Springfield, Ohio - The Ƶ University Office of Alumni Relations continues its 2008-09 Noon Lunch and Lecture Series with Director of New Media Bob Rafferty, who will make a presentation titled "Social Networking, BlackBerries and Texting: What do they have in common?" at 12 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, in the Faculty Dining Room of the Benham-Pence Student Center.
Open to the public, participants will purchase their own lunch in the Center Dining Room or Post 95 in the student center and then gather at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and fellowship. The lecture, followed by a question and answer session, will begin at 12:15 p.m.
Social media, the term used to describe Web-based tools for sharing and discussing information online, has become a pervasive part of modern culture. Through his work in Ƶ's Office of University Communications, Rafferty has experienced first-hand the rise of social media and the role it is playing in recruiting and retaining students and connecting with alumni.
His presentation will focus on what social media is, how it is being used on Ƶ's campus and how it has changed the way we communicate with colleagues, students, friends and family. The program will include a group discussion about how social media impacts the lives of those in attendance and how they can leverage its power to communicate more effectively.
Rafferty is a 2002 Ƶ graduate and has been a member of the Office of University Communications team for six years. In partnership with Director of Alumni Relations Linda Beals, he will make a similar presentation about the use of social media in Ƶ's groundbreaking 2008 summer alumni tour, Witt Nation, for the Council for Advancement and Support of Higher Education regional conferences in Chicago in December and Kansas City in January.
The charge for the lecture is $6 per person. For additional information and to make reservations, contact Linda Himes, events planner for advancement, at (937) 327-7432.