@GoogleForEdU and the Limits of Promoted Tweets

As far as promoted tweets go, a @GoogleForEdU tweet is not all that annoying. My Twitter world exists at the interaction of education and technology, and the Google for Education promoted tweets are at least somewhat relevant.  

 

The problem is that Google is tweeting for messaging, and I’m looking for a conversation. A conversation requires people. I have no idea who cares about higher education at Google. 

 

A list of some questions about Google that Twitter could help to answer would include:

 

I do care about what Google is doing in education, but I care about this through the lens of the people at Google. The investment that Google is making in promoting tweets from @GoogleForEdu is fine, it is just not nearly enough. What Google should be doing is investing (in all sorts of ways) in promoting the people who work in Google for Education. Invest in helping these people establish an authentic social media voice and presence. Invest in connecting these people to our larger higher ed community, both in virtual and in physical space. Invest in creating opportunities and platforms that Google education folks can have conversations with our larger postsecondary community.

 

A social media strategy is not a substitute for an outreach and communications strategy. Promoted tweets can be one element of conversation, but they are only a start. Dialogue, and therefore relevance, cannot be purchased.   Google has a potentially important role to play in our conversation about how postsecondary education is evolving. Rethinking its social media strategy would be a good first step if Google wishes to enter this conversation.