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GW is one of the most prolific college tweeters on Twitter, according to a study released last week.
The University has 17 Twitter accounts and tweets an average of 58 times per day – more than any other university in the country – according to a study by Universitiesandcolleges.org.
Twitter – a Web site that allows users to “microblog” with 140 character posts – has become a valuable marketing and education tool for the University, said Lorraine Voles, vice president for External Relations.
“The exciting thing about Twitter is that it happens in real time, so if you keep on top of the GWU hashtag on Twitter, you will have everything from live scores from GW athletics matches to content from classes and lectures at your fingertips,” Voles said in an e-mail. “I am very excited that GW continues as a community to experiment with all sorts of cutting-edge technology.”
University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard said media relations uses the Web site to highlight the activities of the GW community.
She said the University’s main Twitter account, GWTweets, gathers information from sources on and off campus to publicize the University community’s strengths and happenings.
Voles added that, aside from a marketing tool, GW professors use Twitter as an educational device.
“There’s no keeping our students, alumni, staff and faculty from leaving their mark on technology, as they do in just about every other field,” Voles said.
Other University offices utilize Twitter as well, including the GW Career Center, which tweets and retweets information relevant to students looking for jobs, said Jeff Dagley, the Career Center’s communications director.
Dagley said the Career Center’s Twitter account was started about a year ago and currently has more than 1,000 followers.
The Elliott School of International Affairs launched a Twitter account in January and uses it to communicate with prospective students as well as alumni.
Grant Schneider, who is responsible for sending out the Elliott School’s tweets, said the account is also used to promote faculty and student work, upcoming events and news stories related to the international affairs field.
“The account has most definitely been effective,” Schneider said. “It has been an effective way of communicating with the many Elliott School constituencies and [is] a way to learn about what’s going on at GW and with other organizations of interest to us here at the Elliott School. We’ve even had people pick up the work of our professors through Twitter and use it to affect change.”
Other organizations that have Twitter accounts include the School of Media and Public Affairs, The Graduate School of Political Management and the athletic department. GW Today, the University-run publication that was once named By George, also maintains one of the more frequently used GW Twitter accounts.
