UK is the “Place” to Be

 
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 17, 2010) – Students at the University of Kentucky have always known that UK is the place to be, but now through location-sharing technology, they can let all of their friends and family know that, too. Through Facebook Places, a new component of the popular social networking site, students at the University of Kentucky can let friends know where they are and discover friends nearby.

UK embraced the location-sharing technology immediately to give students an opportunity to connect on campus in an exciting new way and the quick adoption of this technology has not gone unnoticed. Over the weekend, the University of Kentucky was featured on Advertising Age’s blog Adages. Advertising Age is an industry-leading publication for marketing and media news.

“Facebook Places allows students to share with their friends and families where they are,” Kelley Bozeman, UK’s marketing director, shared. “We are encouraging students to share where they are on campus throughout the day when they are in class or going to campus events. This helps them connect with one another.”

“Our students live on Facebook, we know that,” she continued. “By embracing the technology that our students are already using we are communicating with our students through their preferred medium. Students ‘checking in’ at various events and locations on campus also allows their friends at home to see what it going on at UK and may peak their interest in attending our university.”

From their mobile devices, students share in real time their location by “checking in” to that particular place. They can also see if any of their friends have checked in.

 “College students are immersed in technology – using it to interact, connect, learn and share their ‘see blue.’ experience,” said UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. “As an added bonus, it’s one more way to help freshmen make a smooth transition to college life by bonding and uniting with their peers.”

To encourage its use, seeblue.com-branded “Places” icons are featured outside of the most frequented locations on campus – the William T. Young Library, White Hall Classroom Building, residence halls, the Student Center and other student facilities – reminding students to check in and see who’s there, while future students can see where people “check-in” on www.seeblue.com.

Facebook Places should be used responsibly, and users should consider privacy and safety issues when checking in or tagging friends. To learn more about Facebook Places privacy and tagging, please visit www.uky.edu/facebook.