Feb. 15, 2006

Ready, Set, Post! OWU Launches Admission Blogs

Blogs.

Fast becoming an effective connector and marketing device for students who want to learn more about prospective colleges and universities, blogs such as the one being launched this week by OWU's admission office share one key purpose: to help students decide to come to Ohio Wesleyan University. And five OWU students—our confirmed bloggers—representing a variety of academic disciplines, ethnic backgrounds and geographic locales, are making this happen.

The students, Justin McCoy '06, Chez Lesick '07, Lissie Benoit '07, Steve Yang '08 and Janna Dagley '09 are, as assistant vice president of admission and financial aid Carol DelPropost describes, an exciting group. Each student already has written three entries for the new Web site, OWU Scribe; will be responsible for keeping weekly journals including reflections of each week's thoughts and activities; and must post new entries weekly. Hilary Lowbridge, assistant director of admission, also will be working with the bloggers.

"Working with these five students on the blog project has been a joy, and I am already addicted to their blogs," says Lowbridge. "It is fascinating to read about the common experiences at Ohio Wesleyan, from five distinctly different perspectives, each of which showcases that OWU is a great fit for students with a broad range of academic and extracurricular interests. It brings into focus that we have something for just about everyone here." And there is a following "out there."

"We know the kids are following blogs," says DelPropost. "They want to know what goes on at college. It's an entirely different lifestyle. They can 'get the scoop,' and envision themselves here." And the blogs can be, as she describes, "a terrific extension of what we already present to students through printed materials, the Web, letters, college visits and receptions."

As with any blog, there is an element of anticipation—of following a story and keeping interest levels up.

"In the best cases, blogs are interactive," says vice president for strategic communications and university enrollment, Dr. Margaret Drugovich. "If we allow viewers to comment and question online, blogs become far more than simple diaries that you observe from afar. This interactive quality is where real engagement happens, and is critically important to successful blogs." She points out that blogs help to pull, by bringing readers to your site, and push, through messages that are sent out in text.

Important characteristics of effective blogs include currency—the commitment to do routine updates of the posts—credibility (are they authentic voices?) and control.

"If you have currency and credibility, you have to be comfortable giving up some control," says Drugovich. "While you need to monitor institutional bloggers, you also have to give them the freedom to express themselves and hear from others who can resonate with their experiences."

Becoming a blogger is, for McCoy, a "win-win" situation.

"I have an opportunity to share with others all that I do and am involved in at OWU," says the music education major from Missouri. His mile-long list of campus programs and activities with which he is involved and, of course, his academic studies, require his nearly total dependence on a PalmPilot to keep him in check each day.

"I imagine it might be interesting for others to know what I do at OWU," he says. "As a high school student, I tried to find other students to relate to." The Web site helped, he remembers, but blogs add a more personal flavor.

"I hope I can encourage students to more seriously think about coming to OWU. It's been a good experience for me, and I can only wish that for others."

— Pam Besel