Alumni Futures has a new feature.
On the blog's website, in the left column there is a new link under the heading Additional Information. It's called White Papers.
The first white paper is posted now. It's an update of an article that Caltech's Elizabeth Allen and I wrote for the Higher Ed Blog Conference in 2006. The title is Online Social Networks: A Developing Tool for Alumni Associations – How third-party social and business networking sites benefit alumni associations.
What is a 'white paper'? I found several official definitions, but the shortest, simplest summary I can come up with is:
"A proposal for action on a specific issue."
Alumni Futures White Papers will:
- explore topics that are relevant and interesting;
- cover topics in more depth than a 500 word blog posting allows;
- sometimes be co-authored with colleagues;
- be written to stimulate your thinking on related topics;
- provide additional resources for people who want to learn more;
- appear at least two or three times each year;
- be announced to Alumni Futures Facebook Fans before being announced here.
If you have feedback, leave a comment here on the blog. If you have an idea for something you'd like to work on with me, send me an email.
