Posted by Carlyn Foshee Chatfield on December 20, 2012

Connecting with Generation Y

Steff Hughes

University of Cape Town, South Africa

Steff is presenting a casual collection of slides put together for a poster session at the Annual EDUCAUSE conference in Denver.

The topic was chosen because for the first time about 2 years ago, we looked at targeting our IT communications to students. Before then, it was more a "one size fits" all communication plan.

I've been tailoring the communications closely as possible to the audience. I joke that my job is to write lots and lots and lots of stuff that people never read. But I really hope that some of the messages get through.

Now my resources are also found in the EDUCAUSE web site for my poster presentation.

Think about the differences in generations. We currently have customers in all four generations, Y is our current undergraduate population, a few new staff/faculty may be from Gen X, administrators may be in the Veterans Generation and many of us fit solidly in the Baby Boomer generation. I am one of the last of the Baby Boomers so there are fully two generations between me and Gen Y.

The Veterans would have been my parents (see the table of characteristics by generation) and see if you recognize anyone you know by these characteristics.

As you slide along the scale, you see Gen X is starting to be skeptical of higher education, where Baby Boomers (many of us) automatically expected to go straight to college after high school.

Most of my students in South Africa are using chat to communicate. Our bandwidth is extremely expensive and our cell phone usage is very dense.

Now look at the chart for work ethic. Gen Y is very much the "what next or what's in it for me?" group. The veteran mindset was "do the things you have to do before you do what you want to do." The Baby Boomers were/are work-aholics. Gen X is more likely to be an entrepreneur than spend their resources (time) working for someone else.

Gen Y is very much about lifestyle balance.

Now you can see the next image and probably want to know what it is...I took photos of different technology devices around our house with the kaleidoscope feature of my phone to show we look at different tools differently.

People resemble their TIMES more than they resemble their PARENTS.

According to Mark McCrindle, Understanding Gen Y, the Australiain Leadershop Foundation, shared experiences during one's youth unite and shape a generation (consider WW II, Vietnam, AIDS, 9/11, etc.)

The Golden Rule in this case is "Know your audience." My kids flow constantly between three devices: Mobile (texting), TV, Laptop and are using all three of them at the same time. My mother says they aren't really communicating, but they think they are really in the moment.

Gen Y is using technology for both entertainment and for information/communication.

So now that you know all this, how do you capture their attention?

I am not the expert, we're still feeling our way here. But I can share what we've learned thus far.

• • If you don't have a social media presence, build one fast!

  • Virtual relationships are actually important to them, so they are important to us.

  • Gen Y will express their feelings and want to know how you came to a decision about something.

  • Build a community

  • Don't put a shiny facade on things

  • Be honest, even when it hurts

Do we still use email? Yes, we haven't changed our channels, we've expanded our channels.

We use web pages, campus radio, email, etc.

Pretty much, we will put a campaign together, and if it is a particular student audience we're going for, we make use of social media, desktop backgrounds in student labs.

The other thing you can do to engage students is to USE students. They love to share and they trust what THEY'VE developed.

Also, they know what works for their generation and they love team-working and multi-tasking.

You have to tread lightly, they don't like to be told what to do.

And, they would rather discover for themselves than read a lot of details you provide.

Careful with the "why didn't you..." criticisms. Give them time to think of their own solutions.

So this is also the generation with built-in BS detectors. They will acknowledge both emotion and thought, not just your rationale.

KISS and Tell

They seem to use continuous partial attention. Keep It Short and Simple. They dip in and dip out. If they are interesting, they'll listen for a bit, but if not, they'll leave and come back and maybe check you out again later.

We'd really like our Twitter feed to be more than a one-way channel, but we're struggling with that.

Sometimes we put up something a bit contentious just to see if there is any different response.

And my Baby Boomer Generation wants what we post to go viral immediately, but it doesn't always work like that. You have to keep an interesting, consistent presence.

JL Brand has done a lot of study into multi-tasking, and they are not too sure whether they are actually getting the information they need. They may just be skimming the surface and will go research later if they need to know more.

Q&A

Now it is your time to share.

Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: Hate to say it, but free food still brings in a crowd for events. The challenge is now getting funding approval for food.

