Caps, Gowns and Hashtags
SDSU made social media a priority in sharing the fun at Commencement.
More than 9,300 students crossed the San Diego State University commencement stage this past weekend.
The graduates — including bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral candidates — received degrees ranging from accounting to kinesiology to women’s studies. Future lawyers, researchers, doctors and business moguls proudly shook the hands of college deans and received their hard-earned degrees with smiles on their faces ... and then they took selfies.
To get graduates excited about the ceremonies and to capture the joy of the special day, the SDSU Marketing and Communications team sought to expand the use of the “SDSUGrad” hashtag, which is a way of getting a large group of people talking about the same thing on social media platforms.
Calling all #SDSUGrads
The university has used the #SDSUGrad hashtag on Twitter for a few years. But this year, the SDSU Marketing and Communications team took commencement coverage to the next level, broadcasting the branding across a variety of social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Members of the team created a special #SDSUGrad cap and SDSU foam finger and asked graduates to hold them while taking pictures with their friends and fellow graduates. Students posed with the props and the photos were uploaded onto Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, accompanied by "#SDSUGrad."
"Not too long ago universities were asking people to turn their phones off during commencement ceremonies," said Greg Block, SDSU's Chief Communications Officer. "We've embraced social media and new technologies. And if our graduates and their families are going to be posting pictures anyway, we want them to share them with us, have fun and make Commencement memorable."
The photos — both silly and serious — captured the elation of Commencement, and put thousands of smiling faces to the SDSU Class of 2014. A landing page has been created featuring feeds from the different platforms.
Alumni are encouraged to share their past and present #SDSUGrad photos across social media platforms.
#SDSUGrad Photos from the 2014 Commencement ceremonies
