Going in, I knew Twitter was about interacting. But it began as One More Thing To Do, so the initial efforts were more push than interaction, and I didn’t do a great job budgeting time to responding to tweets mentioning our school. Of course, we had all those misleading polls and articles alleging Teens Don’t Tweet, although we discovered that was a fallacy fairly quickly.

So, with the help of great social media interns, we went more interactive, provided more live-tweeting, posted more photos in addition to answering questions. And it was good. But I realized that, while this painted a pretty good portrait of the campus, something was missing: Other voices.

Starting a few months ago, I placed greater emphasis on putting other voices into our stream, generally through retweets. Some thought-provoking #highedweb11 presentations provided inspiration, as did the idea from roller derby (and, before it, yes, professional wrestling) of “putting over” skaters, or helping audiences care and/or understand more about the players. I set up Tweetdeck columns for “sunyoswego” “suny oswego” and “oswego state” which keep us apprised of our mentions. Our goal: Weave in the stories of other accounts on campus and our supporters already tweeting our praises on social media — alumni, current students and incoming students.

The stream now features retweets of various organizations and offices on campus doing awesome events and programs. It provides value and validation to those accounts and their activities — growing not only their followers and participants but providing a better cross-section of what happens on campus. We’ve had accounts on campus ask for us to retweet them which we will do when they are providing value. A few times we’ll have someone ask to tweet their account’s existence, check to find they’ve posted no content and suggested they include @sunyoswego in a tweet of something they’re doing when they want a retweet. Saying “hey, check out this account that isn’t posting any content of value” lessens the value or our validations.

For the past week, we’ve had all kinds of students happily tweeting about their acceptance into SUNY Oswego. Here I stick with the awesome advice of Scott Stratten, aka @unmarketing: “I don’t know the ROI (return on investment) of tweeting back when a student says they’ve been accepted. And I don’t care. Just do it! It’s the right thing to do.” We usually retweet with a congratulations and/or welcome and/or something related to their tweet. A straight-up retweet seems lame and self-promotional, while adding some greeting or congratulations is more engaging and special to the recipient.

As a result of all this, we’ve seen a flood of new followers (the people we retweet will follow us, and often retweet our retweet, which leads to more followers), and a higher level of interaction than ever. We’ve been able to show those followers a wider swath of campus life. And most importantly we’re building a larger, more engaged and richer community experience … which is, as Stratten says, the right thing to do.

One could wonder if Peters’ 1987 quote no longer applies now that we can connect with the world via email, social media and countless new channels without leaving our offices. I would argue his point is more valid than ever.

I’m bad at this. I spend way too much time in front of my computer in my office. There was a running gag where our web/new media coordinator, who reports to me, and I would say “good morning” to each other face-to-face for the first time in the afternoon. But this is marginal management on my part, so I’ve made a point to try to check in with her early in the day, every day.

Moreover, working on a college campus, it’s really hard to get a picture for what’s happening from the island of our offices. Getting out and around helps immensely.

Peters had a term for this: Management by wandering around. It’s not complicated. Just by walking around your area, talking to your employees, co-workers, bosses and the like (in our case, students!), you not only maintain a good line of communication but can improve how everyone does their job.

I notice this most when I get out of my building and go through places like our Campus Center. In buildings teeming with offices, casual spaces and interesting people, I often find myself in conversations that solve some kind of problem for one or both of us, move a project along or spark a whole new collaboration. Sitting down to lunch or talking over a cup of coffee provides a much richer, deeper and more fruitful conversation than text messages or email, Facebook or Twitter ever could.

This is not to discount online communication. I’ve worked on good projects and formed great friendships with people before meeting them in person. But meeting them face to face — interacting in three dimensions in real time — makes the relationship so much richer. The same goes for your bosses or employees, your colleagues and your students. Social media can facilitate connections and communication, but it can never replace in-person interaction.

So … if you’re reading this in your office, I offer this simple challenge: Get out from behind that desk and wander around to talk face-to-face with at least three people you don’t normally speak with over the course of today. It could prove much more fruitful than you imagined!

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” — Thomas Jefferson

Some folks would tell you an immense amount of planning and work should have to go into a Facebook wall post with 275 likes, 48 shares and 28 comments. But it’s also possible to find that kind of content just walking out your door.