David - University of Kansas: We've started a campaign called "Tag You're IT" where we send out our student workers to take photos of students using technology on campus. We post the photos to our FB and encourage the students to go tag themselves. This has pretty effective for us so far. The key, I think, is that we have students taking the photos!

Carlyn - Rice: link to Steff's online resources: http://www.educause.edu/annual-conference/2012/capturing-attention-generation-y

Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: David: Good idea. I may steal, too! :)

David - University of Kansas: Don't mind at all! We also send out one of the photos thru TwitterDavid - University of Kansas: facebook.com/KUTechnology :-)

AJ Sagona - University of Colorado in Boulder: We have chalked short messages around campus (e.g., get your grades m.colorado.edu/mycuinfo

What about things that DIDN't work?

Twitter, maybe not so successful.

David - University of Kansas: IMO, I think we need to be more fun and provocative in our SM, but I worry about backlash from our leadership and university leadership who are, well, not Gen Y. How do you balance engaging students in an authentic way with the more conservative nature of....uh....more mature leaders?

Our chancellor leads from the front.

We don't have a IT support desk for undergraduates, so we are punting via social media as a way to ask questions and provide answers. Of our 25,000 students, about 800 follow our Facebook page. We know we can't reach everyone, but we're trying to reach those we can and let them spread the word where they will.

Q? who answers?If we don't know the answer, we don't rush to answer immediately. We try to balance providing timely answers with providing accurate answers.

Q 24/7?

My colleague and I have smart phones, but we try to not be "online" all the time. We prime them for us being offline by posting the last joke of the week for Friday and signing off so to speak.

We're growing support via ambassadors in our SM presence.

Full Chat Notes

• • Carlyn - Rice: Please type your questions in the chat box. Use your computer speakers for audio.

  • AJ Sagona - University of Colorado in Boulder: I am in Boulder :)

  • AJ Sagona - University of Colorado in Boulder: It is wonderful!

  • Carlyn - Rice: I will add the URL for the poster session soon.

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: Gen X

  • David - University of Kansas: Gen X

  • Lisa - 2: right behind Steff in October 63

  • Carlyn - Rice: BBoomer - also envious!

  • Rebecca: Barely Gen X 1966

  • AJ Sagona - University of Colorado in Boulder: GenX

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: some "screen free" time at home does amazing things! And I'm guilty of being too connected, too!

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: Question: How do you build a social media presence for your IT department when few students are likely to "like" your Facebook page or follow your IT departtment's Twitter page?

  • Lisa - 2: I have the same question as Kerri. Do you still use email, portal announcements, etc. if there is info you want to make sure all students get?

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: Good numbers so far.

  • Carlyn - Rice: I've pasted your questions in a place Steff will see them and get to them...

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: Hate to say it, but free food still brings in a crowd for events. The challenge is now getting funding approval for food.

  • David - University of Kansas: We've started a campaign called "Tag You're IT" where we send out our students to take photos of student workers using technology on campus. We post the photos to our FB and encourage the students to go tag themselves. This has pretty effective for us so far. The key, I think, is that we have students taking the photos!

  • Carlyn - Rice: link to Steff's online resources: http://www.educause.edu/annual-conference/2012/capturing-attention-generation-y

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: David: Good idea. I may steal, too! :)

  • David - University of Kansas: Don't mind at all! We also send out one of the photos thru Twitter

  • David - University of Kansas: facebook.com/KUTechnology :-)

  • AJ Sagona - University of Colorado in Boulder: We have chalked short messages around campus (e.g., get your grades m.colorado.edu/mycuinfo

  • AJ Sagona - University of Colorado in Boulder: Write in chalk on the sidewalks - yes!

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: David: Any incentives for posting their photos on FB?

  • Carlyn - Rice: I don't think my Twitter feed is very popular, but I am using it as a bullhorn and not really listening to what other peopel are tweeting, so that is probably my problem.

  • David - University of Kansas: We're having a hard time getting traction with students on Twitter. Only a handful of our 200+ followers are students. Most aren't even affiliated with KU. Any suggestions?

