Mapping the online world

This map of the Internet (full size) may have just been posted on Monday at the IAOC blog, but it looks like something drawn circa 2005.

A map of online communities, via IAOC blog
A map of online communities, via IAOC blog

Where’s Twitter? It’s this map’s equivalent of Waldo. And look how huge MySpace is compared to Facebook? Looks like our map needs to be redrawn.

But that’s the nature of the online world, isn’t it? As son as we think we can set boundaries around something, the terrain shapeshifts into something heretofore unrecognizable.

Social media usage in a presidential rollout

Last week was a busy one for Paul Redfern and his communications colleagues at Gettysburg College. On Friday, Feb. 6, Gettysburg announced the appointment of a new president, Janet Morgan Riggs. And based on Paul’s description of how Gettysburg announced the appointment. it was close to a textbook case for using social media to get the word out.

Paul and company used just about every web 2.0 resource imaginable — RSS, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, text messaging, Flickr — to spread the news. Judging from the number of comments received on the news site, it appears that the tools directed plenty of alumni and other constituents to the official announcement. Further analysis will show the full story, but I’d say Gettysburg did a very good job of using social media tools to engage alumni. It also appears that the new (and during most of the week, interim) president and/or her staff was heavily involved in working with the communications staff, which is critical.

Congratulations to Paul and the rest of the Gettysburg staff on a job well done.