The Week in Links (Or is it the Weak Link?)

• A nice example from Jessica Krywosa and Hamilton College of why we higher ed social media folks do what we do. It really does matter!

• Oh snap! Yours truly makes a special guest appearance in this U.S. News & World Report article on higher ed use of Vine and Instagram video by Delece Smith-Barrow. Turns out I believe so strongly that social media is "kind of a showcase" for a university that I said it twice in one sentence. Insight like that is why you all come to this blog, right?

• Double snap! I also make a special guest appearance in an article about incoming freshman and social media by Elaine Marsilio of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. The article is behind a paywall, but you can follow her on Twitter and check out this pic of my name in a pull quote. What what! (OK, OK... I'm posting this for my mom.) 

• Great article from Andrew Careaga on Higher Ed Marketing  about the importance of consistency and routine when it relates to brand building. This is advice I need to staple to my head.

• A perfect follow-up to Andrew's article is this one from Ma'ayan Plaut on the always-charming Obrling College web team blog. "Keeping the lights on" is a great metaphor, and something I struggle with in the endless grind of the social media sarlacc pit. (No, I'm not such a Star Wars nerd that I didn't need to Google how to spell that.)

• My most popular post this week: A Q&A with Tim Cigelske of Marquette University. The awesome work he does makes the work I do feel inadequate. 

• Be sure to check out Jonathan Gabriel's Social Media in Higher Ed Flipboard - it's always a much better aggregation of good social media content than my lousy weekly links articles!

• Helpful guide from Nolan Ether of Three Ships Media on how to craft unique posts for each social media platform.  Lots of great examples and inspiration in there.

OK peeps... that's all for this week. I wrote this from a hotel bed in Medford, Oregon (just north of the California border), the morning after an all-day bachelor party on a sail boat. That's dedication, my friends! I'll be busy with wedding stuff this weekend, but hopefully will be back into blogging action early next week.

Until then, enjoy some Blondie, because Blondie is always awesome.