Social Collaboration Software vs Social Media Networks in Higher Education

Advantages of Private Social Network Software

Social collaboration software in the educational institution opens up new opportunities for

learning, sharing, researching, and all the kinds of campus interactions that take place daily

Using a campus-wide social network platform connects resident and off campus students,

faculty, administration and alumni in an open, interactive environment.

Learning is no longer a closed, singular endeavor of one student coping with an impersonal,

institutional bureaucracy. Instead, with a social network platform, students have instant access to

resources from outside experts, to their own professors, and to fellow students. Members create

profiles which contribute to a broad database of resources. Researchers and professors can

quickly source current literature, propose ideas, and collaborate with other scholars. Online

students are retained by deepening relationships with advisors, faculty, adjunct faculty, and staff.

Administrators can network quickly and effectively with alumni, and readily expand the social

network.

A campus social network that uses a powerful social community software platform creates a

secure, private setting that encourages users to interact. Members are more likely to share

information and give support knowing they are using a secure system that is accessible from any

location and any mobile device. Professors and students can create blogs or wikis, conducting

online forums and seminars in an open, yet secure, connected community.

Disadvantages of Open-Source Social Media

Open source social media, like Facebook, is used in some educational institutions to network

among various communities, but there are drawbacks. Most significantly, open source

networking systems are subject to all the security issues of the Internet at large. User

participation can be inhibited by lack of confidence in the security of these systems. Open social

media are suited to personal, lifestyle discussions. Private social network platforms can be more

task-oriented, enabling quick access to documents and profiles.

At the same time, the flood of extraneous messages, data, and users in the open source

environment can overwhelm the student or any user, making effectiveness of the system for

purposes of the educational enterprise difficult and unfocused. A private system allows

administrators to retain control of their institution’s branding and data, and to control the user

experience. They can easily set up a network that connects everyone who is either on or off

campus in communities of interest, with access to deeply useful resources. The platform should

be easily managed and adapt to changing needs of the campus, with minimal investment of

administration time and resources.

The Connected Campus

Social media may not be as useful in the academic setting, but it has certainly influenced the

direction of communication today, at all levels within the campus community. A social

community platform should seem familiar to users, with features that function like the social

media they are used to. Activity streams, rankings, online chat, blogs, forums, image and video

sharing, are good examples.

Successful social networking helps build a tightly-knit community, which in turn leads to

increased student retention and achievement. Involving business partners as part of the

community connects students with potential future employers, facilitating internships and greater

awareness of how to build business relationships.

Forward-thinking colleges and universities are looking for new approaches to connect all

communities both on and off-campus, including the online student population. Social business

software is now ready to meet those needs with a flexible platform that can build new online

social functions into the future.

Bio

Enterprise Hive creates social business software solutions including its flagship community

platform, HiveSocial. Using cloud-based technology, HiveSocial delivers a secure, private online

experience that empowers all faculty, students, staff and partners to connect and collaborate. It

offers a dynamic mix of social business features including content management, game mechanics

and advanced communication and collaboration tools.