[vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image css_animation=”” image=”2135″ border_color=”” img_link_large=”” link=”http://cabotsusq.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/psuwb.png” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″]“WE ARE…” featuring Penn State Wilkes-Barre as this week’s #FF. This branch campus was founded in May of 1915 by two Penn State Alumni who were searching for ways to meet the needs of their community. The result was the Penn State engineering center in Wilkes-Barre. Since then, the campus has transformed into a thriving community of students, faculty and staff who all have a chance to contribute to their Twitter handle @PennStateWB.[/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]@PennStateWB posts things numerous times a day and on a wide range of information spanning from academics to on-campus entertainment. It has a very relaxed and friendly vibe to it. The account makes it a point to share information about events on campus, fundraisers, closings, or any other information about campus their followers would find useful. @PennStateWB is also very good at replying to their followers tweets and acknowledging new followers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Academics are big part of what @PennStateWB tweets, but that isn’t everything. Check this recent tweet that shows how they post outside of the academic world.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]The Director of Continuing Education, Jane Ashton, gave us a deeper look into how @PennStateWB operates.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Who is the voice of the @PennStateWB handle?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]All of our social media is all run out of the marketing communication office on campus but not just by one person, we consider it a team effort. While our marketing communication specialist is the key team member, content is contributed not only by all departments on campus but also by student marketing interns. We’ve found that students provide us with experiences that many of the staff members would not necessarily have – realistic ideas about what appeals to our students and their families as well as our prospective students.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]When did you decide to join the Twitterverse?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]We joined Twitter back in March. Our philosophy on social media is that you pick a platform, conquer it, and use it well before moving on to another platform. Due to its popularity and ease of use, we choose Facebook as our first adventure into the social media-sphere. Once we felt comfortable with where we were going with Facebook, we felt like it was time to conquer Twitter.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]What do you think is most successful about the handle?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]The most successful aspect of the handle is the ability to reach a large network of people who may not have even known prior who we are and what we offer. For example, our Penn State Wilkes-Barre Northern Tier Center offers partner programs with the Shale Training and Education Center (ShaleTEC) geared to the unique needs of the natural gas industry. We’ve connected with several of the local companies in the Marcellus Shale area to showcase these courses via Twitter and have had positive interactions. Success is in the effort, if you never try, you’ll never succeed. We’ve been lucky enough to be successful in targeting groups with different needs bases.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]How does student engagement affect the @PennStateWB handle?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]We believe it goes without saying, our students are a huge priority on the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus, but we realize in the world of social media, specifically on Twitter, they are not our only audience. As a result, we make sure to incorporate tweets geared at all our audiences. That being said, Twitter has been a great way to interact with our students on a personal and informal level – we can commiserate about their days, celebrate their accomplishments, lend a sympathetic ear to their stresses, and enjoy their personal campus photos on a level you can’t always achieve in a classroom.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Is there anything else you’d like to add about @PennStateWB?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]We love interacting with our fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter and encourage everyone to follow our marketing intern’s blog about the journey through her last semester at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Above all, we welcome all visitors to campus![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]