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Since the mid 1990s, VSA web gurus have been trying to capture a piece of their group's legacy using the internet. In the first generation, these VSA websites were often found on free web hosting services such as Geocities or university servers. The second generation of websites saw the use of identity and brand management through custom domain names (e.g. uNAVSA.org), more sophisticated designs and logos, and the use of complex web applications such as content management systems. The third generation is just beginning to arise along with the Web 2.0 movement. Web 2.0 is marked by content that has meaning, whether it is photos that is usefully tagged with the names of your friends, or sending out massive electronic invitations to members. I've identified critical web applications that every VSA should look into, as well as highlight the features that help reinforce the VSA identity.
1. Social Networking - Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com The first rule about VSAs is that people come to meet people. It is pretty clear that Facebook is going to stick around forever, and has the broadest appeal with college students. Ever since it has opened itself up to the public, community college students can now join the network! It's group features allow the designation of officers, and there is a bulletin board for members to post to their heart's desire. There is also a group-based photo gallery feature that allows you to tag the photo based on names so you can look for other photos for that particular person. Sorry Friendster, but you are so behind! 2. Photos - Flickrhttp://www.flickr.com For awhile Smugmug and Flickr was neck-and-neck, but Flickr pulled into the lead with the recent introduction of Geotagging, which allows you to associate photos with a particular geographic location. http://www.flickr.com/map In addition to the use of tags (that allow you to search photos by keywords), the group features allows members to join a group and submit photos from their own collection to be shared with the group, a vast improvement over the one-webperson-collects-all-the-photos heydays of the past. Additionally, you only need a Yahoo! account to sign-up, and everyone is given a free account to upload unlimited photos (which can be upgraded to a premium account for other features). Check out this Vietnam Images Group with 490 members contributing 8697 photos. Be sure to check out the map too! http://www.flickr.com/groups/vietnam_images/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/vietnam_images/pool/map 3. Videos - TIED: YouTube AND Grouperhttp://www.youtube.com
http://www.grouper.com Upload, share, embed into webpages, yup. VSAs can create groups and invite members so that there is a collective VSA video history. The quality isn't that great though, and there is a ten minute video length limit for YouTube, so use this only for fun. Grouper might edge out for that reason, but its popularity isn't as compelling as YouTube. 4. Forums / Mailing Lists - Google Groupshttp://groups.google.com Although everyone uses Yahoo! Groups for their mailing lists, Google Groups not only allows members to email what they want to share, but it appears on the Groups page as though it was a forum, allowing members to make silly remarks without flooding the mailbox (unless the group manager decides to have all remarks sent to everyone in the list). While you could do this partially with Yahoo! Groups, the responses aren't always organized into threads, which is an important feature if you get hundreds of emails like I do. 5. Spreadsheets - Google Docs & Spreadsheetshttp://docs.google.com For those of you who like to keep your Board on the same page financially (or with any other statistics), Google Docs & Spreadsheets fits the bill so far, although it isn't designed for groups per se. This category is likely have another winner in the near future. 6. E-Commerce - GoodStormhttp://www.goodstorm.com Okay, maybe Zazzle has more products, but the shirts on GoodStorm are cheaper. Imagine you have an award-winning design. Wouldn't it be a shame if future generations of awe-inspired VSA members couldn't order that shirt anymore just because you've graduated? Well no more! Put them up post-market for those die-hard VSA junkies. Unfortunately when it comes to money, VSAs do not have tax IDs except through their student government. Thus they are subjected to policies concerning the sale of products such as shirts and DVDs. But if you are a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation, and you want to keep on selling that nifty anti-trafficking shirt, this is a good way to maintain its accessibility. This category certainly needs development, especially group features. 7. Intranet Collaboration - CollectiveXhttp://www.collectivex.com When you're really serious about keeping your VSA working smoothly and efficiently, you need an online collaboration application. While you could rely on emailing attachments or keeping a folder of loose papers everywhere you go, having that knowledge available for the next generation of leaders is indispensible. CollectiveX allows you to share files, maintain internal communication through discussions, and keep a group calendar for core and affiliate events. But what is most intriguing is the ability to maintain a roster of your core members and their goals within your VSA. I repeat, keep track of the goals of your VSA members. By having each core member explicitly state their primary objective within VSA, other members can look through the list and see if they can be of help. Hey it's free, so why not give it a shot? 8. Voice over IP (VoIP) \ Conference Calls - Skype AND Vapps High Speed Conferencinghttp://www.skype.com
http://www.highspeedconferencing.com The combination of Skype and Vapps' High Speed Conferencing creates an intriguing next-generation VoIP solution for students on a low budget. Skype conference calls are free (but require a PC with a microphone), while those who prefer to use their cellphones (with long distance included in their plans) can also call in. Great for those inter-VSA conference calls spanning several states! 9. Blogging - Xangahttp://www.xanga.com While Myspace and Windows Live Spaces has blogging features, it isn't their primary purpose. The focus of this review is to see how web apps can support the VSA identity. That said, Xanga's blogring is probably the only thing that Xanga has going for it. What remains to be seen, however, is the ability to browse through the blog entries of the members of that blogring. I haven't seen the feature on any other web service yet, so Xanga may be dethroned as of yet! 10. Events / Invitations - Upcoming.orghttp://www.upcoming.org Evite has been popular, but Upcoming.org hits the nail in providing group pages and events tied to that group, along with the ability to keep track of RSVPs. You can probably do fine with Facebook only, but for those who have invitees who don't use Facebook (such as inviting members of the community), this is your next best bet. |
