The CUNY Academic Commons: fostering faculty use of the social web

Abstract

PurposeThis paper sets out to analyze the implementation of an academic social network that connects faculty members, administrators, and graduate students in a multi‐campus university system. Part of a new generation of university‐sponsored virtual spaces that foreground social networking, the CUNY Academic Commons has fostered a growing community of members who use the site to collaborate with colleagues across the system. This paper seeks to describe the processes involved in creating the site and to offer guidance to institutions considering similar projects.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a case study of the CUNY Academic Commons that is supported by site analytics, usage reports, and public site materials.FindingsThe CUNY Academic Commons has increased awareness of member projects and research interests, built a greater sense of community between discrete campuses, promoted an open culture of sharing, and encouraged collaborative ventures across the system. The site gives members a greater degree of control over the design, presentation, and content of their own web‐based work than is traditionally possible in closed‐source, closely managed university websites.Originality/valueThe paper will be of interest to academic institutions interested in using social‐networking technologies to strengthen their communities.