Conclave goes social

This just in from SigEp HQ. (And don't forget the "Social Media Breakfast" at 8 AM Friday.)

 Conclave is less than one week away! As you’re getting ready, I wanted to share a few ways to stay on top of Conclave news and connect with other attendees.

1. The Conclave App. This is your on-the-go guide to Conclave. It has maps, program highlights, information about speakers and events, and links to our social media pages where you can join the online conversation. It also has a personal calendar tool to help map out your week. You can download the app today.

2. Twitter and Facebook. There’s going to be a lot of chatter online! You can join the conversation at #SigEpConclave and look for stories, trivia, and information about events. You can also follow us directly at @officialsigep and facebook.com/sigmaphiepsilon.

3. The Conclave Chronicle. The Conclave Chronicle, hosted on sigepconclave.com, will be your source of detailed, on-the-ground Conclave coverage. Check your email inbox each morning for daily digests of top stories. You’ll also find more Conclave information like daily schedules online through sigepconclave.com.

I look forward to seeing you next week when we Flip the Switch. SigEp’s future is ON!

Sincerely,

 

Stacy Nicodemus, CMP
Programs & Events Director

SigEp and Social Media, the story continues to grow.

Thanks to Michael Ellis, member of the SigEp Technology Task Force, for this post

5,000 Volunteers, actively engaged with our undergraduate chapters, filling every key role on our AVC boards.   WHAT?  Are you KIDDING ME?   So says the SigEp Strategic Plan of our goal to expand volunteerism in SigEp in dramatic new ways.  

We have no more than 2500 today.  To get to that level of volunteerism, we must change what we’ve been doing for the last 25+ years.   We must find new ways to engage volunteers and to match them with the chapters and undergraduates who need them.    Social Media can give us the tools to achieve that goal.  Let me explain.

Facebook, Twitter and yes, LinkedIn have each attracted their own unique followings.  Each system offers something interesting and useful for the community in each.   Many SigEps have signed up for all of these networks and find value in being a part of the unique communities that each of these networks has spawned.

Now comes a young upstart, Google+.   A new social network, a fledgling in a world dominated by Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter.  Where on earth would a new social network find a following?   What would be its niche?  And Google?  I mean, c’mon.....Google has tried and failed several times to invade Facebook’s space and they have always fallen flat on their virtual face.  Why would this time be any different?  What’s the case for people to use Google+ instead of Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn?   Where is the compelling function that will draw an audience?   What, exactly, is the problem we’re trying to solve for?  And for SigEp, why would our beloved fraternity want to invest precious resources in this new, potentially also-ran social network?  The answers to these questions take a bit of explanation, but the conclusions to be drawn are unmistakable.  

For most undergraduates, and some alumni, Facebook connects them with their families and their old friends.  It has the power of incumbency, which, especially in these particular months, we know to be very powerful indeed.  LinkedIn persists as the de facto winner in professional social networking.  People serious about their careers (and who isn’t?) use LinkedIn to build their professional networks with the hope of improving their employment and business prospects.  Many of the same people often look to Twitter as the mastermind of the “text message communication” medium, on topics that can command their immediate attention.  

SigEp finds itself reaching out, searching to use these profound new technologies in ways that are relevant to our purpose.  As is so often the case, breaking ground comes from the grassroots of our organization.  Thus our LinkedIn group grew to 14,000 members under the direct leadership of two dedicated volunteers (Bryce Giesler and Eric Chan).  Facebook was more obviously a choice for the national fraternity to sign on to and encourage, lead there by our youngest brothers.  Today, our Facebook presence generates hundreds of interactions every day.   Twitter as well extends to a large segment of our audience, helping us share important, pressing matters.  We reach large swaths of our stakeholders with these tools, with some significant overlap.

Twitter (@sigepblog) makeover too

Seems like once I got started tweaking I had to keep going. Here is a look at the @SigEpBlog Twitter page...

New look for our Twitter page

#WhySigEp ... WTF??

So What is that odd looking hash tag doing in the blog, anyway?

Excellent question, Grasshopper.

A few weeks ago I noticed a "#40answers" tag associated with Sigma Nu HQ (@SigmaNuHQ) twitter posts and wondered what they were up to. It turns out they sponsored the tag as part of an anti-hazing initiative. When I mentioned it to some of my fellow Communication Task Force members they agreed it was a neat concept, if perhaps a bit on the negative side.

We wondered if we could get some positive notice in the Twitter/Facebook social media realm by setting our own tag. Thus #WhySigEp was born. We are adding it to tweets that have something positive to say about the SigEp experience. The tag on blog posts is because S&P sends out a feed of its posts to the @SigEpBlog account. HQ even got on board and started adding #SigEpRecruitment to their tweets about the latest new member reports coming in from around the country.

Please feel free to re-tweet any items you see with either of these tags on them, and use them yourself when you have recruitment news or want to share a great SigEp experience - 140 characters at a time.

New Media Presence At Conclave

Since 1,200 brothers, family and friends will be in Orlando in 8 days and many will be left at home wondering what is going on at Conclave, we're bringing much of the event to you!

• If you're on Twitter, you can search for #SigEp #Conclave or follow us @SPEConclave09. We will be Tweeting legislation and major happenings as they go on. If you are Tweeting from Conclave, make sure you add the #SigEp #Conclave to your post so others can find you. We hope to have a widget here or on another site that pulls those Tweets for everyone to read easier.
  


• If you want to see video of what is happening, check us out on Youtube, where we will be posting them under the account http://www.youtube.com/SigmaPhiEpsilon. If you got videos from Conclave, please post a link in the comments section so we can gather all of it in one central location.
  


• We will have a nightly recap of the daily events on SigEp Blog for your enjoyment. Our hope is to bring you unbiased coverage of the Grand Chapter Conclave events as they happen.

If you have any suggestions, ideas or comments on the media coverage of Conclave, post them in the comments.

OMG! Did I text that?

What did you text from that party on Saturday? This site can help you find out, but you may not want to know.

"MyDrunkTxt.com" reads a little like an alcoholic "Post Secret", with plenty of uncomfortable, embarrassing, or sometimes tragic text messages the contributors have received (or sent). There is a bright spot - with a 140 char limit there is only so much you can say to damage your rep.

Examples:

• "hahahaaaa.. seriously! My breathe alone could get an infant hammered."
• "I just broke my thumb...while peeing in a ditch!"
• "just woke up in the room of the guy i drunkedly hooked up with last night. He has a nickelback poster on his wall. i feel ashamed."
• "Saw a Delta Zeta recruitment poster 2day. On it, some1 added, "All you need is your daddy's credit card and a lack of self-respect."

...and then there are the NSFW ones - you can find them yourself.

They also are using Twitter (@mydrunktxt) and Facebook to spread the word. There is nowhere to hide.

SigEpBlog on Twitter now shows comments

@SigEpBlog on Twitter. Now tweeting Posts and Comments.

If you are a "Twitterer" - follow us! If not - Why not?