American Bar Association

Associate Deans’ ConferenceNudge: Leading, Motivating and Team Building

Nudging Students by Utilizing Popular Social Media

Keith SealingDean of Students, Widener University

School of Law, Harrisburg

Pop Quiz!

1) How many Blogs are out there?

a) 575,000

b) 1 million

c) 112 million

d) 1 billion

Correct answer:_________________

(That’s not counting 73 million Blogs in China.)

2) How many new Blogs are created every day?

a) 750

b) 5,500

c) 20,000

d) 175,000

Correct answer:

______________

(But that still leaves approximately 6.5 trillion people without blogs.)

3) How many members does Facebook have?

a) 750,000

b) 10 million

c) 450 million

d) 1 billion

Correct answer:___________

(Facebook lost just 34,100 members on “Quit Facebook Day,”

May 31, 2010).

4) How many Friends does Facebook allow you to have?

a) 666

b) 5,000

c) 1 million

d) Infinite number

Correct answer:_______________

(Facebook is somewhat mysterious about why it imposes this limit.)

5) How many actual friends can your neocortex handle?

a) 12

b) 150

c) 1,500

d) Unlimited: I can add RAM to my neocortex as needed

Correct answer: ____________

(This is known as “Dunbar’s Number,” developed by Robin

Dunbar, Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology, Oxford University).

How many “hits” does YouTube receive every day?

a) 1 million

b) 10 million

c) 250 million

d) 2 billion

Correct answer:______________

(How many of those hits are about your law school?)

6) How many videos are currently available on YouTube?

a) 7 million

b) 120 million

c) 1 billion

d) 7 trillion

Correct answer:______________

(It would take 600 years of continuous viewing to see

everything that is currently on YouTube)

But with 200,000 new videos added every day . . . .

Five Sobering Facts About Social Media Sites

1) It is a massive time dump

1) It is a massive time dump

• But think of it from now on as part of your job description

1) It is a massive time dump

• But think of it from now on as part of your job description

• The “Like” button on Facebook

1) It is a massive time dump

• But think of it from now on as part of your job description

• The “Like” button on Facebook

• Stay away from “Mafia Wars,” “Farmville” and the like on Facebook

2) It brings out the craziness in people

2) It brings out the craziness in people

• Flamers, ranters and conspiracy theorists

2) It brings out the craziness in people

• Flamers, ranters and conspiracy theorists

• “Nudge” students whose online demeanor needs help

2) It brings out the craziness in people

• Flamers, ranters and conspiracy theorists

• “Nudge” students whose online demeanor needs help

• Undergraduate mentality

2) It brings out the craziness in people

• Flamers, ranters and conspiracy theorists

• “Nudge” students whose online demeanor needs help

• Undergraduate mentality

• Drop or “unfriend” everybody else

2) It brings out the craziness in people

• Flamers, ranters and conspiracy theorists

• “Nudge: students whose online demeanor needs help

• Undergraduate mentality

• Drop or “unfriend” everybody else

• See #1 above; you don’t have time to educate the ignorant

3) (Shockingly) not everything on the internet is true

3) (Shockingly) not everything on the internet is true

• 83.7% of the statistics found on the internet are wrong

3) (Shockingly) not everything on the internet is true

• 83.7% of the statistics found on the internet are wrong

• (I made that up.)

3) (Shockingly) not everything on the internet is true

• 83.7% of the statistics found on the internet are wrong

• (I made that up.)

• What is false that is written about your law school?

4) There are security issues

4) There are security issues

• Facebook’s new privacy page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117319478309189&v=app_2373072738#!/fbprivacy

4) There are security issues

• Facebook’s new privacy page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117319478309189&v=app_2373072738#!/fbprivacy

• Just use common sense: “I am leaving for a two-week vacation” means “Please come rob my house.”

4) There are security issues

• Facebook’s new privacy page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117319478309189&v=app_2373072738#!/fbprivacy

• Just use common sense: “I am leaving for a two-week vacation” means “Please come rob my house.”

• Sealing’s simplified solution

5) What you can say as an administrator is constrained

5) What you can say as an administrator is constrained

• Some of the things I can’t blog/comment about: Creationism “science”; “Birthers/deathers” Global warming deniers; Sarah Palin . . .

5) What you can say as an administrator is constrained

• Some of the things I can’t blog/comment about: Creationism “science”; “Birthers/deathers” Global warming deniers; Sarah Palin . . .

• Creativity is required because outrageousness gets you noticed

Time permitting:Let’s go to Facebook

a Blog site (mine)YouTube

Conclusion:

Are you in or out?

Your law school is being discussed in the social media. Shouldn’t you be nudging the discussion, or at

least monitoring it?

Social media can help you be a “choice architect” in areas such as

admissions, student retention (transfers out), alumni relations,

Balance, happiness, employment and bar exam success, etc.