Or at least that’s what happened last Friday when I left work to find a brilliant sunset overspreading our campus. I took a simple iPhone photo and posted it on the SUNY Oswego Facebook page shortly after I got home. Oswego is known for its spectacular sunsets, so I figured maybe (if we’re lucky) a few dozen folks would like it and others may mention missing the sunset.

But never, ever underestimate the power of good content.

The most impressive figure in there, I think, is the 48 shares. I consider a share by far a better metric of engagement than likes or comments, because it means someone has found a piece of your content they like enough to “buy” it and make it their own. Also interesting that some alumni began reminiscing about a fellow student who used to play the bagpipes (!) at sunset every night.

It’s good that the photo speaks for itself. You don’t need a caption to explain what a beautiful sunset is, and it’s an arresting image to see on your Facebook feed, one that makes you stop and take notice.

Is finding this kind of content serendipity? Yes. And no. If you make a determined effort to seek out and document images, stories and links that are compelling content, you’ll have a better chance of finding it. This purposeful process has helped our Facebook page over recent weeks.

The reaction to this post does not exist in a vacuum. Thursday I posted a link to a story about SUNY Oswego meteorology graduate Thomas Niziol being named the primary winter weather expert for the Weather Channel (47 likes, 11 comments, 2 shares). Wednesday featured a story from the Oneonta Daily Star on a local student on our 23-member team climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (45 likes, 7 comments, 2 shares).

Which leads to the following observations on posting quality content to Facebook:

Be curious and be prepared. The Wednesday and Thursday articles came via Addictomatic, which I check regularly with a bookmark for references to SUNY Oswego. And while photographic skill is not required (obviously!) to get the sunset shot, it comes from recognizing quality content when you see it and being ready to act.

Build quality content and they will come. If our Facebook page was just spouting drivel or posting advertising taglines (I’ve seen this elsewhere, and it’s cringeworthy), no one would pay attention … or they may unlike the page and/or hide it on the feed. Our fan count of 10,663 is not large compared to many institutions, true, but we seem to have a very high level of engagement. One reason: Once you begin providing interesting content on a regular basis, audiences are more likely to stay tuned.

Content calendars can be overrated. OK, maybe a bit harsh, but when I hear consultants and agencies describe meticulously planned social media content calendars, this is ignoring how life really works. Yes, you should plan content around key events and dates (admissions deadlines or cycles, for example), but there are more things in heaven and earth than are in our content calendars, Horatio. Last week, our most popular Facebook content ever literally came out of the sky. We should recognize this possibility and remain flexible. (And those who fret over finding the ideal time, like 9:02 a.m. Thursday, to post things: Note this was posted at a “down time,” 5:21 p.m. Friday.)

Finding great content can involve serendipity, but it involves looking in the first place. Thomas Jefferson would have never even dreamed of Facebook, but he certainly had the right idea.

Recently I made a comment on Twitter about a talented singer-songwriter and, a few days later, received an @ reply from someone suggesting I get said artist’s latest single. Curious, I checked the account to see it bragging about its “digital marketing clients” including a pretty decent roster of performers.

Too bad the whole thing is all kinds of wrong.

A couple years ago, I mentioned singer/songwriter Pete Yorn in a tweet. You know who responded and started following me?

Pete Yorn.

Pete Freaking Yorn.

Pete The Freaking Man Himself Yorn.

Not someone repping “digital marketing clients.” The artist himself, who tweets as he tours the country, promotes himself well but also shows his human side. And while I had sort of drifted from watching his career, I’ve bought all three records he’s released since.

Why? Because, strange as it seems, I feel a connection with him. Not with the team that handles him as a “digital marketing client,” but Pete Freaking Yorn.

Because I don’t go to Twitter to get marketed to. I go there for conversations.

If you’re an artist — or a company or an organization — who is a “digital marketing client,” you’re missing the boat. Sure, you can have people help you learn about social media, assist with a drawing up a digital strategy, but only you can be you. Heck, I bought two albums from the band Vancougar after discovering their tweet about attending a roller derby bout. Authenticity is the currency of social media, and you can’t outsource authenticity.

Look, I’m nobody special, yet I’ve had all kinds of performers follow me (or follow me back) and engage me in conversation. That makes me want to stay connected. To their music. To their brand, to use the marketing term.

