The Chronicle has an article by a college president on how his parody on YouTube has “gone viral” and how it has increased donations to the college.
Lots of folks are seeing it, including some from
countries including Pakistan, Japan, Spain, Singapore, and China—where one alumnus, from the class of 1950 no less, managed to circumvent the national blockage of YouTube and get the video directly from the college’s server.
I love that the Chinese alum got to see it (and got past their governmental restrictions!).
He offers the lessons he learned from the experience. Some of these are more germane to my life.
Second, the notion that new social media are exclusively the province of the young or the technically savvy is mistaken.
I think this is something that people forget in our colleges. We don’t have to be young or particularly hip to take advantage of the internet.
Third, we should never underestimate the power of humor and of positive messaging, particularly during periods of great social and economic stress.
I like this idea a lot. Humor is positive and can be uplifting, especially in seasons of difficulty.
Want to see the video?