Newswise — Everyone has a good story to tell and Washington University’s Olin Business School has created a new blog platform for its community of students, professors, alumni, deans, and staff to share their favorite stories about life at the business school.
The Olin Blog is launching on a customized version of WordPress. Administrators, program directors and staff began posting stories during the semester break. Faculty and student contributors will begin blogging after classes begin in mid-January.
The decision to launch the blog is part of the school’s broader social media strategy to strengthen Olin’s voice and presence online, says Paula Crews, associate dean and director of marketing and communications at Olin.
“The real power lies in connecting our audiences with our Olin personalities—our story tellers,” Crews explains in a video accompanying the debut blog post.
“With the power of social media, the advancement of the multimedia experience, and the capability of blogs to bring to life personalities and stories, we see an opportunity to bring to life the heartbeat of what makes Olin unique,” Crews says.
The blog is designed to reflect and serve all members of the Olin community, as well as visitors, with multiple categories and tags to facilitate searching. With contributors from every program, the group blog will contain valuable information that is updated and refreshed daily. The Olin Blog will reflect the diverse voices, events, teaching, research and learning at the business school.
Chris Reimer, social media vice president at Falk Harrison in St. Louis and a consultant on the Olin Blog project, believes blogs are a powerful marketing tool. “A blog is the way for an organization to tell its story. That can’t be done in the news section of the website.”
Reimer sees Olin’s blog as an effective way to reach out to prospective students and faculty who want to find a more personal connection to the school beyond standard recruiting materials they see before applying or visiting.
As more members of the Olin community become contributors to the new blog and share their Olin experiences, the multimedia site will offer visitors a unique view inside the business school that is home to more than 1,800 students in 12 degree and non-degree programs ranging from undergraduate to doctoral.
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