Campus News

#seebluestories Unites Big Blue Nation's Experiences

of

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 6, 2014) — The University of Kentucky is much more than a campus of beautiful buildings, an institution of higher learning and a world-class athletics program. The essence of UK is a feeling, a “see blue.” spirit that binds every Wildcat — student, faculty, staff, alumni, fans — together. Each member of the Big Blue Nation has a story to share about what the university means to them.

We want to hear them.

[IMAGE2]

The University of Kentucky is proud to launch #seebluestories, a new social media hashtag and website dedicated to the stories that make up our university's rich heritage and lasting tradition. #seebluestories is a way for every member of the UK family to share their story — an archive of the experiences and lives that have shaped the university's nearly 150-year history.

"#seebluestories was inspired by 'Humans of New York' and similar sites where people share their stories through photography and simple text," Kelley Bozeman, UK's director of marketing, said. "We hear from folks all the time who want to share their UK experiences with us but did not have an outlet in which to do so. Now, through #seebluestories, everyone has that outlet."

#seebluestories is multifaceted. Stories can be submitted on Facebook at www.facebook.com/seebluestories or at seeblue.com/stories. On Facebook, simply write your story and post a photo to the page's wall. There your story will join all the other contributed stories.

"We see Facebook as a place where #seebluestories can grow organically," Bozeman said.

Stories submitted through the website will also be shared on Facebook and select stories will be shared on Steller, a new social media storytelling platform.

"We are excited to utilize Steller to share #seebluestories," Bozeman said. "It is a unique platform that combines photography, video and text in an interesting and visually appealing way that is easy to view from a mobile device. Steller will allow us to expand the one photo with text model we are using on Facebook to paint a more complete picture of the person's 'see blue.' story with a multipage, multi-visual experience for the end user."

Steller #seebluestories can be viewed through the app, available in the Apple App Store, or online at www.steller.co/seeblue.

"As we approach UK's 150th anniversary, the timing could not be better to launch #seebluestories," Bozeman said. "What makes UK so special is the people that make up and are impacted by our institution. We want Wildcats of all ages, young and old alike, to share their 'see blue.' story with us, and we cannot wait to hear them all."

Contributed stories will also be shared on various official UK social media sites. Fans are also encouraged to like the #seebluestories Facebook page.

MEDIA CONTACT: Katy Bennett, katy.bennett@uky.edu, 859-257-1909