Social listening uncovered two powerful Yale Reunion stories
In my volunteer role as co-chair of the Yale Alumni Social Media Task Force I encourage use of social media about Yale alumni events, and then search for and amplify content posted by alumni. This post is about the value of doing social listening, especially with an open mind and broad interpretation of the calendar.
Two weeks after the last session of Yale Reunion concluded and the social had quieted, I did some more searches. Since many people don’t use the primary hashtag, #YaleReunion, I also searched on the terms “Yale alumni,” “Yale Reunion” and “Yale Reunions.” Among several finds were two very powerful stories told by alumni who’d been back to New Haven the same weekend (Yale spreads reunion over two weekends).
I was struck by the contrasts and similarities. They had attended Yale 40 years apart, and chose different media to share their experiences, but they’d been in New Haven the same weekend, and both were moved to invest considerable effort in publishing their stories.
Albert Lawrence, Yale ’07, who works in multimedia production, told his story in video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikrZguO0_Vk
Martin Snapp, Yale ’67, who is a print journalist—of course his work is now in digital too—told his story through an article: http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/06/12/yale-college-50th-reunion-helped-heal-long-term-wounds/
Please watch the video and read the article. They reaffirm the importance of letting the stories be told in the words (and multimedia) of those experiencing them.
