Content analysis of Facebook wall postings on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Office of Admissions page

Abstract

Facebook has revolutionized how colleges and universities communicate with prospective students. Public relations aid in relational-building and marketing engages the target audience. Media Richness Theory states that a medium high in richness has the ability to clarify and change understanding, provides instantaneous feedback, and has a personal focus. This exploratory study describes who is visiting and what types of information users are seeking on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Office of Admissions Facebook page. Wall postings (n=285) and profile photos from two academic years were analyzed. Findings show more women participate online than men, and transfer students and high school students frequent the site. Information-seeking users inquired the most about application and admissions requirements. Interestingly, 80% of users did not include their geographic location, but of those who did were from Hawaiʻi and the United States Pacific West Coast. Recommendations for future research include analyzing the entire conversation between the user and office of admissions, and comparing trade school and major university Facebook pages.