ENGAGING ALUMNI : The Development and Implementation of Social Networks
Doolittle-Suokas, Alison (2013)
Doolittle-Suokas, Alison
Jyväskylän ammattikorkeakoulu
2013
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201304174541
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201304174541
Tiivistelmä
In years past, university alumni in Finland were not seen as an asset. As times change, the increasing importance of alumni has become more apparent. Finnish universities are now struggling to try to keep their alumni engaged. Adding to the challenge is the fact that some Finnish University alumni live outside of Finland. The purpose of this study was to try to develop and implement a functioning network for the international business bachelor degree programme to keep ties with their alumni no matter their location. Among the questions were which channels to use, how many and how to set up the network for longevity.
This was a one and a half year process that was constantly monitored and measured. Given the changing nature of the process and the personal involvement of the researcher, action research was applied. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The alumni network was connected using the framework and research of Forrester Research. After the network was connected, the first phase questionnaire was sent out. Its purpose was to examine the social media behavior of alumni and the networks they currently had in place as well as the ways in which they were utilizing those networks. Social media platforms, consisting of a blog, Facebook page, Twitter feed and LinkedIn group were allowed to run for over a year. In addition, an interview was conducted with the Harvard Alumni Associations Deputy Director in order to benchmark and discover how a successful alumni network functions. Metrics from each social media platform were observed over time to measure their success or failure as a suitable networking tool. After one and a half years had elapsed, a second phase questionnaire was sent out in order to measure how they really used the alumni network that had been in place and also to yield possible development ideas. The results of the second phase questionnaire were compared to actual metrics collected from the social media platforms.
It was discovered that the framework used to connect the network was flawed. The results revealed that changes to the existing network were required. This included the addition of more traditional methods of communication as well as the removal of specific social media channels. The development of this fledgling network will continue in the light of research findings.
This was a one and a half year process that was constantly monitored and measured. Given the changing nature of the process and the personal involvement of the researcher, action research was applied. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The alumni network was connected using the framework and research of Forrester Research. After the network was connected, the first phase questionnaire was sent out. Its purpose was to examine the social media behavior of alumni and the networks they currently had in place as well as the ways in which they were utilizing those networks. Social media platforms, consisting of a blog, Facebook page, Twitter feed and LinkedIn group were allowed to run for over a year. In addition, an interview was conducted with the Harvard Alumni Associations Deputy Director in order to benchmark and discover how a successful alumni network functions. Metrics from each social media platform were observed over time to measure their success or failure as a suitable networking tool. After one and a half years had elapsed, a second phase questionnaire was sent out in order to measure how they really used the alumni network that had been in place and also to yield possible development ideas. The results of the second phase questionnaire were compared to actual metrics collected from the social media platforms.
It was discovered that the framework used to connect the network was flawed. The results revealed that changes to the existing network were required. This included the addition of more traditional methods of communication as well as the removal of specific social media channels. The development of this fledgling network will continue in the light of research findings.