1: University Social Pro podcast

If you haven't yet subscribed to the new University Social Pro podcast by Chris Alexander, I highly recommend that you do so immediately. It's only four episodes in, and it's already the best podcast in our lovely little niche field of higher ed social media. Chris is a wonderful host, and what I appreciate most about it is its focus and purpose. It's a very far cry from a meandering chat with someone who works in our field, and I guarantee you will come away from the episodes feeling like you have learned something. You can subscribe on iTunes here.

2: #casesmc Twitter chat recap

I miss #casesmc chats! To be honest, I had actually kind of forgotten about them ever since grad school started, but I was so happy to be reminded of their existence when I saw that the brilliant Ma'ayan Plaut of Oberlin hosted one earlier this week. It was about content strategy, and the recap it's well worth a look.

3: Instagram and Twitter's move to algorithmic feeds

In moves that can hardly be seen as surprising, both Twitter and Instagram announced in recent weeks that they will be moving to algorithmic-based feeds, similar to Facebook. As a non power-user of Twitter, I actually welcome the change, but I winced when I saw Instagram was finally making the move. Of course it remains to be seen how it will all shake out, but I think the take-away for people working in social media marketing is clear: better start preparing your bosses for decreased reach and budget increases. Tech Crunch had some good articles about it - one predicting the death of Instagram for brands (hyperbole much?), and one talking about how algorithms force competition and strategy. My big question: will this move force Instagram to provide reach metrics? 

4: Snapchat is confusing

Interesting line from the second Tech Crunch article from above: "And in the end, the changes make Snapchat feel more unique than ever... With every other social network asking us to be our best, Snapchat simply asks us to be ourselves." My problem? I'm old and Snapchat confuses me. Which is why I have never seen a more accurate headline than this Businessweek deep-dive on Snapchat: "How Snapchat built a business by confusing olds." (Side note: Businessweek does AMAZING print and digital design work... check out this article to see why.)

5: Websafe 2k16

Sometimes, the internet does something that totally redeems itself, like this incredible Websafe 2k16 project. "216 authors write 216 words each, inspired by a specific color in the web safe range. Beginning 2/16/16, one piece is published daily. Authors have been asked to consider a historical span of roughly 20 years, starting with the widespread availability of VGA monitors and modems in the early ‘80s, through O’Reilly Media’s Web 2.0 Conference (2004)." SOLD. SOLD SOLD SOLD. Careful with this one... you might end up killing quite a bit of time on it.

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Happy weekend, everyone! For today's music selection, I leave you with a personal fave of mine from David Bowie. Still can't believe he's gone, but boy am I thankful for discovering him in my early 20's and diving head-first into his deep, deep oeuvre.