Something interesting happened to me last week: I received “save-the-dates” for my high school reunion this year — via MySpace and Facebook.

I smiled, of course, thinking of this series of tips on social networking. I not only got the date, time and location for the event, but also a way to connect with other classmates and forward the information along. A paper invitation will follow in the coming weeks, but for now I’ve got it on the calendar and have participated in online conversations on everything from “Who’s Going?” to “Favorite High School Memory.” Social networking technology has truly changed the way I communicate and stay in touch.

Social networks aren’t just for the kids, either. Jeff Kallay, Experience Evangelist and resident “campus visit guru” at TargetX, created a closed social network for his high school reunion this Fall. I won’t reveal any ages here, but let’s just say big tube socks and bigger hair were in fashion when Jeff graduated;) They now have 125 members actively posting photos, video and comments to the site — all helping them reconnect to their shared experiences. I can definitely see why Alumni and Development offices are so interested in this technology.

Recently, I’ve been spending time with clients who are using our eXpressNet tool to create these kinds of networks for recruiting. I thought I would share some of my content ideas with all of you. If you’re still a little fuzzy on what people actually do on a social network, these ideas may help clear things up. Consider these suggestions:

• Video welcome from your President or Dean
• “Top 10 Reasons to Apply”
• Event invitations (open houses, visit days, scholarship brunches, etc.)
• Student blogs/Connect with current students
• Upload audio of any “school songs” or audio from a game
• Directions and visit information
• Average accepted student profile
• Map of where current students come from
• Local visit attractions, hotel information and weather
• Forum for students to post questions (like a message board)

I could keep going, but I think you get the point. The possibilities span as far as your own creativity and willingness to get out there and post.

Oh yeah, and one more thing — you can use Google Analytics to track the traffic on these pages. Hmm…

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