After a large turnout during its first session in October 2015, the WKU Social Media Council will convene for the second time on Friday, Feb. 26, to address more ways for departments and organizations to connect with students through social media.

Corie Martin, Creative Web Services manager, said the first meeting packed a room after drawing in more than 120 people from departments and student organizations. She said it paved the way for faculty and staff across campus to create a dialogue and collaborate.

Part of what the Creative Web Services does is oversee WKU’s website and institutional social media platforms. The council serves as a way for staff and faculty from all branches of campus to receive guidance on how to reach out to students through social media.

“WKU Creative Web Services shared some best practice info with everyone, but I think it was the open environment that was the most beneficial to everyone in attendance,” Martin said in an email. “We welcome everyone to share their experiences, successes, and struggles via social media, and we all have the opportunity to learn from each other.”

The first gathering turned into a group discussion among attendees according to Kelly Scott, communications coordinator for the Potter College of Arts and Letters.

“Folks from different areas on campus shared a few tips and projects that really worked for them,” Scott said in an email.

Scott primarily manages WKU’s Cultural Enhancement Series while handling communication ventures for the dean’s office at Potter College. The office recently hired a communications intern who has greatly increased awareness of the office’s social media accounts.

“We’re working to increase our real-time response and meaningful interactions with followers, the most important ones being students,” Scott said. “I believe social media is very important in an academic environment because students are less likely to check email these days.”

Jessica Basham, communications coordinator for the Office of Admissions, said she supervises most of the office’s communications, which utilize Twitter, Facebook and Instagram along with others such as Periscope and Vine. The social dashboard Hootsuite helps her stay on top of the accounts.

“Social media is where students are. It’s a great way to communicate with them, and for students to ask questions,” Basham said in an email. “Staff and faculty are there to help students in one way or another, and social media is another way to do that.”

For this upcoming meeting, topics like social media campaigns and Twitter are set to be discussed.

“During the meeting on Friday, I hope we’ll start going over best practices,” Basham said, “so that people who are newer to social media marketing can learn what they can do to grow followers and engagement.”

The meeting will be held in the Mass Media and Technology Hall auditorium from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

“Anyone who manages social media for any official WKU entity or student organization is welcome to attend,” Martin said. “Also, anyone who is interested in jumping into the social media landscape is welcome.”