I think most agencies struggle in the world of social media because they can’t do authenticity as well as their clients. They can’t converse when they focus on pushing messages. They can find suckers to pay them to tweet … then they spew marketing taglines and no one responds.

Because we don’t talk to taglines.

We don’t talk to entities repping their “digital marketing clients.”

We talk to people. It’s personal. It’s conversational. It’s authentic.

It’s what every performer who wants a presence on social media should be doing … themselves! Personally. Conversationally. And authentically.

20. Wilco, “The Whole Love.” Jeff Tweedy’s most self-indulgent work since “A Ghost Is Born,” but at least the new album is more listenable.

19. Rachel Yamagata, “Chesapeake.” I keep waiting for Yamagata’s material to catch up with her voice, which is warm and sweet as honey. Still waiting, but it’s not the worst wait in the world.

18. Death Cab for Cutie, “Codes and Keys.” This is a comfortable and tidy record, which is to say fairly uninteresting in Death Cab for Cutie terms. Is it wrong to muse that Ben Gibbard’s breakup with Zooey Deschanel may bring DCfC back to better material?

17. Lenka, “Two.” Lenka’s follow-up to her smashing self-titled debut is a bit of a step back. In shooting for an album of love songs with more electronica/dance touches, she still brings a fine voice but some of the material comes across as lightweight.

16. The Roots, “Undun.” This will garner a lot of critical raves, and it has some very good moments, but Us3 and Digable Planets were crafting similar brands of hip hop fusion nearly 20 years ago. And arguably doing it better.

15, The Rural Alberta Advantage, “Departing.” I generally liken them to a Canadian version of Neutral Milk Hotel, and while the RAA’s second full-length album isn’t as good as their debut “Hometowns,” it’s an intriguingly offbeat effort.

14. Drive-By Truckers, “Go Go Boots.” Any album by the Athens, Ga. roots rockers is bound to contain wonderfully twisted storylines, cheating lovers and dead bodies. In that context, this album does not disappoint.

13. Ryan Adams, “Ashes and Fire.” It takes some getting used to, this happier and mellower Ryan Adams, but the outstanding songwriting and songcraft remain. “Lucky Now” is easily one of the top singles of the year.

12. City and Colour, “Little Hell.” With gems like “We Found Each Other in the Dark,” “Grand Optimist” and “Northern Wind,” singer/songwriter Dallas Green continues to excel.

11. Feist, “Metals.” Her follow-up can’t match the sterling standard set by “The Reminder,” but listening to her voice deliciously treat words like cherished lovers is always a pleasure.

10. Mother Mother, “Eureka.” This album from the quirky Canadian band features two superlative tracks — “The Stand” and “Baby Don’t Dance” — plus enough other good songs to warrant attention.

9. Augustana, Augustana. This band just seems to get better every album. And if “Wrong Side of Love” sounds like a Killers song and other tracks appear to veer into Jayhawks territory, well, I don’t consider that bad at all.

8. Dum Dum Girls, “Only In Dreams.” I’m a sucker for the retro-girl-band-rock sound, and few acts do it better. The Dum Dum Girls deliver the goods with “Bedroom Eyes,” “In My Head,” “Coming Down” and other tracks that shake, shimmer and shine.

7. Big Talk, “Big Talk.” As much as I love Brandon Flowers, this album by Killers drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. shows talent runs deep in the band. Big Talk delivers relentlessly Killeresque catchy riffs drawing influences ranging from Big Star to the Cars, pulsing through top tracks like “Katzenjammer,” “Replica” and “Girl at Sunrise.”

6. Colin Devlin, “Democracy of One.” Whether in the Devlins or on his own, Colin Devlin offers lightly tinged Irish vocals and often deceptively dark lyrics over cinematic backdrops. “The Heart Won’t Be Denied,” “Raise the Dead” and the title track show this combination in fine form.

5. Matthew Good, “Lights of Endangered Species.” One of Canada’s best singer-songwriters never stands still, as this album injects strings and horn sections into his brooding, captivating material. He’s done better albums, but new songs like “Zero Orchestra,” “Extraordinary Fades” and “Non Populus” have become fan favorites.

