21 June 2011
Tweet your graduation experiences
The University of Dundee has invited thousands of characters to share the graduation experience in no more than 140 characters.
Using the popular social networking site twitter, the University’s social media team have teamed up with Dundee University Students Association to invite graduands to tweet their pre- and post-graduation thoughts, pictures and emotions.
They are promoting the use of the hashtag #uodgrad11 to help build an online buzz which will see more people pick up on the trend and follow coverage. The campaign has already begun, and graduating students have begun sharing their excitement about the build up to their big day, passing on tips and setting out celebration plans.
Alumni have taken the opportunity to remember their own graduation day, and the University (@DundeeUniv) and DUSA (@dusa_theunion) have been re-tweeting these messages.
A 'twitter wall' displaying tweets will be on show at the garden parties which follows each of the graduation ceremonies and will also be in operation during Saturday’s Graduation Ball. E-Communications Manager Dr Ramanee Peiris said the University and the Union had hit upon this idea as a way of letting students share the excitement of the occasion with the world.
'From the serious to the fun, we want people to tweet what graduation means to them,' she said. 'We want to be able to capture the build up, the feeling at being rewarded for four years of hard work, and the celebrations with family and friends that follow.
'Of course, we don't want people tweeting during their ceremony, but otherwise we want them to let all their followers know about #uodgrad11 before and after. This is the first time we’ve used twitter as an organised way of spreading the word and we may even be the first UK university to do so.
'The important thing is that this is a huge day for the students and we want them to enjoy themselves and show the world how well they’ve done. The twitter wall will show tweets as they’re received in real time and will be a memorable way of charting very personal experiences of the graduation ceremony.'
More than 3000 students will graduate with degrees and diplomas during over the course of six ceremonies held at the Caird Hall this week. The graduation ceremonies begin on Wednesday and run for the rest of the week, with morning and afternoon ceremonies each day. Graduation garden parties take place each day at Campus Green, Balfour Place, from 4pm to 7pm.
This year’s Graduation Ball takes place at DUSA from 6pm-6am on Saturday, 25th June. The extravaganza will see thousands of new graduates enjoy live bands, DJs a funfair and much, much more at their last ever student party.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