  • guest: We sponsored a Mobile Device Security Checkpoint (during Cyber Security Awareness Month) on our Brickyard, which is a common outside area for students to congregate. We had 300 participants.

  • guest: Guest: Rhonda - N.C. State University

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: Just liked the KU FB page, too.

  • David - University of Kansas: We'll have 20 of them on campus! We've gotten HUGE attention from students and media on the charging stations!

  • David - University of Kansas: Charging stations are one of the biggest ROIs we've seen. $6,500 for 20 stations and we've gotten at least that if not more in media coverage.

  • guest: We ran a very quick diagnostic tool on participants' iPhone, Android or BlackBerry phone, or on their Windows or Mac laptop or iPad. They could also sign up for a group session to learn how to further secure their device or pick up instructions on how to secure it themselves.

  • guest: We checked to make sure they had a password on the device, antivirus installed, etc.

  • guest: We had our security folks on standby to talk to students.

  • David - University of Kansas: We haven't seen a traffic boost yet. The charging stations are just now being installed. We'll have 15 installed by the start of spring classes. This was a close partnership with Student Body President and VP.

  • guest: We had about 8 people on hand for questions.

  • guest: We used the student newspaper and posters in the residence halls as well. University calendar, faculty and staff newsletter, etc.

  • David - University of Kansas: Not a focused campaiign yet. A mention in our CIO message to students, and social media. Plus, we've gained newspaper, radio and TV coverage

  • guest: We also gave out food and had a tent displayed. We get alot of students to come to the Brickyard.

  • David - University of Kansas: Media coverage has all been grassroots so far!

  • Carlyn - Rice: what is everyone planning to communicate to students when they return in January and what channels will you use?

  • David - University of Kansas: The Student Body Prez and VP have also helped by promoting through their own SM

  • guest: You can view our website for Cyber Security here: http://oit.ncsu.edu/security-day/computer-security-awareness-month-2012Carlyn - Rice: how does the USB do that?

  • Carlyn - Rice: what kind of budget do you request each year for give-aways, food?

  • David - University of Kansas: IMO, I think we need to be more fun and provocative in our SM, but I worry about backlash from our leadership and university leadership who are, well, not Gen Y. How do you balance engaging students in an authentic way with the more conservative nature of....uh....more mature leaders?

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: You mentioned you have 800 student followes on FB. What is your total student population?

  • Carlyn - Rice: who answers Q on your social media, is it just you or does your help desk chime in?

  • David - University of Kansas: Is your SM efforts focused more 8-5 M-F schedule, or do you try and cover 24/7? If latter, how do you handle that from a resource standpoint (having enough people to answer after biz hours)

  • Carlyn - Rice: please paste the link for your FB page.

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: What is your FB page?

  • David - University of Kansas: That's our goal to....SM deputies (or ambassadors, if you will)

  • Steff - University of Cape Town: https://www.facebook.com/icts.uct

  • Carlyn - Rice: does anyone have a SM-focused staff member?

  • David - University of Kansas: No. We currently only have me and another FT person, and two PT students.

  • David - University of Kansas: Love the "How computers are made" image

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: Yea, I was wondering on that, too.

  • Carlyn- Rice: How do you deal with copyright for the cartoons?

  • David - University of Kansas: Do you do other SM? Instagram? Pinterest? Etc.

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: What has been more effective for you? Post once a day? Multiple times a day? Does that start to overwhelm followers? Did the number of followers increase when you started posting more often?

  • Carlyn- Rice: Nice! please share your source for the year's subscription of cartoons.

  • David - University of Kansas: Same here. We've only been doing SM since last April. We're focused on Twitter and FB, but have registered our name w/others.

  • David - University of Kansas: Kerri, do you have FB? If so, what's your address?

  • Lisa - 2: Great presentation--thank you!!!

  • David - University of Kansas: Thank you! It was fantastic!

  • Steff - University of Cape Town: thank you all for making my first presentation so pleasant

  • Carlyn- view 2: Super presentation, Steff! Thanks so much for staying up late to share with us

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: www.facebook.com/uga.eits.

  • David - University of Kansas: Thx, Kerri.

  • Kerri-Univ. of Georgia: Great presentation and great information!