4. The Damnwells, “No One Listens to the Band Anymore.” I have a bias with this album, since I supported it via their Pledge Music fund drive, but the results speak for themselves. Not a bad track here, and in a fairer world, marvelous melodies like “Feast of Hearts,” “Werewolves” and “The Monster” would easily merit plenty of airplay.

3. The Wiyos, “Twist.” How can you NOT love a rocking retro-jazz-blues-Vaudeville album nodding to “The Wizard of Oz” and opening with the lines “Last night my house came down on the witch/Now Munchkinland round here’s got one less b*tch.” The songwriting, musicality and atmosphere on this whole effort just deserve so much attention, and even admiration.

2. Florence + The Machines, “Ceremonials.” The combination of Florence Welch’s tour-de-force vocals and the imaginative arrangements on this set can be breathtaking. Captivating tracks such as “Only If For A Night,” “Shake It Out” and “Never Let Me Go,” among many others, show that Flo has leapt to the top ranks of female singer-songwriters on today’s scene.

1. Frank Turner, “England Keep My Bones.” My favorite discovery of the year (thank you, Lindi Himes) also released what I consider 2011′s best record. Could be best described as a young Billy Bragg with a better voice. The simple-wisdom set opener “Eulogy,” hometown paean “Wessex Boy” and rousing “I Still Believe” are among many standouts. The version with a half-dozen bonus tracks is worth it for the stunning “Balthazar, Impresario” alone.

1. Will geosocial converge or diverge? We saw plenty of shakeups in location-based or geosocial media in 2011. Facebook Places fizzled, but Zuck and Co. subsequently bought Gowalla. Promising platform Whrrl was purchased by Groupon, who celebrated by shutting it down. Foursquare made some tweaks, but mostly I still see people just checking into their workplaces. SCVNGR’s Jeffrey Kirchick and I tend to believe that what’s next in geosocial media goes beyond merely checking in and into the realm of checking out: By which I mean geosocial-driven purchases, more reviews-based activities (like Yelp) and location-based dating apps. Yes, dating. Whether new platforms and communities will drive these innovations or existing players will lead into these more practical areas is a big question.

2. Will Google+ meet the hype? Is G+ the best thing since sliced bread or is it already stale? Depends whom you ask. My opinion is that their invitation-only beta release unnecessarily segregated users; I was in early but by the time many friends joined, my interest had waned. Similar rollouts didn’t exactly put over Google Buzz or Wave (RIP). Now my streams grow ever quieter while most people adding me are scary-looking strangers with unpronounceable last names. Despite all that, Google+ presents a user-friendly product with great connectivity and avenues for quality content. So it may yet make a big move this year and live up to the hype many have (baselessly, if we’re being honest) heaped upon it.

3. Will Facebook innovate or atrophy? Facebook may be expanding and ubiquitous, but did it really accomplish much in 2011? It gave us a ticker many folks hated, a timeline no one really asked for, the ability to flood friends’ streams with new promotional partners and an took Places to purgatory. User reactions to the developments tended to range from upset to annoyed to nonplussed. I didn’t hear anyone (outside of their flacks and claques) rave about what Facebook accomplished this year. Does this leave them vulnerable to user erosion or will they provide reasons to retain primacy?

4. Will social entertainment platforms go mainstream? People posted what they were watching via GetGlue, wannabe DJs jumped on the Turntable.fm bandwagon and Facebook friends’ musical selections bombarded us through Spotify. Nice starts by all, but none moved that far beyond technophiles and fans. The immense untapped potential of iTunes Ping remains an unknown. (Have you ever heard people actually discuss Ping? Me neither.) But users love/crave entertainment, share musical tips with friends and tweet while watching Glee, Modern Family and awards shows, so huge demand for social entertainment platforms exist in the market for a company, or competitors, to plug into.

5. What don’t we see coming? Since at least the time of H.G. Wells, society has held a fascination with fantasizing over future technology. I’m currently enjoying the fascinating and entertaining Max Headroom complete series DVD set. While the dystopian 1987 cyberpunk series shows a future where megacorporations and media companies control the government (sounds familiar), a striking gap between the rich and poor (check) and the potential for surveillance everywhere (ditto), it omits two key developments — the emergence of smartphones (everyone calls old-fashioned phones or uses video chats at terminals) and the rise of social media. And even as we gaze forward from the precipice of 2012, all the experts, gurus and ninjas of the world will miss at least one big, viral and influential development that will impact social media. What will it be? Stay tuned.

