UMSD Getting a Bit More ‘Social’?

The idea was both an exciting and uneasy prospect.

Should use the social networking sites  Twitter and Facebook as an official means to disseminate information?

“It’s a great new tool for anyone who wants to hear about good news in Upper Moreland,” Nora Rosenbaum said.

Rosenbaum, who manages the district’s Community Information Network, gave a presentation to last night’s school board Programs and Services Committee meeting.

At this meeting, Rosenbaum explained the ins-and-outs of the two social networking sites, providing definitions and demonstrations on a large projection screen.

“You can come in and try it. It takes two minutes,” Rosenbaum said, emphasizing the ease in which social networking sites may be used.

Rosenbaum said that the Twitter and Facebook could be a useful tool to supplement existing means of district-regulated mass communication, including a mass-phone message program, the district’s website or the E-communicator, which provides daily district-wide updates via an email.

Rosenbaum pointed out that unlike the E-communicator, Twitter and Facebook feeds have the online ability of reaching out to followers or fans instantaneously, which, she said, would be useful for free advertising of district events, links to media presentation or in times of emergency.

“And, it’s a great way to brag about ourselves,” Rosenbaum said, noting a lack of press coverage the district has received lately.

She also noted that a majority of the school community, including students and parents, highly use one or both of the social networking sites.

When asked, all but two of the school board members and the superintendent utilize social networking sites.

“I know when my kids come home from school, they are on Facebook,” Dr. Robert Milrod, UMSD superintendent, said, addressing the board.

Members of the board did express some concern on the interactivity aspect of the social networking sites.

“You don’t have a lot of control of the Twitter environment,” Dan Barber, committee chairperson said.

He, along with other board members, discussed the potential for negative comments appearing on district-managed networking sites.

“My concern would be a kid saying something negative about another kid, and everybody can watch,” Milrod said.

However, Barber did note that major companies are currently using social networking sites to further establish an online presence.

And while Twitter may possess the potential of hosting negative comments, Rosenbaum demonstrated the privacy features on Facebook, in which postings can be removed or denied altogether.

The ability to quickly pull the plug on district networking sites further calmed school board members' worries of inappropriate behavior.

Rosenbaum did point to the success of the Twitter page of North Penn School District (@NPSD), which currently has 944 followers and was started in the summer of 2009.

While the immediately surrounding districts do not manage an official district Twitter or Facebook page, several Facebook pages related to Upper Moreland appear in a search, including many alumni pages.

Rosenbaum did create the district-regulated Facebook and Twitter sites to show the committee.

The Facebook site is not yet live, but may be searched under “Upper Moreland Township School District.”

A UMSD Twitter account has been activated, and can be found at @UpperMorelandSD.

The district’s first tweet was on Aug. 23: “Welcome back Teachers!”