A lot of us are using social media tools to communicate, but questions about how to measure the effectiveness of these new tools linger.  CASE has published the findings of their most recent survey on institutional use of social media and finds that while 96% of those surveyed are using social media tools, many are struggling with the staffing, resources, and expertise needed to maintain the effort (sound familiar?).

And while many institutions are using social media for outreach, few are measuring effectiveness.  According to Michael Stoner, president of mStoner a marketing consulting firm associated with the study, "Institutions are looking at the number of ‘friends' and ‘likes' and the level of participation, but they're still trying to figure out how to measure the impact of social media on behavior. There are very few institutions measuring the impact of their social media initiatives on institutional goals, such as recruiting students or alumni participation."