My Welcome to Duke Moment: Countdown to Craziness

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My first few months as Duke’s digital and social media specialist have flown by! From covering orientation week to celebrating a Nobel Prize winner, serving as the community manager for Duke’s social media accounts has so far been everything I’d hoped it would be. Certainly though, my “welcome to Duke” moment came when I had a chance to cover Countdown to Craziness, Duke Basketball’s annual pep rally/public practice/celebration of all things Duke (apparently, basketball is a pretty big deal here). It was then that I had a few thoughts on why I’m so excited to be here:

Collaboration Makes This Place Great

It’s during large-scale events like these that teamwork really shines. Although my office (the Office of News & Communications), wasn’t involved in organizing the event, I was really impressed by how many aspects of the Duke experience were represented there – from academics to athletics and everything in between (even the Yo-Yo guy made an appearance). Similarly, my role entails plenty of collaboration and exchanging of ideas. Every now and then, be sure to check out the blog, where my #DukeSocial colleagues and I share best practices and lessons learned.

There Are So Many Stories To Be Told Here

At the heart of all my favorite projects prior to coming to Duke – writing feature news articles, filming short documentaries, managing social media campaigns – has been a desire to tell a great story. What I love most about my job is that there will never be a shortage of newsmakers on campus. When was the last time a university was able to celebrate a Nobel Prize and a NCAA basketball championship on the same day (Not since UC Berkley did it in 1959, evidently)? If you have good news you’d like to spread to Duke’s external audiences, I’d be happy to share it on our university accounts!

Seeing is Believing

As a newcomer, any chance I can get to experience Blue Devil culture first-hand is invaluable. My role requires that I engage with the community, not only online, but also “IRL.” Content strategy and planning are necessary parts of social media marketing, but there is no replacement for authenticity. In my case, crafting an authentic voice for Duke’s social media channels means learning to love the people, places and traditions that matter to Blue Devils. It’s an uphill battle for an outsider like me, but I’m excited to take on the challenge! That said, if you know of any must-see Duke traditions or events that I should experience for myself, please give me a holler! Dominique.benjamin@duke.edu

 

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