So that’s my take. What questions and trends do you think will drive social media developments in 2012?

These are among the many things happening while most of the campus and community are fast asleep. And also among the many highlights of our successful 24 Hours in Photos project looking to capture the many facets and faces of SUNY Oswego from 12:01 a.m. to midnight on Friday, Dec. 2  — a fairly typical day on campus.

In addition to the wee hours happenings, much of the day captures academics, the arts, athletics and more — classrooms, study areas, student organizations, a student art opening, musical performance, formal event, two basketball games, a women’s hockey contest and much much more. Moments large and small. Public and private. Silly and sublime.

Friends at other colleges have shown an interest in doing similar projects, so I’m happy to pass along lessons learned:

Use a team. While I did a lot of shooting for those 24 hours, I had a half-dozen dedicated students helping collect images as well as our office photographer. I opened the contributions to the campus community, and students, faculty and staff submitted by emailing sunyoswego@posterous.com, tweeting with a #24hoursinphotos hashtag or directly submitting to me via email or Dropbox. The combination of team and crowdsourced contributors made for a marvelous variety and a nice level of community ownership. But the team also included entities like University Police, who let me ride along to capture many images, and Auxiliary Services, which allowed me to visit the on-campus bakery and an early-opening dining hall.

Plan extensively. I created and shared a Google document with other participants containing photo ideas we all contributed. I asked students to cover particular beats, areas and events as their schedule allowed. I laid out my own schedule of overnight shots, knowing that 12:01 to 7 a.m. could be a big challenge. And I directly solicited ideas and submissions from anyone I could think of, especially events staffers and student organizations.

But expect the unexpected. Outdoor shots were muted by an unusually rainy December day; I’m no fan of snow, but it would have been more picturesque. The foul weather meant I couldn’t capture a glorious lakeside sunset (one of our trademarks). Some student photographers had complications arise, but we found ways to adjust. And some of the best photos were utter serendipity, as one may expect.

Goals first, then tools. You’ve heard this from me before? Once we had the basic concept, I sought tools that could best execute. Dipity threw its share of challenges in along the way — such as occasional visitors finding a message saying they did not have permission to view the timeline — but I value its robust experience, so we finally upgraded to the $4.95/month package because the free version only allowed 150 photos and limited access options. Posterous worked marvelously in taking moderated photo submissions with easy download. And Dropbox once again proved an outstanding way to move large amounts of big files.

It did involve plenty of work for several people, but getting a half-hour of sleep between Wednesday and Friday was a worthy sacrifice for meeting the unsung heroes protecting campus, preparing food or operating necessary equipment while I’m usually dozing in a warm bed. If you’re interested in doing a similar project, feel free to ask questions here or drop me a line. It was an unforgettable and undeniably valuable experience demonstrating what wonderful people, places and events comprise our campus community.

We all know that college campuses are exciting places. But have you ever stopped to think about how much happens there in a 24-hour span?

That’s what we hope to find out during our SUNY Oswego: 24 Hours in Photos project from 12:01 a.m. to midnight on Friday, Dec. 2. The odd inspiration comes from Frank Turner’s video for “The Road” where he performs 24 shows in 24 hours; it made me think about all the activity that takes place here that many people don’t even realize. Because Fridays have classes and other events — Dec. 2 has a student art opening, choral concert, women’s hockey game, two basketball games and a formal, among other things — this provides a broad swath of campus experience. I don’t just want the events everyone sees, but also what happens behind the scenes.

In addition to those of us (me) working 24 hours plus other staff and students, we’re trying to make it interactive and invite user-generated photos by allowing people to email submissions (with name, place and time of photo) to sunyoswego@posterous.com. It’s a moderated account, but any decent submissions can appear on that site for starters. Folks can also tweet images with a #24hoursinphotos tag. From there, I’d love to turn the submissions into a Dipity timeline (like we used for our sesquicentennial history) and maybe some other slideshows and/or a video showing top picks.

But this project isn’t about a gimmick; as always, goals come before tools. One goal is to produce something of interest to audiences ranging from prospective students, wondering what they can do on campus, to alumni who are always interested in seeing what’s happening at their alma mater. Moreover, it can raise awareness for current members of the campus community as to how much occurs here, the people, the places, the happenings large and small.

Obviously, I’ll keep readers posted on the results. May even keep a running blog throughout that day. Whatever happens, I can’t wait to see what develops.

Thanksgiving may well be my favorite holiday. What’s not to like about food, loved ones and reasons to give thanks? Our family doesn’t get together until Sunday, but I was exceedingly fortunate that an amazing local family invited me over for their Thanksgiving dinner. “The more the merrier!” was the greeting extended to me, and the food and laughter unfolded in generous amounts. I may have learned more about some of the guests than anticipated as the stories ensued, but their level of comfort in doing so says a lot about the family. The room was filled, ultimately, with love. The feast was excellent, but the gathering and the fellowship were the real stars of the show. And that is, perhaps, the way it should be.

The way it shouldn’t be is having around 20 people injured when a WalMart shopper who really wants some video-game consoles busts out the pepper spray. Or seeing shoppers brawl in the electronics department of WalMart, with two injured and at least one arrested. And let’s not forget the WalMart employee trampled to death in 2008 in what sounds more like a scene from “Lord of the Flies” than holiday cheer.

Black Friday just keeps getting bigger and scarier. Worse, Black Friday is invading Thanksgiving day among many major retailers. Instead of letting retail workers facing the very hectic holiday season spend a nice dinner with their families, chains summon them to face large crowds bordering on hysteria. When did this week become about appeasing selfish greed instead of sharing the holiday spirit? When did getting a deep discount on a piece of electronics become more important than the safety and lives of others?

But that Thanksgiving spirit still exists. My friend Mike Petroff of Emerson College started an #eduthanks hashtag on Twitter Wednesday night listing all those friends in higher education he was thankful to know, and why. Dozens of others picked up on the thread, which Mike has posted in Storify, and spawned a touching Shelley Keith blog entry.

And the spirit still suffuses homes large and small throughout the country, giving all of us hope. When I left the gathering last night, several members of the family thanked me for coming. They opened their home, their hearts and their family cheer … and yet they thanked me? I was rather bowled over by that. Some things you just can’t put a price tag on, and have much greater value than any Black Friday bargain.

It’s about content. I was pleased that presentations on mobile development at HighEdWeb11 emphasized thinking about content before the technology. Sessions like “On Your Mark, Get Set, Mobile!” from William & Mary and mStoner and the University of Central Florida’s “A Utility Belt Approach to Mobilizing Content” focused on existing content you can mobilize and optimize for your mobile platform. Knowing the content and building around it is made easier when you can employ a good framework and template like WVU’s Dave Olsen assembled through Mobile Web OSP. (Dave’s name always comes up when presenters mention mobile and higher ed, and we are among the many who owe him a debt of gratitude.)

It’s about users. We needed to think about how our users might interact with location-based content as well as the things they access the most on our website. As such, the mobile map was a given. The interactive directory that allows users to email or call a professor or staff member with a single click provides real convenience that takes use-care scenarios into consideration. News, an events calendar and emergency information provide timely and relevant information at (literally) the touch of a button.

Testing, testing. We did a soft rollout for New Student Orientation this summer, with an emphasis on the orientation schedule and locations. It went well and also taught us about user behavior at a (relatively) slow time before we did the main rollout. We’ve done spot testing from time to time, a practice we expect to continue.

Think mobile before apps. While all kinds of characters roam the fringes of academia trying to sell apps, anyone of any expertise emphasized how important it is to develop a mobile site first. The advantages are many — it works on all platforms and one need not negotiate with an Apple or Droid store, and wait for the process to play out for months so your users can access updates. This Cappex survey of parents of prospective students adds more support, as 79 percent of respondents preferred a mobile-friendly site to an app. While apps developers emphasize shiny objects and one-trick ponies, the mobile site is the big tent where you welcome all your users.

It’s a continuing process. We look at launching the mobile website as a beginning, not an ending. We’ve already made tweaks and upgrades in its first “official” week, and we have many other features in the pipeline. And of course we’ll keep an eye on analytics both for mobile and the regular sites to see what’s working/not working and what other features become relevant.